Blue Planet Collaborates with KDDI to Advance KDDI’s Autonomous Network Journey

Blue Planet, a division of Ciena, is collaborating with KDDI to help modernize KDDI’s network operations and advance its journey toward autonomous networks. Through Blue Planet’s cloud-native automation portfolio, the collaboration will support KDDI in expanding AI-driven operations with greater accuracy, visibility, and control across a common data-driven foundation.

Accenture is supporting the collaboration, bringing its transformation expertise to help KDDI deploy Blue Planet’s cloud-native automation portfolio and help KDDI build a scalable operational foundation that unifies network inventory, orchestration, assurance, optimization, and agentic AI around a shared source of trusted operational data. KDDI and Accenture will work with Blue Planet to configure and deploy automation capabilities, resource adapters, workflows and AI agents on the Blue Planet platform tailored to the requirements of Japan’s network environments and multi-vendor ecosystem. This collaboration will apply reusable automation frameworks while establishing the data models, integrations, and governance required to support trusted AI-driven operations at scale.

“KDDI is committed to shaping and leading the future of intelligent, autonomous networks,” said Toshio Kato, Ph.D. General Manager, Advanced Platform Development Division, KDDI. “We want to scale AI operations safely bearing in the mind the unique requirements of Japan’s network environment, and this standardized model with Accenture and Blue Planet gives us the confidence to continue our AI momentum at scale.”

Beyond technology adoption, the collaboration establishes a strategic delivery model to move forward KDDI’s autonomous network vision, supported by Blue Planet’s cloud-native automation and NetOps capabilities. By applying reusable automation assets and operational blueprints, KDDI is building the internal capabilities required to continuously evolve AI-driven operations, accelerate innovation across a multi-vendor environment, and build a scalable foundation for higher levels of network autonomy.

This collaboration follows a successful six-month trial conducted in KDDI and Accenture laboratory environments. Leveraging Blue Planet’s AI Studio and the wider Blue Planet automation portfolio, including Blue Planet Inventory (BPI), Blue Planet Orchestration (BPO), and Unified Assurance and Analytics (UAA), the teams validated multiple AI-powered and closed-loop use cases including:

• Natural language alarm search, enabling the querying of live network data using conversational interfaces
• Closed-loop fault remediation, where AI agents automatically trigger orchestration and assurance workflows to resolve service issues
• AI-driven alarm prioritization, using machine learning to classify and prioritize events based on operational impact
• Automated service lifecycle management across inventory, orchestration, assurance, and route analytics domains

The use cases demonstrated clear potential for operational improvements and provided confidence to expand the initiative into a broader transformation program built on Blue Planet’s end-to-end automation stack. Results of the trial were demonstrated and highlighted at a recent TM Forum Catalyst, Agentic Network Growth Engine, highlighting the operational value of AI-driven automation and autonomous networking.

“The shift toward autonomous networks is moving from aspiration to reality as operators seek to unlock the full value of AI while managing growing network complexity,” said Tejas Rao, Global Network Practice Lead, Communications Industry at Accenture. “Achieving higher levels of network autonomy requires more than deploying new technologies. By putting the right people, processes and governance in place to scale AI with confidence, KDDI is creating a platform for continuous innovation, faster service innovation and long-term competitive advantage.”

“KDDI is taking a deliberate, data-first approach to autonomous networks,” said Joe Cumello, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Blue Planet. “With support from Blue Planet and a common data foundation, KDDI is creating the visibility, automation, and intelligence to move forward on its autonomous network journey and deliver better outcomes for customers.”

This multi-year program begins with KDDI’s fixed network operations and will expand into the mobile network in 2028.

About KDDI
KDDI is a leading Japanese telecommunications company with over 100 million customers. In recent years, KDDI has expanded beyond its core telecommunications business into areas such as AI, finance, energy, retail, and cybersecurity, contributing to structural reforms across various industries. Globally, KDDI provides mobile services, IoT services for connected cars, and data center connectivity, primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia. KDDI is driving social impact and transformation through its mid-term management strategy, "Power-to-Connect 2028." For more information, visit the KDDI website. https://www.kddi.com/english/

About Blue Planet
Blue Planet  is reimagining OSS for the AI era. Our platform unifies inventory, orchestration, configuration management, and assurance—creating a common data fabric across networks and services. With embedded agentic AI, the Blue Planet Intelligent Automation Portfolio delivers the operational foundation needed for autonomous networks to unlock the value of AI and infrastructure investments. A division of Ciena and trusted by leading communications service providers, Blue Planet transforms operations with deep expertise and proven innovation. For updates on Blue Planet, follow us on LinkedIn or visit the Blue Planet website.

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