Telecommunications

Why Microsoft Now for Telecommunications

In 2026, telecommunications operators will experience a significant change in the industry. This change includes:

• The transition from 4G to 5G SA
• Virtualized RAN
• Edge compute

Additionally, operators will operate in a highly competitive customer-experience environment.

• Cable and MSO operators are defending against fiber overbuilds and fixed wireless access (FWA) competition.
• Wireless operators are competing on 5G coverage and speed claims, while pricing models are becoming more standardized.
• Fiber operators are racing to secure funding from the $42B BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program.
• Tower operators are managing the consolidation of carriers and the densification needs of 5G.
• All operator categories are facing regulatory pressures, including FCC outage reporting, 911 reliability, CISA national security obligations, and state PUC obligations.
• They are also dealing with supply chain restrictions, such as Section 889 and the FCC Covered List.

Microsoft has invested more in the telecom-operator sector than any other hyperscaler. Their Azure for Operators offers carrier-grade products tailored for telecom workloads. These include:

• Azure Operator Nexus: Carrier-grade Kubernetes, bare-metal cloud for 5G core, vRAN, and edge.
• Azure Operator 5G Core: Cloud-native 5G SA and SBA.
• Azure Operator Insights: Network and customer telemetry analytics.
• Azure Operator Service Manager: Network service lifecycle management.
• Azure Private MEC: Multi-access edge compute for enterprise and industrial 5G.

Additionally, Microsoft Cloud for Telecommunications integrates Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform with telecom-specific tools for:

• Customer engagement
• Network operations
• Field service
• Service assurance
• Customer insights

Microsoft Fabric also provides a unified analytics platform that combines OSS, BSS, and network telemetry into a single OneLake-backed environment.

Telecom CIOs, CTOs, VPs of Networks, and VPs of Customer Experience are looking at Microsoft for their workloads. The main question is not about Microsoft's commitment to telecom.

The Azure for Operators investment and partnerships demonstrate their seriousness. Key partners include:

• Ericsson
• Nokia
• Samsung
• Mavenir

EPC Group emphasizes the implementation of solutions with existing OSS/BSS systems. We also consider regulatory requirements and carrier-grade SLA obligations.

This approach has led to successful engagements with both regional and national operators.

Azure for Operators — Carrier-Grade Azure

Azure for Operators differs significantly from commercial Azure in key areas important for telecom operators. These include:

• Carrier-grade SLAs with availability targets of 99.999%+
• Options for bare-metal and dedicated-hardware compute for performance-critical workloads, such as 5G core user plane and vRAN baseband
• Telecom-specific certifications, including FCC, 3GPP, and ETSI compliance
• Integration with leading network equipment vendors
• A financial and procurement model tailored for telecom operator buying patterns

Azure Operator Nexus. This solution merges carrier-grade Kubernetes with bare-metal cloud for 5G core, vRAN, and edge workloads. It offers hardware-level telemetry that Kubernetes can access.

• Integration with major vendor 5G core and RAN software, including:
• Ericsson Cloud RAN + Cloud Core
• Nokia AirScale + Cloud Core
• Samsung vRAN + 5G Core
• Mavenir Open RAN + Core
• A distributed control plane that spans regional and edge sites.
• Azure Arc for unified management across distributed sites.

Azure Operator 5G Core. This is Microsoft's cloud-native 5G Standalone (SA) Service-Based Architecture (SBA). It is deployed on Azure Operator Nexus. This solution is ideal for:

• Regional wireless operators
• MVNOs
• Private 5G operators
• Operators that have selected Microsoft as their 5G core vendor

Azure Operator Insights. This is a network and customer telemetry analytics platform. It collects telemetry data from the RAN, core, transport, and IP layers.

Azure Operator Insights offers:

• Pre-built analytics for KPI rollups
• Anomaly detection
• Customer experience scoring

It also integrates with operator SOC and NOC workflows.

Azure Operator Service Manager. This service helps manage the lifecycle of network services. It supports onboarding network functions from different vendors and allows for deploying network services as combinations of these functions.

Furthermore, it manages the entire lifecycle of network services, including:

• Instantiation
• Scaling
• Decommissioning

Azure Private MEC. This solution offers multi-access edge compute for enterprise and industrial 5G applications. It supports:

• Low-latency manufacturing
• Port operations
• Mining
• Oil and gas
• Military and DoD applications

Azure Private MEC can be deployed at customer premises and at operator edge sites.

Microsoft Cloud for Telecommunications — Accelerator Architecture

Microsoft Cloud for Telecommunications (MCfT) consists of several key products, including Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Azure, and Azure for Operators. It also offers telecom-specific accelerators. EPC Group has effectively deployed MCfT for various regional wireless, cable, and fiber operators.

