Inmanta hosted the first edition of its Network Automation & Innovation Summit at De Hoorn in Leuven, Belgium, on September 17, 2025. We were delighted to welcome a sold-out crowd of 60 attendees, bringing together a highly engaged mix of operators, partners, and innovators from across Europe.
Seeing so many passionate discussions in one room was truly inspiring,” said Stefan Walraven, CEO and co-founder of Inmanta, who opened the day with a keynote framing the summit’s ambition of empowering autonomous networks together.
This intimate, highly engaged audience created the perfect environment to explore the future of autonomous networks and the journey from automation to true network autonomy. We would like to extend a special thanks to our partners, Celfocus, Ductus, FNT Software, and Tietoevry Create, for their valuable contributions and thought leadership.
Setting the stage
The event set out to bridge the gap between automation and autonomous networks. With thought leadership from industry pioneers, the summit aimed to uncover practical insights, share real-world experiences, and spark conversations about the next-gen telecom networks. The combination of formal presentations and informal interactions created an energized and collaborative environment.
Key highlights
Customer keynotes
- ENET shared a compelling testimonial about their strategy to leverage automation in network operations and customer services, aiming to reduce manual interventions, optimize connection costs, and enable full self-service by 2026.
- Proximus Global (formerly BICS) offered lessons learned from their multi-year network automation journey that began with small experiments using Inmanta and scaled to complex, vendor-agnostic, emphasizing iterative improvement, team upskilling, and end-to-end service integration.
Live drone demonstration
A standout moment of the day was Citymesh’s live autonomous drone demo, illustrating the potential of airborne services powered by connected, intelligent networks.
Partner presentations
Industry partners delivered thought-provoking sessions:
- FNT Software: Bridging the Gap to Level 4 AN
- Tietoevry Create: Bridging Realism in AI
- Celfocus: Beyond Automation — Building Intelligent Self-Driven Networks
Panel discussion: Is AI the Holy Grail or the Elephant in the Room?
Four expert panelists debated the promise and challenges of AI in telecom. The discussion sparked lively dialogue on whether AI is the key enabler of autonomous networks or a hyped, unproven technology.
Dubbed by one panelist as the ‘Holy Elephant’ of telecom—everyone sees AI's promise and talks about it, yet fully harnessing it remains a work in progress, requiring careful integration and human oversight. Explore how these industry leaders debated trust, practical use cases, and the path to autonomous networks in our upcoming blog.
Our top 5 takeaways
- Autonomous networks are emerging – while full autonomy is a long-term goal, practical automation is already delivering value. That value depends on getting the right foundations in place first.
- AI adoption is a double-edged sword – it promises efficiency and intelligence but comes with challenges around trust and reliability.
- Collaboration is critical – operators, vendors, and innovators must work together to accelerate progress.
- Focus on the right level for your business – be pragmatic: if Level 2 automation meets your current needs, prioritize that before pursuing Level 4 autonomy.
- Community appetite is high – exceeding attendance expectations shows strong demand for these discussions and insights.
Looking ahead
Plans for the 2026 edition are already underway, and we expect to scale the event to accommodate growing interest. For those looking to go beyond the day’s highlights, the Appledore–Inmanta whitepaper series, “Crossing the Network Autonomy Chasm”, is a must read. It explores the journey from automated processes to fully autonomous networks, offering practical insights for operators, vendors, and consultants.
The series covers:
- Bridging the gap to operational autonomy: Strategies for moving from proofs-of-concept to self-driving networks.
- Best practices and lessons learned: Insights from early adopters on what works — and what doesn’t.
- AI and orchestration in action: Understanding where AI delivers real impact versus where it remains aspirational.
Attendees and readers alike have found this resource invaluable for navigating the challenges and opportunities of network autonomy.
Access the whitepaper here:
👉 Crossing the Network Autonomy Chasm
Final thoughts
The first edition of the Network Automation & Innovation Summit was a tremendous success. We were thrilled to see engaging discussions, new connections, and insightful takeaways emerge throughout the day. The summit surpassed all expectations, sparking conversations that lingered well beyond the event and sending waves of excitement as everyone asked: When’s next year?