AI in Networking: How EMEA Telcos Can Future-Proof for the Cloud, 5G Era

The numbers are in – across the EMEA regions, the adoption of AI in networking, 5G and cloud services continues to rise, and in some cases, they’re outpacing the adoption of other historical, transformative technologies like mobile phones.

In many ways, however, this trifecta creates a perfect storm for broadband operators. Whenever legacy infrastructure coexists with aggressive digital ambitions, the task is not just to scale, but to scale intelligently. Like telcos around the world, those in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are under pressure to deliver higher bandwidth, faster speeds and increased reliability – all while limiting costs and meeting industry and regulatory standards.

Future-proofing their networks successfully will demand much more than just selecting high-performance components. Rather, in our modern age, it will require leveraging the same emerging technologies that end-users are specifically adopting AI in networking to help boost the reliability and resilience of the networks they are upgrading or newly deploying. Here’s how.

Challenge of Building Holistic Networks

Let’s consider the scope of the challenge facing EMEA telcos today. In Europe, five businesses adopt AI every minute. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of firms consistently using this technology increased from 33% to 42%. That’s a 27% annual growth rate that, should it continue, could contribute more than $433 billion to Europe’s GDP by 2030. Meanwhile, in the Middle East and Africa, 5G is rapidly on the rise. By 2029, nearly 23% of all mobile subscriptions in the region will be 5G. While this is great news for end-users, the convergence of AI, cloud and 5G is fundamentally redefining how telcos build, operate and evolve their networks.

From hyperscale data halls and central offices to urban rooftop and rural roadside cabinets, EMEA operators oversee wireline and wireless architectures that are more distributed and heterogenous than ever before. As a result, this brings up several technical and operational challenges for network operators including:

• Interoperability: ensuring the components they purchase will work seamlessly with existing network equipment
• Resilience: ensuring that network components are protected, particularly in outdoor environments where weather conditions could impact them or there is a risk of vandalism
• Speed-to-market: network engineers often face pressure to speed up time-to-service all while ensuring the long-term integrity of their installations
• Logistical variability: across multi-country deployments, labor quality can vary, potentially impacting network operation and performance

Addressing these complexities at scale is more involved than finding and selecting the optimal networking equipment. It will require leveraging emerging technologies like AI in networking to drive greater efficiency and reliability across entire networks.

AI in Networking: Assurance and Quality at Scale

Picture this. During a field check powered by AI in networking, a technician snaps a picture of the patching and cable management section of an FTTH outdoor distribution cabinet. Behind the scenes, an AI engine compares the image to a reference model. Within moments, it alerts the field technician to anything out of place, enabling immediate corrective action before anything impacts network performance. It’s like having an expert peer reviewing every installation, instantaneously.

This kind of AI-enabled image-based quality inspection can also be applied to inside plants, such as within central offices, headends and data centers. For example, facility managers and engineers can use AI to assess photos of patch panels, fiber tray layouts, splice closures or even fully installed racks, catching and addressing any discrepancies before commissioning. From incorrect port-to-port patching and misaligned color codes to cable routes that violate proper bend radius standards, AI and computer vision are merging to make it simpler and more efficient for EMEA telcos to scale their networks intelligently in the face of rising end-user bandwidth demands.

That said, AI in networking’s role in the entire realm of broadband isn’t just about catching mistakes and driving down the need for expensive callbacks. It’s much more holistic than that.

For vendors, AI will help improve product ideation, design, testing and manufacturing. For customers, AI has the potential to facilitate broader, faster and more intelligent product comparisons compared to what is currently available. That puts vastly more power in the hands of EMEA telcos, especially as their desire to navigate away from vendor-lock toward more open, disaggregated network architectures (like Open RAN) grows. AI will, in many ways, reimagine the entire vendor-customer relationship, spurring greater innovation, customization and agility as the EMEA region continues to evolve toward more cloud and 5G adoption.

Recently, David Calhoun, Technical Director of Advanced Engineering at Belden’s Precision OT, participated in a panel with Lightwave entitled “The Marriage of AI and Optical Networking.” To watch the full recording, register for the event and join in at any time for the on-demand version.

ACCESS A RECORDING OF THIS AI/OPTICS DISCUSSION HERE

Critical Need for Trusted Partners in the Cloud, 5G and AI Era

Despite its promise, AI-enabled field assurance is still emerging. Standards are still evolving and integrating it into daily operations will require a whole new level of workforce readiness and standard operating processes.

As it stands now, however, the world for EMEA telcos is already incredibly diverse and complex. From data center interconnects and access network architectures to outside plants and the need for high-end cabinetry or appropriately temperature-rated transceivers, EMEA telcos need infrastructure partners who not only deliver best-in-class, high-performance network equipment, but who can also support them with the full install-integrate, maintain lifecycle.

That’s where Belden comes in. More than a name on a product, Belden is a partner that understands the pressures operators face every day. With trusted broadband brands in our portfolio like PPC, Sichert and Precision OT, we bring together a wide range of FTTx solutions that go beyond performance specs. Whether it’s rugged outdoor enclosures, high-speed optics or vented server cabinets with polycarbonate doors, everything we offer is designed to integrate seamlessly into your network and adapt to real-world conditions. Most importantly, we support you through every phase from product selection through installation and integration. As a result, you’re ensuring your infrastructure is ready to meet the demands of cloud services, 5G and AI today and tomorrow.