• The most common deployment patterns include:

• Integration with existing telecom systems
• Enhancing customer engagement and support
• Streamlining operations and improving efficiency

Customer Engagement. We offer omnichannel customer service for retail and B2B subscribers with Dynamics 365 Customer Service Omnichannel. This solution connects with billing, provisioning, and network systems. It enables us to achieve first-call resolution.

Additionally, we offer an AI-assisted agent desktop featuring:

• M365 Copilot
• Copilot Studio

Network Operations. Our NOC dashboards provide effective incident management workflows. They integrate with various network monitoring systems, including:

• NetCool
• Splunk
• Vendor EMS systems

We offer automated ticket creation and routing from network alarms. Additionally, our system integrates with field service for efficient dispatch.

Field Service. Dynamics 365 Field Service provides solutions for scheduling, dispatching, and managing work orders for field technicians. It connects with vehicle telematics and customer premises equipment management.

The mobile workforce app is tailored for technicians. EPC Group supports field service deployments for:

• 500 field technicians
• 1,000 field technicians
• 5,000 field technicians
• 10,000 field technicians
• 50,000 field technicians

Service Assurance. Automated network problem detection from telemetry analytics, automated ticket routing to NOC + field service, root cause analysis assistance with M365 Copilot grounded in network documentation + run books.

Customer Insights. Subscriber 360 integrates billing, provisioning, network, contact center, and app behavior. It includes churn prediction models and next-best-action engines for retention and upselling.

We also offer customer journey orchestration through Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys.

Sales + Order Management. B2B + B2C order capture + provisioning for new service activation, plan changes, hardware orders. Integration with OSS provisioning + BSS billing.

Power BI for Network + Customer + Billing Analytics

EPC Group has delivered Power BI for telecom analytics to various operators. These include regional wireless companies with 50K-500K subscribers, MVNOs, fiber, cable, and tower operators.

The dashboard patterns that consistently drive value include:

• Real-time data visualization
• Customizable reporting features
• Integration with existing systems

Network Performance. We analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) by cell site, market, and technology layer. This includes:

• Drop call rate
• Accessibility and retainability percentiles
• Throughput percentiles by usage segment
• Latency percentiles by application class
• RAN, transport, and core element health rollups
• Capacity utilization and headroom by site and market

Customer Experience. We analyze NPS by market, segment, and journey stage. We also track app-store ratings along with sentiment analysis. Our contact center analytics cover:

• Call drivers
• Average Handle Time (AHT)
• First Call Resolution (FCR)
• Transfer rates
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

Additionally, we perform churn analytics using leading indicators such as network experience degradation, billing disputes, and contract end approaches.

Billing + Revenue. Key metrics include:

• ARPU and ARPL by segment and product
• Billing accuracy, dispute volume, and dispute resolution time
• Revenue assurance and leakage detection through transaction matching across OSS provisioning and BSS billing
• A/R aging and write-offs
• Late-stage collections performance

Capital + Operational Planning. Effective network capacity planning involves several key areas:

• Forecasting subscriber growth, traffic growth, and technology mix.
• Tracking site rollout, including zoning, permitting, construction, activation, and commercial launch.
• Managing OpEx and CapEx variance along with forecast accuracy.
• Monitoring regulatory pole-attachment, right-of-way, and permit tracking.

OSS/BSS integration is crucial for successful telecom Power BI deployments. EPC Group has developed integrations with major systems, including:

• Amdocs (CRM, Charging, Billing, OSM)
• Netcracker (BSS, OSS, Service Orchestrator)
• Salesforce Communications Cloud
• Oracle Communications (BRM, ASAP, OSM)
• Custom legacy systems

Microsoft Fabric for OSS/BSS Data Lakes

Microsoft Fabric replaces fragmented systems such as Hadoop, Snowflake, Teradata, and on-premise data warehouses. It provides a unified, Microsoft-native analytics environment supported by OneLake. EPC Group has successfully migrated regional operators to Fabric. The reference architecture includes:

• Data integration
• Data engineering
• Data warehousing
• Data science
• Real-time analytics

• Seamless integration of data sources
• Enhanced analytics capabilities
• Improved data management

Ingestion layer. The ingestion layer includes various components that collect and manage data. These components are:

• Network element telemetry (RAN + core + transport via Operator Insights)
• OSS provisioning and service inventory (Amdocs OSM, Netcracker, custom)
• BSS billing, charging, and customer master (Amdocs, Oracle BRM, Netcracker)
• CRM and contact center (Salesforce, Dynamics 365, custom)
• Field service and workforce management
• Partner and supplier data
• Regulatory and compliance feeds

Storage layer. OneLake features a medallion architecture consisting of three layers: bronze (raw), silver (cleansed), and gold (analytics-ready). It utilizes the Delta Lake format.

Moreover, it complies with the TMF SID (Information Framework) and TMF Open APIs data model. This ensures standard definitions for telecom entities.

