Agentic AI is reshaping the orchestration landscape and may drive future telecoms transformations

The telecoms industry sits at a crossroads. The promise of 5G remains largely unfulfilled, yet operators face growing pressure to deliver zero-touch, intent-driven services to prevent them from becoming merely utilities providers. Orchestration systems that link networks, services and business outcomes play a major role in overcoming these issues. AI-enabled orchestration is critical for profitable 5G scaling, reliable cloud-native operations and realising the broader promise of intent-based operations.

Yet investment in orchestration systems remains hesitant. Most operators still prioritise efficiency gains and operational optimisation over building the orchestration capabilities that are required to unlock new revenue streams. This article explores findings from Analysys Mason’s survey of 27 OSS/BSS vendors worldwide, conducted between April and July 2025, to assess how orchestration, agentic AI and automation frameworks are shaping the telecoms industry today.