How L4 autonomy turns networks into revenue engines

Wanchun Zhang, Senior Vice President at ZTE, argues that Level 4 autonomous networks represent a major shift from the efficiency-focused gains of Level 3. He outlines how ZTE’s AIRNet solution combines cost reduction with revenue growth by automating operations, enabling service innovation, and increasing ARPU in live deployments. To reduce adoption barriers, ZTE lowers capex and opex through AI-native architecture, embedded intelligence, and automated agents. The company is also addressing industry challenges around standards, security, and scalability with its multi-agent AI framework and carrier-grade automation platform.