 Integration planning in a multivendor environment Testing of integration via automation Automating operations and CI/CD Monetization via AI and ML Automation infrastructure in 5G Network automation is the heart of a stable, well-performing 5G network. With every generation of mobile networks, their complexity is increasing. 5G networks are built block by block by combining the network functions with a lot of network gear running a wide variety of heterogeneous technologies. OSS/BSS End-to-End Network Slice Broker Analysis of data Automatic Real-time and feature configuration of monitoring extraction network elements Analyze collected data Ultra-low delay/highly reliable network Collect data Network reconfiguration from networks Large-scale connection network according to analysis results and services High-speed/broadhand network Public emergency network (R)AN Edge Cloud Transport Internet Data Center Figure 17.1 - A typical 5G production network A typical mid-sized mobile network, as shown in the preceding figure, would comprise thousands of radio units and thousands of servers and network equipment items that would have been procured from multiple vendors running different hardware and operating systems. Hence, to be able to build, test, maintain, observe, and troubleshoot a large network, it is imperative to invest in network automation. Automation infrastructure in 5G The network automation areas at a high level can be as follows: Deployment: A network is composed of various types of network elements; some can be appliance-based and run software on proprietary hardware. Classic examples of this are network switches and routers and some 3G/4G telecom equipment. These make up a large percentage of a network operator's infrastructure. Also, these are candidates for constant configuration updates, such as adding or removing VLANs, access control lists, BGP neighbors, and SO on, in the case of switches and routers. Then, there are virtual functions, which are basically virtualized pieces of network software that r