AI WAN Revolutionizes IP Networks, Accelerating Carrier Service Growth

On March 24, 2025, during the MPLS & SRv6 AI Net World Congress 2025, Huawei held a significant event named IP GALA, focusing on the theme of 'AI WAN: Bringing IP Networks into the Intelligent Era.' The summit gathered operators, standardization, and industry organizations to discuss the latest trends in AI WAN innovations.

Leading operators, including Telecom Argentina and Turkcell Türkiye, shared their innovative practices in IP networks. Huawei provided deep insights into how its AI WAN solution bolsters IP networks through artificial intelligence. The event also launched the AI WAN Initiative, founded by the IPv6 Forum, the World Broadband Association (WBBA), Turkcell Türkiye, Telecom Argentina, the European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC), and Huawei, aiming to promote innovation and deployment in IP networks.

Zuo Meng, President of Router Domain at Huawei's Data Communication Product Line, delivered the opening speech. He outlined the current challenges operators face, including stagnant growth in traditional services, slower development of new services, and the complexity and high costs of networks. He emphasized the need for modernization towards next-generation networks. By integrating AI into operations, maintenance, connectivity, and routing devices, Huawei's AI WAN solution enhances network capabilities and value.

Latif Ladid, IPv6 Forum's director, expressed the importance of incorporating AI into network infrastructure like AI WAN for future success. To accelerate the deployment of SRv6, the IPv6 Forum launched the SRv6 Ready Logo Program, with Huawei being among the first vendors to achieve certification.

Santiago Costanzo, Telecom Argentina's transport development manager, shared insights into the implementation and innovative practices involved in deploying key technologies for IP networks in the AI era. He noted that SRv6 helps operators improve end-to-end automation efficiency and achieve deterministic latency. Telecom Argentina uses AI technologies to streamline operations and maintenance while increasing effectiveness, ultimately delivering greater value to customers.

Durmus Mehmet, Turkcell's IP/MPLS Core and Data Center Network director, announced Turkcell's plans to build an ultra-broadband and highly reliable autonomous network to provide customers with differentiated services. He stressed Turkcell's commitment to the development direction of AI WAN and the company's collaboration with Huawei on joint innovations focusing on energy savings, FHC-based fiber monitoring, AI application identification, and AI agents.

Xu Huan, Huawei's Vice President for the Router Domain in the Data Communication Product Line, presented the AI WAN solution from a technical perspective, explaining its three-layer architecture consisting of AI routers, new AI connections, and a new AI brain. This innovative solution aids operators in building networks with optimal total cost of ownership, expanding new services, improving operational efficiency, and encouraging new service growth. Wu Qin, Huawei's data communication network architect and member of the IETF Internet Architecture Board (IAB), discussed the new AI brain's components: AssurSpirit, ChangeSpirit, and OptimSpirit. Through collaboration of large and small models, these three AI agents enable intelligent operations and speed up developments towards autonomous networks (AN) at L4.

Carsten Rossenhövel, Chief Technical Officer and co-founder of the European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC), discussed advances in multi-vendor interoperability testing in 2025. He highlighted that key capabilities of IP networks in the AI era have gained a higher level of maturity regarding interoperability.

To conclude the IP GALA event, the IPv6 Forum, WBBA, Turkcell Türkiye, Telecom Argentina, EANTC, and Huawei collectively launched the AI WAN initiative, aiming to support the development and implementation of IP networks. Moving forward, Huawei will continue collaborating with operators and industry partners to explore new markets in the intelligent era, helping customers achieve business success and accelerate new service growth.