Thank you James, this is very helpful context.
Your point about intent exchange between operators via APIs makes a lot of sense from an operational and security perspective. In that model, the inter-operator interface defines the service intent and SLA expectations, while each operator remains responsible for how its internal automation and closed loops realize that intent within its own network.
This raises an architectural question that I am increasingly curious about as Autonomous Networks evolve.
If operators progressively deploy AI-driven closed-loop control and cross-domain autonomy internally, the operational control system of each network will effectively behave like an autonomous decision system. When services span multiple operators, these systems may need to coordinate not only at the service order or SLA level, but also in terms of dynamic operational conditions (performance deviations, congestion, fault propagation, etc.).
In the Internet architecture, BGP provides a structured way for autonomous systems to exchange policies and reach routing decisions while preserving administrative independence.
For Autonomous Networks, I wonder whether something conceptually similar may eventually be required at the operations intelligence layer.
For example:
Could intent exchange alone be sufficient to coordinate autonomous operations across operators?
Or might we eventually need some form of federated operational coordination, where autonomous control systems exchange higher-level operational signals while still respecting security and autonomy boundaries?
I would be very interested to hear whether anyone in the community has seen architectural thinking in this direction, either in TM Forum discussions, MEF work, or other research on federated autonomy across operators.
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Ngoc Linh Nguyen
Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT)
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Original Message:
Sent: Mar 12, 2026 04:55
From: James Crawshaw
Subject: From BGP to Autonomous Networks: How Should Autonomous Networks Interconnect?
Great question Ngoc. I will try to answer your question based on my limited understanding and welcom more informed people to correct and expand on my thoughts.
The TM Forum is mainly focused on network automation within a single company. For inter-operator automation the most relevant work is around intent management. The intent (SLAs for a service) could be exchanged between operators using intent APIs but it would be left to each operator to decide if and how they met this intent.
The organization that is more closely focussed on inter-operator coordination is Mplify (previously known as Metro Ethernet Forum). They announced a collaboration with TM Forum in 2024 where MEF would align its APIs with those of TM Forum and effectively become the detailed "payload" that was delivered by a TM API that would tell each cooperating operator what to do in order to deliver a service that spanned two operators (e.g., the last mile access for an enterprise customer outside a telco's home market). You can read more about it here.
However, Mplify is focused on business and operational level (BSS/OSS) APIs such as service ordering. They do not go down into the network layer itself as that would pose security concerns.
I hope that helps get the discussion going.
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James Crawshaw
Omdia
Original Message:
Sent: Mar 11, 2026 04:40
From: Ngoc Linh Nguyen
Subject: From BGP to Autonomous Networks: How Should Autonomous Networks Interconnect?
I have been reading the TM Forum Autonomous Networks materials, particularly IG1401 (AN Journey Guide: Level-4 Industry Blueprint).
The blueprint describes how telecom networks can evolve toward Level-4 autonomy within an operator environment, with AI-driven operations and cross-domain closed loops.
This made me wonder about a related architectural question.
In the Internet architecture, interconnection between networks is governed by BGP, which enables policy-based routing between autonomous systems.
If telecom networks themselves become autonomous in their operations, how might multiple Autonomous Networks cooperate across operator boundaries?
Has the community explored any architectural approaches for interconnection or cooperation between Autonomous Networks?
#DigitalTransformationMaturity
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Ngoc Linh Nguyen
Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT)
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