Ericsson launches chatbot for 5G network administration

ANA is the first generative AI ‘virtual expert’ designed for enterprise Wireless WAN (WWAN) networks apparently, and uses large language models hosted within Ericsson's environment. This is supposed to ensure user and data privacy by avoiding API calls to third-party consumer generative AI applications.    

It is part of Ericsson’s NetCloud AIOps dashboard, which through an ‘intelligent fault management system’ detects performance-driven anomalies such as latency and jitter, specific to the customer's environment.

ANA can serve up personalised responses by correlating information from technical documents and insights from the customer’s network, says Ericsson, “transforming hours or even days of work into seconds.” 

Enterprise customers can use it to generate concise summaries personalised to the customer’s network, get guidance for WAN edge device configuration, and automate diagnostic tasks.

Future releases will include recommended SD-WAN and WAN bonding policies, and will allow administrators to create graphs that visualise more complex information not typically available in standard NetCloud dashboards.

"Ericsson’s NetCloud is differentiated in its ability to simplify the deployment, management and troubleshooting of enterprise cellular networking,” said Pankaj Malhotra, Head of Enterprise Networking and Security, Enterprise Wireless Solutions, Ericsson. “By investing heavily in cutting-edge AI technology, we are empowering even the most streamlined IT teams to tackle 5G administration challenges, enhancing network reliability, security, and user experience with unparalleled efficiency.”  

It's the sort of in the background efficiency focussed use of AI that the UK Government perhaps had in mind when it announced its grand vision for ramping up AI usage in public services this morning. We’re told the AI Opportunities Action Plan has the potential to speed up planning consultations, help drive down admin for teachers, and feed AI through cameras to spot potholes and help improve roads.