Verizon taps AI agents for network automation Informa TechTarget | Telecoms Channel Dive TechTarget: IT Infrastructure Explore our brands An Informa TechTarget Publication Leading Lights Awards Network X Webinars Partner with us Newsletter Sign-Up Newsletter Sign-Up Network Tech Related Topics Optical Networking Broadband Semiconductors Cable Technology Routing & Switching SDN Recent in  Network Tech See all Cable Technology Vocus to build 4,000km ducted fiber route connecting Brisbane and Darwin Vocus to build 4,000km ducted fiber route connecting Brisbane and Darwin by Gigi Onag Sep 25, 2026 2 Min Read Cable Technology AOI to demo 3GHz amp concept at TechExpo AOI to demo 3GHz amp concept at TechExpo Sep 24, 2026 1 Min Read Wireless Related Topics 5G Mobile Core 6G Open RAN Satellite Smartphones & Devices 2G/3G/4G Private Networks IOT Recent in  Wireless See all 6G 6G talks raise more questions about 5G migration options 6G talks raise more questions about 5G migration options by Michelle Donegan Sep 25, 2026 4 Min Read Satellite Iridium stockholders approve Rocket Lab deal Iridium stockholders approve Rocket Lab deal Sep 24, 2026 2 Min Read Software Related Topics OSS/BSS/CX Network Platforms Recent in  Software See All Cable Technology SCTE's TechExpo will pack plenty of tech, with a bigger focus on the 'experience' SCTE's TechExpo will pack plenty of tech, with a bigger focus on the 'experience' by Jeff Baumgartner Sep 23, 2026 Cable Technology Hitron launches portable DOCSIS 4.0 field meter Hitron launches portable DOCSIS 4.0 field meter Sep 23, 2026 1 Min Read IT Infrastructure Related Topics Data Centers The Edge Network Recent in  IT Infrastructure See all Cable Technology Vocus to build 4,000km ducted fiber route connecting Brisbane and Darwin Vocus to build 4,000km ducted fiber route connecting Brisbane and Darwin by Gigi Onag Sep 25, 2026 2 Min Read Optical Networking Vocus warns on subsea capacity crunch Vocus warns on subsea capacity crunch by Robert Clark Sep 23, 2026 2 Min Read Digital Transformation Related Topics AI & Machine Learning Network Automation Security Cloud Virtualization Customer Experience Recent in  Digital Transformation See all Cable Technology Vocus to build 4,000km ducted fiber route connecting Brisbane and Darwin Vocus to build 4,000km ducted fiber route connecting Brisbane and Darwin by Gigi Onag Sep 25, 2026 2 Min Read AI & Machine Learning Be afraid – Liberty Global is exposing customers to AI agents Be afraid – Liberty Global is exposing customers to AI agents by Iain Morris Sep 25, 2026 6 Min Read Business Related Topics Operations Business Transformation Regulatory & Politics Sustainability Diversity & Inclusion Finance Asia Recent in  Business See all AI & Machine Learning Be afraid – Liberty Global is exposing customers to AI agents Be afraid – Liberty Global is exposing customers to AI agents by Iain Morris Sep 25, 2026 6 Min Read 6G 6G talks raise more questions about 5G migration options 6G talks raise more questions about 5G migration options by Michelle Donegan Sep 25, 2026 4 Min Read Services Related Topics Video Broadcast Video Streaming CDN SD-WAN Recent in  Services See all 5G Boston low-power TV station owner seeks FCC rule on 5G Broadcast Boston low-power TV station owner seeks FCC rule on 5G Broadcast by Jeff Baumgartner Sep 22, 2026 4 Min Read Satellite JioStar taps SES to expand video distribution across India JioStar taps SES to expand video distribution across India Sep 21, 2026 1 Min Read More Related Topics Newsletters Webinars Leading Lights Awards White Papers Videos Podcasts Symposiums Omdia Telecoms Research About us Meet the Light Reading Team Light Reading Resource Library Network Automation AI & Machine Learning 5G Virtualization News Verizon taps AI agents for network automation Verizon shares early learnings from using agentic AI in network operations as the carrier looks to take automation to the next level. Michelle Donegan , Senior Editor, Light Reading June 11, 2026 4 Min Read (Source: Verizon) Verizon is ready to take network automation to the next level with agentic AI and is starting to see promising results from agents taking on some operational tasks. From its early learnings, the carrier urges the industry to focus on security, transparency and, where it makes sense, a common framework for agentic network operations. The foundation for the carrier's automation capabilities is the on-premise Verizon Cloud Platform (VCP) that hosts virtual and cloud-native network functions. VCP runs the carrier's 5G standalone core network and virtualized radio access network (vRAN). The platform also houses GPUs that run on-prem network AI workloads. Verizon's vRAN is one of the largest virtualized radio networks in the world, and possibly the biggest. The operator says it has roughly 60,000 vRAN sites in service. In early 2025, the operator said it had 22,900 vRAN sites in service and that 40% of its network was running on its vRAN platform. Related: Verizon boasts 'own' cloud platform after dissing hyperscaler deals Umashankar Velusamy, Verizon's senior director, technology development, network automation, shared an overview of how certain operations are automated and offered insight into early experience with AI agents at Network X Americas last month. He puts RAN automation tasks into three buckets: planned changes (i.e., deployments and upgrades); unplanned changes (i.e., network degradations) and optimizations, which is where rApps and the RAN intelligent controller (RIC) continuously monitor the network and execute changes in a closed loop. For example, vRAN deployments are "completely automated" once the hardware is installed and connected at the far edge, and the carrier can automatically upgrade thousands of sites at a time, he explained, speaking with Omdia analyst Gabriel Brown in a fireside chat at the event. Brown noted that many operators have automation pipelines for 5G core