Advanced Network Services: AI in Networks Is Evolving from Observability to Autonomy

Enterprises are accelerating the modernization of legacy network architectures by converging networking and security domains and embedding generative AI (Gen AI) and agentic AI across network operations to enable orchestration, automated incident management, self-healing capabilities, and continuous network optimization. At the same time, the rise of edge computing, private 5G/LTE, and distributed architectures is creating opportunities for real-time data processing and industry-specific innovation. In response, service providers are partnering with vendors such as Google Cloud, NVIDIA, Nokia, and Zscaler to expand their capabilities across network operations, including autonomous triage, root cause analysis (RCA), and closed-loop remediation.

Both demand-side enterprise adoption trends and supply-side provider capabilities are analyzed in our Advanced Network Services 2026 Market Insights™ and Advanced Network Services 2026 RadarView™, respectively.

Avasant evaluated 50 service providers across two dimensions: practice maturity and future-proofing. Of the 50 providers, we identified 26 that brought the most value to the market during the past 12 months.

The report recognizes service providers in five categories:

• • Leaders: Accenture, Cognizant, Capgemini, HCLTech, Orange Business, TCS, Tech Mahindra, and Wipro
  • Innovators: Tata Communications, Telefonica, and Verizon
  • Disruptors: AT&T, DXC Technology, Infosys, Kyndryl, LTM, Microland, NTT DATA, and UST
  • Challengers: Birlasoft, Hughes Network Systems, Vodafone, and Telstra
  • Tech Pioneers: AWS, Cisco, and HPE

“Fragmented infrastructure and siloed tools remain the biggest roadblocks to building secure, automated enterprise networks,” said Mark Gaffney, senior director at Avasant. “Enterprises are on a journey to develop more comprehensive service operating model visions to leverage the most from AI-driven operations, with a road map appropriate for their current level of maturity.”

The reports provide several findings, including the following:

• • Networks are being re-architected for AI, where enterprises are moving away from legacy designs toward software-defined foundations that can support AI workloads, distributed cloud environments, and latency-sensitive applications at scale.
  • SASE and Zero Trust are converging into a unified security-networking fabric. The integration of SD-WAN, SASE/SSE, and identity-driven access is replacing traditional designs, reducing risk exposure and driving policy consistency across environments.
  • Network operations are shifting to AI-led, autonomous execution where AI is being embedded across the network operations stack to enable anomaly detection, autonomous remediation, and closed-loop remediation, while intent-based and agent-assisted models steadily reduce manual intervention.
  • Edge, private 5G/LTE, and next-gen connectivity are reshaping architectures where enterprises are deploying edge computing, private wireless, and LPWAN to power latency-sensitive and industry-specific workloads, with architectures evolving toward real-time processing and localized control.

“AI is redefining the network, shifting operations from manual administration to autonomous, closed-loop execution,” said Avasant Research Leader Siddharth Mehta. “While architectures converge around cloud-native, secure, consumption-based models such as SASE, private 5G, and NaaS to power the next generation of enterprise workloads.”

The RadarView also features detailed profiles of 26 service providers, along with their solutions, offerings, and experience in assisting enterprises in their advanced network services journey.

This Research Byte is a brief overview of Avasant’s Advanced Network Services 2026 Market Insights™ and Advanced Network Services 2026 RadarView™. (Click for pricing.)