TM Forum
Inside TM Forum’s Catalyst project “Living Networks – Phase III”
TM Forum’s [1.] Catalyst project “Living Networks – Phase III” brings together a broad ecosystem of communications service providers and technology innovators to advance autonomous, resilient, and energy-efficient network operations. It will be showcased at DTW Ignite 2026, taking place June 23–25 in Copenhagen.
Note 1. TM Forum is a global alliance of 800+ organizations across the connectivity ecosystem. Members include the top 10 Communication Service Providers, top three hyperscalers, leading Network Equipment Providers, and a wide range of vendors, consultancies, and system integrators.
Image Credit: TM Forum
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“Living Networks – Phase III” builds on earlier Catalyst work focused on intent-based automation and traffic resilience. According to TM Forum and project materials, Phase III advances that foundation toward governed, adaptive intelligence. It introduces a cloud-native, Kubernetes-based architecture with stronger data governance to help networks predict failures, optimize resources, and support programmable, platform-based business models such as Connectivity-as-a-Service.
The project is designed to help operators improve resilience, reduce operational effort, and lower energy consumption. It also enables them to scale autonomous operations safely across increasingly complex multi-domain environments.
Digital Global Systems (DGS), a company using AI/ML to optimize radio frequencies to monitor radio spectrum, is collaborating with a distinguished group of global Catalyst participants, including Beyond Now, Chunghwa Telecom, Globetom, Infosim, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, MTN Nigeria, MTN South Africa, NTT Group, Orange, Telekomunikasi Indonesia International, Seacom, and Telecom Italia. TM Forum identifies several of these operators as project champions, underscoring the depth of CSP engagement behind the initiative.
The Catalyst project aligns closely with the DGS’s mission to bring AI-powered intelligence to complex communications environments. DGS develops real-time RF Awareness and spectrum optimization technologies that help operators detect issues early, improve reliability, and make communications infrastructure more resilient and efficient.
“Telecom networks are becoming too dynamic and too essential to be managed with yesterday’s operating models,” said Armando Montalvo, CTO of Digital Global Systems. “By participating in Living Networks – Phase III with leading CSPs and technology innovators from around the world, DGS is helping advance a future in which networks become more autonomous, more resilient, and more responsive to both operational demands and business opportunities. This kind of collaboration is exactly what the industry needs to move from automation experiments to real, scalable transformation.”
“Living Networks – Phase III demonstrates what becomes possible when CSPs, research institutions, and specialized technology providers work together around a common vision for autonomous networks,” said Dr. David Hock, Director of Research at Infosim. “The collaboration within this Catalyst is especially powerful because it connects innovation with practical operational outcomes, helping the industry move toward more trusted, scalable, and intelligent network automation.”
The Catalyst focuses on a set of pressing industry challenges, including rising service demands, sustainability pressures, operational complexity, and the business impact of network outages. By combining AI, digital twins, multi-domain orchestration, and stronger governance over data and automation workflows, the team aims to show how operators can reduce mean time to repair and improve SLA performance. It also highlights how operators can create new monetization opportunities across partner ecosystems.
DGS said the project is another example of how collaboration across the telecom ecosystem can accelerate innovation beyond what any one company can achieve alone. At DTW Ignite in Copenhagen this June, the team will demonstrate how communications networks can evolve from static infrastructure into adaptive, intelligent platforms. These platforms will support the next generation of digital services.
About Digital Global Systems (DGS):
Digital Global Systems (DGS) delivers AI-driven RF awareness and spectrum optimization solutions that power resilient communications for governments, industries, and communities worldwide. With more than 725 issued and pending patents, DGS helps nations and enterprises rebuild stronger, smarter, and more connected.
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