How rApps are accelerating the journey to autonomous RAN operations

Operators are accelerating their adoption of rApps as they seek more flexible ways to advance automation in their RAN operations. rApps hosted on service management and orchestration (SMO) platforms are becoming the preferred approach for introducing new automation capabilities, and for supporting more complex use cases and end-to-end orchestration across multi-vendor environments. This momentum is closely linked to operators’ broader ambition to progress towards higher levels of autonomous networking (AN), and in turn intent-driven operations, driven by rising operational costs and complexity and the need to deliver high-performance networks and improved service quality.

This report, based on our survey of operators worldwide in 2026, reveals that rApps hosted on SMO platforms are paving the way for higher levels of AN maturity.