TM Forum: Empowering the Journey from Digital to AI-Native Telco

The TM Forum is playing a pivotal role in enabling Telcos to embrace and succeed with AI.

Providing frameworks, tools, collaboration opportunities, and strategic guidance tailored to the telecom industry, they are a central force shaping the evolution of the sector.

In an interview with Manish Vyas the TMF CEO Nik Willetts sets these developments within an overall trend of telecom industry disruption. He dives deep into the seismic shifts shaping telecom’s future, from the transformative power of AI to the role of AltNets, the importance of collaboration, and the evolving telco-customer relationship.

As Guy Lupo writes on Linkedin the industry needs to be biased toward action—with pragmatic, production-ready AI & Data Native accelerators that are business-justified and impactful, a journey that can be described as the evolution From Digital Telco to AI Native.

Frameworks and Standards for AI Integration

The TM Forum sets in place the foundations for Telcos to plan and implement this AI roadmap journey, underpinned by keynote insights such as a powerful vision for Telco LLMs.

The forum develops and promotes standardized frameworks like the Open Digital Architecture (ODA) and AIOps Service Management Framework, which help telcos integrate AI into their operations and networks efficiently.

ODA provides a blueprint for modular, cloud-native, AI-driven architectures, enabling telcos to shift from legacy systems to modern, scalable solutions. The AIOps framework specifically focuses on managing AI at scale, ensuring it can be deployed safely and effectively across network and service operations, particularly for 5G and beyond.

AI Maturity Models and Tools

The TM Forum has introduced tools like the Generative AI Maturity Interactive Tool (GAMIT), launched in collaboration with AWS, to assess telcos’ readiness for AI adoption.

This tool helps operators benchmark their AI capabilities against industry standards and provides actionable steps to advance toward fully embedded AI systems. Similarly, the AI Maturity Model aids telcos in measuring progress and identifying gaps in their AI strategies, ensuring a structured path to success.

Collaboration and Innovation Hubs

Through initiatives like the TM Forum Innovation Hub in India, founded with partners such as Reliance Jio, Google Cloud, and Deutsche Telekom, the Forum fosters collaboration between telcos, hyperscalers, and vendors. These hubs focus on developing AI solutions, such as architecture blueprints for generative AI (GenAI) integration, accelerating adoption and innovation tailored to telecom needs.

Use Case Development and Playbooks

The TM Forum encourages the creation of practical AI use cases, similar to its Big Data Analytics Use Cases guide. By collaborating with members, it explores applications like automated customer support, predictive network maintenance, and intent-driven operations. These use cases demonstrate tangible benefits, helping telcos justify investments and build confidence in AI deployment.

Education and Skill-Building

The TM Forum offers training programs, such as the AI in Telecoms Overview course, to equip telecom professionals with foundational knowledge about AI. This includes understanding terminology, key application areas (e.g., 5G network management, customer experience), and challenges of scaling AI projects, ensuring telcos have the human capital to succeed.

Advocacy and Ecosystem Alignment

Acting as an “AI ambassador,” the TM Forum bridges the gap between telecom operators and external stakeholders, such as AI suppliers unfamiliar with telecom processes, and other standards bodies or open-source communities. This ensures that AI solutions are aligned with telcos’ unique needs and reduces duplicated efforts across the industry.

Focus on Autonomous Networks

The TM Forum’s work on Autonomous Networks (AN) integrates AI to achieve self-managing, self-optimizing networks (targeting Level 4 or 5 autonomy by 2025 for some members). This involves leveraging AI for predictive analytics, real-time decision-making, and intent-based operations, reducing human intervention and enhancing efficiency.

Addressing Practical Challenges

The Forum tackles real-world hurdles like data quality, cultural shifts, and regulatory compliance (e.g., the EU AI Act). It provides guidance on building robust data infrastructures—such as data mesh and fabric architectures—and fostering cross-team collaboration to ensure AI initiatives deliver measurable value.

By combining these efforts, the TM Forum empowers telcos to move beyond experimentation and Proofs of Concept (PoCs) toward scalable, AI-native operations. It helps them address operational complexities, improve customer experiences, reduce costs, and unlock new revenue streams—all critical for succeeding in an AI-driven telecom future.