networks, but few are doing vRAN automation at the sheer scale that Verizon is. Where agentic comes in When considering how agentic solutions fit into Verizon's operations, Velusamy said each of the three categories for automation are "ripe for transformation and we're already seeing results." "If you look at planned changes, generating configurations for either new deployments or the massive upgrades and then validating them, [with] agents and agentic solutions can be made very easily," he said. For service assurance, AI agents can correlate data from many different sources to more quickly identify how to resolve a network problem, he explained. There is also big potential for agentic solutions in network optimization. "If you're able to have the autonomous agent monitoring the network and identifying these opportunities, and then converting these opportunities into actions, and taking these actions, and making sure that the actions have the intended results, that area is huge," he said. Related: Verizon finds work for DT's former CTO among all the AI agents "Verizon has built the world's largest 5G vRAN network and is at the front of the pack globally when it comes to network cloud automation. Agents will further increase the speed and depth of automation and can help build a sustainable competitive advantage in network operations," said Brown. "Ultimately this should show through to the customer experience." A call to action for agentic operations Current implementations are already showing "good results," but Velusamy cautioned that agentic solutions need to be used carefully with the right "security guardrails" in place. "Converting the tribal and domain knowledge that we have in our ecosystem into actionable context and making your existing deterministic automations as tools that are available to your agents ... These are all areas that we need to be really careful about. But if we employ the tools in the right way, the outcomes can be fantastic," he said. Related: Google resists 'doom and gloom' vision of agentic AI It is early days for agentic network operations. As Verizon continues to explore the possibilities, Velusamy called on suppliers to step up in two important areas: transparency and integration. "When we have agentic solutions being deployed ... traceability and transparency are key. If there's a decision that was taken, we need to be able to figure out what was the reasoning behind the decision and what exactly were the decisions. That will be a huge help," he said. "The other area is to make it easy for these tools to integrate with the ecosystem ... while conforming to our internal security guidelines and compliance," he said. He said it would help to have a common framework for agentic AI interoperability, particularly in the areas of "security, trust, handoffs, negotiation, and context sharing." But when it comes to implementation, Velusamy said carriers need to maintain flexibility and agility to work independently. The AI ecosystem "is evolving way faster" than telco standards, he noted. Update: The article was updated to add that Verizon currently has 60,000 vRAN sites in service. About the Author Michelle Donegan Senior Editor, Light Reading Michelle Donegan covers all things 5G, 6G and mobile tech for Light Reading. She has been writing about the telecoms sector since the early 1990s. Her first job was with Global Telephony magazine in Chicago, where she got an intro to publishing and tech reporting. After moving to the UK in 1999, she has covered telecoms tech, business and policy issues at publications including Communications Week International and Total Telecom. She was also part of Light Reading’s European editorial team from 2007 to 2013. Between stints at Light Reading, she was busy freelancing and was a regular contributor to Mobile Europe, Mobile World Live, TelcoTitans, TM Forum, and more. See more from Michelle Donegan Want more Light Reading stories in your Google search results? Add Us Now Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry. Join 62,000+ members. Yes it's completely free. Sign me up Want more Light Reading stories in your Google search results? Popular whitepapers in 5G More whitepapers Sponsored Content Antenna Monitoring for Programmable Performance Antenna Monitoring for Programmable Performance Jan 12, 2026 Sponsored Content Antenna Beam Efficiency in Urban 4G/5G Networks Antenna Beam Efficiency in Urban 4G/5G Networks Nov 17, 2025 Our Latest Videos More videos 5G Comsol at ZTE Global Summit 2026: Charting a 5G-Powered Path from Connectivity Provider to Digital Infrastructure Partner Comsol at ZTE Global Summit 2026: Charting a 5G-Powered Path from Connectivity Provider to Digital Infrastructure Partner 5G Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform expands to support core network automation Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform expands to support core network automation Wireless Featured Story Airspan swoops in to rescue Cambium Networks Just days after troubled Cambium announced a huge layoff and a possible asset sale, Airspan is acquiring the bulk of Cambium's product lines and hiring more than 135 of its people. More Discover more Leading Lights Awards Network X Research & Consulting Omdia Telecoms Research Asia Europe Partner with us About Us Meet the Light Reading Team Media Kit Digital Symposiums Sponsorship Specifications Join Us Newsletter Sign-Up Follow Us Copyright © 2026 TechTarget, Inc. d/b/a Informa TechTarget. This website is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget, part of a global network that informs, influences and connects the world’s technology buyers and sellers. All copyright resides with them. Informa PLC’s registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. TechTarget, Inc.’s registered office is 275 Grove St. Newton, MA 02466. Home | CCPA: Do not sell my personal info | Cookies | Privacy | Terms Your Privacy Choices