Self-X vs. zero-X—Turkcell on the path to AI-native

As Turkcell adopts AI, initial use cases include energy savings, customer complaint forecasting and radio link failure prediction

Looking back at the technological jump from 4G to 5G, marked by the move to cloud-native architecture and virtualized network functions—essentially a shift from hardware-centric to software-centric networks—Turkcell Director of Access Network Capabilities Mustafa Karakoc sees AI driving the next jump from automated networks to autonomous networks.

Karakoc told RCR Wireless News during the Telco AI Forum 2.0, available on demand here, that, “By focusing on the services rather than the physical hardware, the network becomes more dynamic, resilient and capable of self-organizing.” He emphasized that AI cannot be an add on or network overlay, rather “a cornerstone” of how networks are designed, operated and optimized.

He charted a course from “Self-X,” think self-healing, self-managing, self-optimizing, on to “Zero-X,” which is zero-touch, zero-error and zero-latency. “This is where the programmable microservices architecture comes into play providing the flexibility and scalability to adapt, rapidly changing to the network demands…Manual tasks are handled by the automation systems…This is beyond simple automation to truly intelligent networks. This shift from automated to autonomous networks is not just a theoretical upgrade but a fundamental change of how the network will be designed, managed and operated in the future.” 

Put simply, Karakoc said an “AI-native” future network will “represent the harmony between the AI and the mobile network where they can work both together to enhance each others’ capability.” 

In an interview during a recent event in Istanbul, the company’s CEO Ali Taha Koc told us, “Looking ahead in the field of artificial intelligence, we aim to deepen our R&D studies on developing big language models and integrating productive artificial intelligence in value-added areas.” 

He said the rise of AI “completely alters the way business is done in every industry. 

“One of the technological developments that triggered this major change is artificial intelligence, which completely alters the way business is done in every industry. We anticipated this paradigm shift long ago and started making the necessary investments to keep up with this global change.” 

Big picture, Koc said, “It  is of great importance to prioritize innovation and societal benefit while integrating artificial intelligence solutions effectively across all areas of our company operations, ensuring the ethical use of AI.”