Compute layer. The Fabric Lakehouse combines a warehouse, real-time analytics, and notebooks. Notebooks support Python and Spark for machine learning tasks, including:

• Churn analysis
• Next-best-action recommendations
• Predictive maintenance
• Fraud detection

The warehouse is designed for traditional business intelligence. Real-time analytics focuses on network telemetry streaming and anomaly detection.

Serving layer. Power BI semantic models on Fabric warehouse + lakehouse. Direct Lake connection.

Governance. Microsoft Purview for catalog + lineage + classification. Sensitivity labels for subscriber PII + CPNI (Customer Proprietary Network Information).

Telecom Cybersecurity + Regulatory

Telecom cybersecurity has industry-specific dimensions that go beyond standard enterprise cyber:

CISA National Security. Tier-1 and Tier-2 operators have national security responsibilities through CISA's Threat-Informed Lift Plan (TLP) and critical infrastructure designation. Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR, when used with EPC Group's telecom reference architecture, assist with the following:

• Enhancing threat detection
• Improving incident response
• Strengthening overall security posture

• Threat detection and response
• Incident management
• Compliance monitoring

• CISA reporting
• Coordinated vulnerability disclosure
• Threat intelligence sharing

FCC Outage Reporting (NORS). The FCC Network Outage Reporting System (NORS) mandates that reportable outages must be reported within strict timelines. Microsoft Sentinel automation helps with:

• Automated detection of NORS-eligible outages
• Preparation of draft notifications

911 Reliability. FCC 911 reliability rules require operators to certify network architecture + monitoring + alternate path + monitoring + diversity. Microsoft Sentinel + Operator Insights provide the underlying monitoring + reporting surface.

Supply Chain (Section 889 + FCC Covered List). Federal procurement under Section 889 and the USF program (FCC Covered List) restricts the use of equipment from certain vendors, including Huawei and ZTE. EPC Group focuses on the following key areas:

• Understanding compliance requirements.
• Identifying affected vendors.
• Implementing risk management strategies.

• Understanding compliance requirements
• Identifying affected equipment
• Implementing strategies to meet regulations

• Supply chain validation for non-Microsoft network elements
• Supplier risk reporting

Telecom-Specific Threats. SS7 + Diameter signaling attacks, roaming fraud, SIM swap fraud, IoT botnet attacks targeting operator infrastructure. Microsoft Sentinel custom analytics rules for telecom-specific threat patterns.

Engagement Operating Model — Telecom Application

EPC Group's 7-phase Engagement Operating Model — documented at /engagement-model. Telecom-specific phase content:

Discover. We provide a comprehensive assessment of various elements, including:

• CISA + FCC + state PUC posture assessment
• OSS + BSS + network element inventory
• Current Microsoft + Azure tenant assessment
• Vendor + supplier inventory (with Section 889 + FCC Covered List validation)
• Subscriber PII + CPNI data flow mapping

Architect. We focus on several key areas:

• Azure for Operators scenario selection, including Operator Nexus, Operator 5G Core, Operator Insights, and Private MEC.
• Microsoft Cloud for Telecommunications scenario selection.
• Fabric data platform architecture.
• Telecom cybersecurity reference architecture.

Plan. Phased rollout sequence (network workloads vs customer engagement vs analytics vs field service), change management for NOC + field + customer service + IT, training curriculum.

Build. We focus on several key areas to enhance your operations:

• Tenant configuration
• Identity and access design implementation
• Azure for Operators deployment (in partnership with a network vendor)
• Microsoft Fabric workspace, lakehouse, and warehouse build
• OSS/BSS integration build
• Power BI network, customer, and billing semantic model build

Validate. Carrier-grade SLA validation, regulatory + compliance control validation (CISA + FCC + state PUC), penetration testing, user acceptance testing with NOC + field + customer service stakeholders.

Deploy. Phased production rollout, Hypercare with on-site NOC + field service support, network vendor coordination for production cutover.

Run. Managed Microsoft Support (24x7x365 tier appropriate for telecom 24x7 NOC), quarterly governance reviews, annual CISA + FCC certification support, continuous improvement.

Engagement Investment

EPC Group telecom engagement tiers:

Foundation ($200K-$400K, 16-20 weeks): Discover + Architect + initial Build for a single Microsoft workload. Suitable for regional wireless + cable + fiber + tower operator.

Enterprise ($450K-$900K, 24-36 weeks): Foundation + multi-workload + Engagement Operating Model full lifecycle. Suitable for mid-size operator.

Platform ($1M-$3.5M, 40-72 weeks): This solution includes the following components:

• Enterprise + Azure for Operators network workload
• Microsoft Cloud for Telecommunications full deployment
• Fabric platform

It is suitable for national wireless, national cable, and national fiber operators.

Ongoing operations via /managed-microsoft-support-tiers — 24x7x365 tier required for telecom 24x7 NOC operations.