At TM Forum’s DTW Ignite 2026, Tara Neal, Executive Editor of The Fast Mode, spoke with Alex Bloomfield, R&D Director Lifecycle Software at Lifecycle Software, where he focuses on product development, innovation, automation and AI-driven telecom solutions. In his role, Alex works on advancing platforms that help operators modernize legacy environments, enable real-time intelligence and improve digital service delivery. The discussion explored cloud-native transformation, event-driven architectures, agentic AI, real-time customer engagement, MVNO evolution, and the role of modern MVNE platforms in enabling agile and compliant telecom services.
Tara: Many operators want to modernize legacy BSS environments but cannot risk disruption to live services. What approaches are proving most effective in introducing cloud-native capabilities and real-time intelligence without embarking on costly transformation programmes?
Alex: Operators are increasingly taking an incremental approach to modernisation, reducing risk while unlocking new capabilities. Microservices-based deployments allow components to be upgraded individually, avoiding costly and disruptive “big bang” transformations. Event-driven architectures complement this by unlocking real-time contextual data for AI, OSS and BSS systems, enabling faster responses without impacting live services. Cloud-native, AI-native platforms also help embed intelligence into the digital core while supporting cloud, hybrid and on-premise deployment models. Automated workflows further reduce manual intervention, accelerate time-to-market and support zero-downtime deployments. Our Event Intelligence (EI) is a good example of this approach, delivering real-time decisioning and automation with sub-second latency across event streams from network systems, billing platforms and customer interactions. The platform can apply complex contextual rules to support more relevant customer engagement, while its modular design enables seamless integration with existing systems, bridging the gap between legacy infrastructure and real-time, event-driven operations without costly transformation programmes.
Tara: AI is rapidly moving from insight generation to autonomous action. How do you see agentic AI reshaping customer engagement, and what role will real-time network and subscriber data play in enabling more contextual experiences?
Alex: Agentic AI represents a shift from reactive service models to proactive, autonomous engagement. By leveraging real-time network and subscriber data, AI agents can anticipate customer needs and orchestrate personalised interactions across the customer lifecycle, creating more contextual experiences as circumstances change. A key opportunity lies in creating “micromoments” – timely, relevant interactions that build trust and loyalty. Event-driven architectures provide the foundation, feeding AI systems with live contextual data to trigger offers, recommendations or resolutions at precisely the right time. For MNOs and MVNOs, this can reduce the effort required to configure and adapt services while supporting hyper-personalisation at scale, and faster responses to market changes. AI also helps operators scale efficiently, increasing service capacity and automation without proportionally increasing operational complexity. Ultimately, success will depend on combining AI with real-time data and automation to deliver more relevant and timely customer experiences.
Tara: The MVNO market continues to evolve beyond rapid-launch propositions. What are brands and operators prioritizing today when selecting technology and operations partners, and how have expectations changed over the past few years?
Alex: While rapid launches remain important, with many brands expecting to launch in under three months, operators are increasingly looking for fully integrated platforms spanning onboarding, billing, real-time charging, SIM provisioning, CRM and customer engagement. Multi-tenancy has become a key requirement, enabling operators to support multiple MVNOs with distinct propositions and operating models. Flexibility is equally important, allowing partners to rapidly create bundles, adapt offers and respond to changing customer demand. There is also growing emphasis on operational simplicity, regulatory compliance and API-first, cloud-native architectures that support integration and future scalability. Increasingly, MVNOs want usage-based models that allow them to start small, pay only for the resources they consume and scale as subscriber volumes grow. This is where modern MVNE platforms like NEXUS come in, providing the agility, reliability and flexibility that brands need to succeed in today’s competitive telecoms market, without compromising on compliance or operational control.
Tara: As telecom operators seek new growth opportunities, what role can modern MVNE platforms play in helping brands, enterprises and operators launch differentiated services while maintaining operational simplicity and regulatory compliance?
Alex: Modern MVNE platforms help lower barriers to entry, enabling brands in sectors such as banking, retail and insurance to launch mobile services and create new revenue opportunities while strengthening customer engagement. Multi-tenant architectures allow operators to support multiple partners simultaneously, improving network utilisation while simplifying operations. Differentiation increasingly comes from agility, enabling partners to create targeted offers, adapt products quickly and serve specific customer segments. At the same time, end-to-end integration across provisioning, billing, payments, logistics and SIM/eSIM management helps streamline operations, support regulatory compliance and move towards increasingly automated, zero-touch customer processes. As connectivity becomes more commoditised, value is shifting towards the service layer. Open architectures based on TM Forum APIs and ODA principles can help simplify integration, support enterprise sovereignty and create new opportunities for innovation beyond connectivity alone.