ZTE and China Telecom Guangdong are upgrading functions and expanding application scenarios to evolve HI-IPNet into a high-performance, intelligent IP network core platform, enabling intelligent scheduling and global cross-network coordination.

The solution delivers over 95% digital twin fidelity for device status and routing protocols, boosting predictive O&M and reducing safety risks in network operations.

Agentic AI at the edge has moved from pilots to live deployments, with operators planning extensive use in 2026 for autonomous fault resolution, automated customer interactions, and churn prevention.

Four pillars — AI-native operations, digital twins, agentic AI at the edge, and intent-based orchestration — underpin the foundation of the intelligent network.

Risks and challenges include the need for explainability, data unification, workforce evolution toward AI governance, and robust zero-trust security.

A distributed cross-vendor simulation architecture enables collaboration across vendor simulators under a unified global coordinator, reducing costs and improving scalability.

The convergence multiplier shows how fiber-5G, edge computing, private 5G, and early 6G developments amplify each other, with AI-native networks benefiting from this convergence.

Intent-based orchestration lets operators specify desired outcomes (e.g., 99.99% uptime) and lets the network determine how to achieve them under changing conditions, unlocking new revenue streams.

Phased pilots in Foshan and Yangjiang demonstrated multi-vendor interworking across metro networks, addressing more than 90% of common change scenarios.

The overarching aim is for infrastructure to be intelligent and adaptive, redefining telecoms from mere connectivity providers to orchestrators of digital ecosystems.

Field tests show pre-simulation verification cuts network change risks and enables zero-error operations, forming a foundation for nationwide rollout.

AI-native operations embed intelligence into the network fabric to manage vast ecosystems across 5G, fiber, edge, and IoT, enabling real-time anomaly detection and proactive management.