The Future of Networks: Enabling Digital Transformation and Energy Transition

We are at the dawn of a new industrial revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence and other disruptive technologies that will enable its diffusion and adoption: for example, Quantum Technology and the Cloud in all its forms.

But at the center of this revolution continues to be the Network. A pervasive infrastructure that evolves to ensure the performance that new applications require, the levels of security and reliability needed, with a focus on energy consumption.

The Internet is the backbone of our society and has revolutionized the way we live, work and interact. Since the 1990s it has experienced exponential growth that is accelerating with the development of UBB networks, the spread of smartphones, and the Internet of Things.

But how are networks changing to support new applications?  Next-generation, programmable (“software defined”), ultra-wideband, 5G networks and their evolution to 6G will reach a level of complexity so high that it cannot be controlled solely by humans. Creation, operation and maintenance will require a high level of automation and optimization inherent in such systems.

Artificial intelligence will play a key role. This is evidenced by numerous deployment initiatives by TELCOs worldwide and major vendors that have been working on AI-powered networks for some time.

New AI and big data analytics technologies enable a disruptive innovation: the abandonment of “pre-programmed” systems in favor of solutions that can dynamically and autonomously learn, implement and modify their own rules of operation (“self-learn,” “self-evolve”). AI contributes to the resilience of networks on cybersecurity and predictive maintenance aspects.

With the spread of IoT and applications that require low latency (such as autonomous driving), Edge Computing is advancing. A technology that allows large amounts of data to be processed close to the source, limiting its transfer to the cloud. The benefits are lower bandwidth usage, higher reliability and network security.

Networks are also at the heart of the energy transition. Using smart sensors and advanced AI algorithms, digital grids enable the operation of “smart grids”: next-generation power grids, such as e-Distribuzione’s world-leading one, designed, even with our small contribution, to support the generation, feed-in and distribution of renewable energy sources. Sources that, with the exception of hydropower, are by nature unpredictable.

Renewable Energy Sources in May 2024 in Italy reached a record by covering 52.5% of the country’s needs. Thanks to the synergy between electricity grids and next-generation telecommunication networks, as of 2023, Enel has globally connected about 2 million producers and prosumers to its networks. These producers contribute to a total renewable capacity of more than 68 GW. 

In conclusion, the future of ICT promises even more innovation but also technological complexity to manage. We in Italtel, for just over a century, have been helping to enable the benefits of disruptive technologies and to support digital transformation. This is our mission to support our country’s development.