94% of telecom operators plan network disaggregation but 93% blame leadership resistance for delays, compromising 5G and AI readiness, despite available technology and funding.
Only 5% have moved beyond planning because of cultural inertia, not technical barriers, according to RtBrick’s State of Disaggregation global report. A disaggregated network means the split of hardware and software, to boost automation and scalability key for AI and streaming demands.
Yet, internal pushback is hindering progress. Even though disaggregated network solutions bring in more flexibility and automation, everything progresses slowly.
How Do Telecom Providers Disaggregate Their Network Infrastructure?
According to RtBrick’s, 94% of telecom operators plan on employing network disaggregation in the next five years, meaning breaking down old networks into separate hardware and software layers that can be managed better. It’s a step back from closed systems towards open and flexible telecom infrastructure solutions.
While 91% of operators are prepared to invest, just 5% have moved beyond the planning stage. Nearly half are still mulling it over, and 38% are stuck in planning. It’s not a fear of technology; it’s a fear of culture. A massive 93% of operators call bad leadership and unwillingness to change the biggest barriers.
Much of the change is using telco cloud for operators to take operations to more automated and scalable configurations. Such newer configurations can handle rising demand from technologies like 5G and software defined networking, which require high-speed, flexible, and data-ready infrastructure.
Benefits of Software Defined Networking
Operators understand what they require: automation, speed, and vendor agility. And they know their current networks are not up to the task. In fact, 81% confess that their systems no longer manage to keep up with growing demands from AI, streaming, and cloud services. That has established network virtualization solutions as a necessity like never before.
By network disaggregation, carriers can access technologies like disaggregated network operating system platforms, which help in handling heterogeneous equipment and streamlining operations. They’re also investing in virtualization network technologies to separate network functions from hardware.
For security, the majority are turning to software defined networking security, which provides greater control and visibility. Meanwhile, technologies such as software defined networking products and open source network mapping allow for simpler monitoring and quicker deployment.
“The bottleneck isn’t capacity, it’s decision-making. Disaggregated networks are no longer an experiment. They’re the foundation for the agility, scalability, and transparency operators need to thrive,” as RtBrick CEO Pravin S Bhandarkar puts it.
So far, only a few like AT&T and Deutsche Telekom are leading the pack but the rest will have to catch up in a hurry or get left behind in the dust of this high-speed digital race.
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