Ep. 65: Samsung on Role of AI in Telecom, AI RAN and More

Telecom was one of the earliest users of AI, long before its marketing hype and even before it was known by that name. The recent advancements are further propelling AI's use. In this episode, I talk to Dan Warren, Director of Communications Research at Samsung, regarding the role of AI in telecom networks. We discuss its role in network operations, AI for RAN, AI with RAN, and AI on RAN concepts; how software-based networking and virtualization (vRAN/Open RAN) enable AI; who will develop and implement AI models; the scope of standardization; and more. We also delve into the investment challenges for 5G operators to leverage AI, whether AI will encourage a larger role for Hyperscalers in telecom, and whether large-scale AI implementation can start with 5G/5G Advanced or will have to wait for 6G. Highlights: 00:00 - Intro 02:10 - Guest intro (Dan Warren) 03:22 - Samsung Network's categorization of the role of AI - Networks for AI, AI for networks  04:44 - Current interesting use cases of AI - RAN energy efficiency, complex capacity, and coverage optimization 06:40 - The current status of use of AI in telecom, major industry focus areas - optimizing opex and capex, experience enhancement 90:15 - Critical role of software-based networking and virtualization in enabling AI 12:48 - Are legacy networks w/o software-based networks out of luck for AI? 15:40 - How to decide where to run AI workload - where is the AI compute needed?  19:05 - Who will develop AI models for telecom? - property vs. standard, differentiation etc. 24:35 - Dichotomy between AI differentiation, open networking, and offering AI as a service layer 26:55 - Samsung's approach to AI as a service/software leveraging its software-based networking legacy. Might be different for more established players? 29:06 - Does today's architecture (e.g., SMO) have hooks for managing AI end-to-end? 30:01 - Data challenge of operators for AI - different forms, formats, sources, granularity, etc. Will things like NWDAF solve it? 31:50 - Operator understanding of the AI challenges ahead - transforming from a hardware operator to a software management company 34:36 - Is the investment needed for AI an impediment to its adoption? Worries of the fast-moving and changing AI landscape 38:46 - AI on RAN - Samsung Network's views 40:43 - AI on RAN - operators moving from telecom service providers to AI (edge) Data Center/infra providers - Does it make sense? 43:19 - AI timing - Will large-scale deployments wait for 6G, or can start with 5G?   45:16 - Closing