China Telecom and Huawei have secured another major industry endorsement. Their joint autonomous networks project won the 2026 Excellence in Autonomous Networks Award. The award was presented at Digital Transformation World 2026 in Copenhagen.
The winning submission was titled “To AN Level 4 and Beyond – How 900+ AI Agents Have Transformed China Telecom’s Operations”. It marks the second straight year the partners have won a major TM Forum Excellence Award.
The project focuses on a clear industry challenge. Mobile users now expect stronger performance during demanding digital activities. These include mobile AI, live streaming, and mobile gaming. Each service places heavy pressure on radio networks.
To address this, the companies developed a dedicated large model for network experience. They call it the Network Experience Improvement Large Model. It uses China Telecom’s own network foundation model. It also runs on SRCON 2.0, or Simulated Reality of Communication Networks 2.0.
In simple terms, the system looks for weak service experiences across the network. It then translates those issues into clear optimization actions. This helps engineers respond faster and with better accuracy.
The platform also uses large language models for end-to-end autonomous operations. These models help software interpret problems and suggest responses. That reduces manual work for operations teams. It also helps prevent service issues before users complain.
The reported results are notable. The solution now operates across 21 cities. China Telecom says poor-experience grids have fallen by 20%. Network-related customer complaints have also dropped by 10%.
These figures show why operators are watching autonomous networks closely. Better network quality can improve customer loyalty. Faster fault detection can reduce operational stress. AI systems can also support engineers during complex optimization tasks.
However, the shift demands careful management. Operators need clean data and strong governance. They also need confidence in automated decisions. If AI recommends poor actions, service quality could suffer.
There is also the question of vendor dependence. Deep collaboration can accelerate innovation. Yet operators must protect flexibility in future network planning. Open standards will play an important role here.
Even so, the award highlights growing momentum behind intelligent network operations. Telecom networks now handle millions of changing conditions every day. Human teams alone cannot track every pattern in real time.
Looking ahead, China Telecom and Huawei plan to deepen their partnership. They will focus on innovation and standards development. The companies say they want to build AI that truly “understands networks and users”.
For the wider telecom sector, this project offers a useful signal. Autonomous networks are moving from vision to operational reality. The next test will be wider deployment, trusted automation, and measurable business value.
