Telecommunications executives now face critical choices about architecture, vendor risk, and long-term competitiveness. This article unpacks Huawei’s roadmap, market impact, and unresolved questions.

AI Core Network Overview

Huawei introduced the concept at MWC Barcelona in March 2025. Moreover, the vendor outlined a two-phase journey: a 5G-Advanced Intelligent Core followed by a fully agentic core. Phase one integrates AI agents with existing 5G core functions. Phase two rebuilds for native autonomy and self-optimization. George Gao called the shift “critical infrastructure for the mobile AI era.” Telecommunications boards must grasp the roadmap’s timing and scope. These milestones clarify Huawei’s strategic intent. However, adoption will depend on regional regulations and operator budgets.

The outlined phases reveal a staged evolution. Nevertheless, many operators remain cautious about timelines.

Consequently, decision makers need deeper insight before large-scale commitments.

Global Market Momentum Drivers

Several forces accelerate interest in AI-enabled cores. Firstly, only 36 operators had live 5G Standalone networks by mid-2025. Furthermore, analysts predict multibillion-dollar 5G core growth through 2030. Huawei already claims 420 voice core customers and 1.8 billion VoLTE users. Additionally, China Mobile and Huawei secured a GSMA award for an AI Core deployment. Gartner’s 2025 Magic Quadrant also highlighted AI readiness as a differentiator. Telecommunications investors see upside in efficiency and new revenue streams.

• Dell’Oro estimates Huawei’s core share at 30-42% depending on region.
• Market Research Future valued the 2024 5G core segment at US $2.7 billion.
• Huawei reports 60 million “New Calling” users in China.

These figures signal momentum, yet independent verification remains limited. In contrast, western regulators restrict Huawei equipment in sensitive networks. The conflicting trends shape divergent regional strategies.

Such dynamics underscore the importance of balanced risk analysis. Subsequently, operators compare local rules with technical benefits before procurement.

Key Technical Building Blocks

The Intelligent Core relies on several architectural pillars. First, Network Agentization distributes intent, service, capability, and O&M agents across cloud and edge. Second, the Agent-to-Agent Protocol handles secure session management between agents. Third, a Model Context Protocol shares prompts and telemetry among models. Moreover, a Mixture-of-Models engine routes tasks between fast inference and deep reasoning models. Telco Intelligent Converged Cloud unifies compute, storage, and AI lifecycle management. FusionMind orchestrates training, deployment, and monitoring.

Huawei positions these blocks as modular yet integrated. However, most protocols remain proprietary today. Standards bodies have not ratified A2A or MCP. Consequently, multi-vendor interoperability is uncertain. Telecommunications engineers must evaluate lock-in risks.

The building blocks promise automation gains. Nevertheless, proprietary elements complicate open ecosystem alignment. Therefore, careful due diligence is essential.

Emerging Opportunities And Benefits

Huawei markets several near-term advantages. Personalized experience agents allocate bandwidth per user context, improving service differentiation. Moreover, digital O&M agents reduce mean-time-to-repair through natural-language fault handling. Energy orchestration lowers carbon footprints by matching compute loads with renewable availability. Additionally, edge compute integration enables terminals to offload heavy AI processing. Such features could unlock premium consumer and enterprise packages.

Professionals can enhance their expertise with the AI Data Robotics™ certification. The program deepens knowledge of distributed AI pipelines inside carrier clouds.

These advantages seem compelling for revenue growth. Nevertheless, monetization models need rigorous validation. Consequently, pilot results will inform future investment stages.

Persistent Challenges And Questions

Despite progress, barriers persist. Security experts warn that Network Agentization expands the attack surface. Meanwhile, data residency laws complicate cross-border agent communication. Furthermore, hardware supply constraints may limit Huawei’s Ascend rollout outside China. Analysts also note the absence of audited latency or reliability benchmarks. Moreover, regulatory scrutiny in Europe and the United States curtails market access.

Operators face five critical questions:

1. Are agent protocols open or proprietary?
2. Can existing 5G cores integrate gradually?
3. What are per-call compute costs?
4. How will privacy audits be enforced?
5. Which fallback paths exist if agents fail?

Such issues highlight unresolved risks. Therefore, comprehensive testing and governance frameworks are mandatory before scaling.

These hurdles may delay broad deployment. However, incremental pilots can still capture early learnings.

Broader Competitive Industry Landscape

Rival vendors are not idle. Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung, ZTE, and Mavenir each promote AI-driven cores. In contrast to Huawei’s integrated stack, many emphasize cloud partnerships and open APIs. ZTE’s AIR DNA initiative exemplifies alternative agent frameworks. Additionally, hyperscalers court carriers with managed AI services. Consequently, competitive pressure will drive faster innovation cycles. Telecommunications procurement teams must weigh openness, cost, and geopolitical risk.

Analysts expect multi-vendor coexistence, especially where Huawei faces restrictions. Moreover, some carriers may adopt hybrid strategies, keeping sensitive functions on domestic platforms while experimenting with Huawei in less critical layers.

The landscape encourages diversified sourcing. Subsequently, standards work may accelerate to maintain interoperability.

Implementation Outlook And Roadmap

Huawei outlines near-term commercial focus on China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. Furthermore, the vendor plans phase-two agentic upgrades aligned with 3GPP Release 19 timelines. Operators outside China will likely test discrete features, such as New Calling, before embracing full agentic capabilities. Meanwhile, Gartner advises carriers to demand measurable KPIs during trials.

Industry observers foresee three rollout stages: lab validation in 2025, constrained field pilots in 2026, and selective commercial launches from 2027 onward. Progress will hinge on certification, security clearance, and proven ROI. Telecommunications strategists should build flexible migration paths.

The roadmap presents ambitious goals. Nevertheless, disciplined milestones will separate hype from real impact.

Clear checkpoints enable informed board decisions. Consequently, transparency will be the decisive success factor.

Future Research Priorities

Independent benchmarks top the research agenda. Moreover, cross-vendor standards for the Agent-to-Agent Protocol are essential. Additionally, regulators need robust audit models for agent actions. Finally, continued evaluations of energy savings versus compute costs will shape business cases.

These priorities demand cooperation among vendors, academia, and policy makers. Subsequently, industry forums will set the pace for global convergence.

Focused collaboration will tackle remaining gaps. Therefore, progressive operators can lead by sharing pilot data.

Conclusion And Next Steps

Huawei’s AI Core Network signals a bold shift for Telecommunications. The architecture blends 5G evolution, Network Agentization, and the Agent-to-Agent Protocol to promise autonomous operations. Benefits include personalized services, lower O&M costs, and potential energy gains. Nevertheless, security, interoperability, and regulatory hurdles remain significant. Consequently, operators should pursue phased pilots, demand transparent metrics, and engage in standards development.

Professionals seeking deeper insight should explore advanced certifications. Moreover, ongoing dialogue with analysts, vendors, and regulators will ensure informed strategy. Act now to position your organization at the forefront of the intelligent network era.