Elisa Claims AI Automation Cut Network Incidents By More Than 80%
RCR Wireless News reported that Elisa says AI-powered automation has reduced customer-impacting network incidents by more than 80% and pushed preventive actions to 99%, while Open RAN remains outside the current deployment plan.
Elisa Reports More Than 80% Fewer Customer-Impacting Incidents
Elisa says AI-powered automation has reduced customer-impacting network incidents by more than 80% and raised the share of preventive actions to 99%.
The Finnish operator has built a digital twin of its network and deployed agentic AI alongside human engineers to troubleshoot problems and predict potential incidents, Sami Komulainen, Elisa’s chief operating officer, told RCR Wireless News.
The results extend more than a decade of network automation work.
Komulainen said the AI programme has also improved operational efficiency and perceived network quality.
Elisa is using the technology to support engineers rather than replace the engineering organisation outright.
The operator views that shift as a move from hardware-driven networks toward AI- and software-driven operations.
Komulainen said the capabilities are intended to help prepare Elisa for AI-native 6G networks, which the company anticipates emerging around 2030.
5G Monetization Moves Beyond Basic Connectivity
Elisa is monetizing 5G through premium connectivity and enterprise services instead of waiting for a single “killer application” to emerge.
Its portfolio includes 5G Standalone and 5G-Advanced subscriptions, network slicing, fixed wireless access, private mobile networks and IoT services.
Komulainen attributed part of that progress to Elisa’s early deployment strategy.
The operator launched one of the world’s first commercial 5G networks in Finland in 2019.
Its 5G coverage now reaches 97% of the population across Finland and Estonia, and it commercialized 5G Standalone and 5G-Advanced early in Europe.
Those deployments allowed Elisa to build on its speed-based unlimited-data pricing model with premium connectivity services.
Its “Own Lane” broadband offering uses 5G Standalone network slicing to provide dedicated network resources.
Demand for private mobile networks is growing across ports, manufacturing, healthcare and logistics, Elisa said.
More than one million IoT devices are connected to its Finnish network.
Cloudification Takes Priority Over Open RAN
Elisa has not yet deployed Open RAN.
Instead, it is concentrating on network cloudification and Cloud RAN while evaluating openness where it could provide operational or economic benefits.
“Our approach is deliberately pragmatic: we adopt openness where it delivers clear operational or economic benefits, while continuing to prioritize proven performance and reliability at scale,” Komulainen said.
Elisa also expects AI to change network traffic characteristics.
As that happens, the operator said programmable and AI-driven networks will become increasingly important to the next generation of mobile infrastructure.
