The telecommunications industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation of its network infrastructure. Transitioning from legacy, monolithic Business and Operations Support Systems (BSS/OSS) to modular, cloud-native architectures is a prerequisite for launching autonomous networks and implementing AI.
Transitioning to ODA and 5G Standalone standards
About 53.7% of operators cite the complexity of integrating with legacy BSS/OSS systems as a key barrier to automation. To address this issue, the TM Forum consortium developed the Open Digital Architecture (ODA) standard, which replaces monoliths with a component-based architecture where blocks interact via standardized Open APIs.
Combined with 5G Standalone (5G SA) architecture, this creates the conditions for AI optimization across several areas:
- Dynamic charging: real-time service charging based on quality of service parameters.
- Cloud-native core functions: flexible deployment of network services in containers closer to the subscriber.
- Network Slicing: instantaneous creation of isolated virtual networks for critical IoT systems.
Signaling protocol security and the role of AI
Maintaining a hybrid environment where new cloud functions coexist with legacy technologies introduces additional risks. According to the ENISA Threat Landscape 2025 report, the exploitation of legacy signaling protocols (SS7 and Diameter) remains a security threat.
Global financial losses from telecom fraud in 2025 are estimated at $41.82 billion. Automated AI monitoring enables the detection of anomalous signaling traffic patterns and the real-time blocking of compromised sessions.
Practical integration steps
Modern integration platforms are used to build a technological bridge between legacy systems and AI tools. In particular, the UnityBase low-code platform by the Intecracy Group alliance allows operators to deploy a high-performance integration layer on top of legacy systems.
Thanks to a model-driven approach, the platform automatically generates REST APIs, ensuring secure access to telemetry. This enables handling high transactional loads and reduces time-to-market for new integrations by up to 27.7%.
What this means for the market
The transition to cloud-native architectures and AI integration will determine the competitiveness of telecom operators. Failure to modernize legacy BSS/OSS systems leaves operators vulnerable to security threats like SS7/Diameter exploits and a share of the estimated $41.82 billion in global fraud losses. Conversely, successful adoption enables dynamic charging, network slicing, and a 27.7% reduction in time-to-market for new services.
Action plan
To successfully modernize infrastructure for AI, telecom operators should take the following steps:
- Adopt the Open Digital Architecture (ODA) standard and Open APIs to replace monolithic legacy systems with modular components.
- Deploy modern low-code integration platforms, such as UnityBase, to create a high-performance integration layer over legacy systems and automatically generate secure REST APIs.
- Implement automated AI monitoring to detect anomalous signaling traffic patterns and block compromised sessions in real time.
Prepared by a Software Ukraine member. Original publication.