Tech Mahindra unveils telco architecture for AI rollouts

Tech Mahindra has unveiled its Zero Gravity Telco Architecture, a framework for communication service providers seeking to move AI projects into core operations.

The architecture is designed to address what Tech Mahindra calls "Legacy Gravity" - the drag created by long-established telecom systems, embedded business rules, and fragmented data estates.

Many telecom operators have increased spending on AI, cloud, and 5G, but their AI programmes often fail to progress beyond pilot stages, according to Tech Mahindra. The company argues that inconsistent data, fragmented systems, and business logic locked inside legacy platforms prevent AI agents from operating safely across core functions.

The framework outlines a model for simplifying technology estates and moving key business rules and definitions into a shared, governed layer. Tech Mahindra says this would create a more reliable base for autonomous and AI-native operations.

A central part of the offering is the Zero Gravity Index, which it describes as a maturity diagnostic for telecom leaders. The index is intended to help operators assess their readiness for AI-native transformation and map a path from legacy environments to more adaptive and automated operating models.

Industry shift

The launch comes as telecom groups look for ways to turn AI investment into operational gains in network management, service delivery, and customer operations. Suppliers and industry bodies have increasingly focused on how to move AI from experiments into production systems, where governance, consistency, and trust become more critical.

Tech Mahindra says the framework was developed through work on large-scale telecom transformation programmes around the world. It also links the architecture to broader efforts around AI-Native Open Digital Architecture, or ODA, which has become a reference point in telecom technology modernisation.

Amol Phadke outlined the company's view of the challenge facing operators.

"The telecom industry is in its transformative era where AI is fundamentally changing how networks are operated, services are delivered, and customer experiences are created. But AI alone cannot be industrialized on top of unorganized legacy. The barrier is the gravitational pull of the existing estate," said Amol Phadke, Chief Transformation Officer, Tech Mahindra.

"Our Zero Gravity Telco Architecture provides operators the guidance to externalize the context trapped inside their systems, build trusted foundations, and only then scale autonomous agents. As telecom evolves from modernization towards intelligence-led enterprises, the ability to organize meaning, context, and decision-making at scale will become the defining competitive advantage," Phadke said.

Trust issue

Trust in AI systems is also emerging as a broader industry concern, particularly in sectors such as telecoms, where automated systems interact with networks, operations, and customer services. A lack of clear governance and consistent underlying information can raise operational and financial risks when companies try to deploy AI more broadly.

TM Forum, an industry association that develops standards and frameworks for telecom operators and suppliers, endorsed the principles behind the architecture. Its comments place the launch within a broader industry push to build common models for AI-ready telecom operations.

"AI will not deliver its full potential on fragmented architectures and inconsistent business logic. Operators that want to become autonomous enterprises must first build trusted foundations, shared understanding and governance that allow AI to operate safely and at scale," said Nik Willetts, Chief Executive Officer, TM Forum.

"Tech Mahindra's Zero Gravity Telco Architecture aligns closely with the principles behind TM Forum's AI-Native Open Digital Architecture and highlights a reality the industry can no longer ignore: AI doesn't move from pilot to production without trust," Willetts said.

Tech Mahindra employs more than 146,000 people across 90 countries and provides consulting, IT, engineering, network, and business process services to clients in multiple industries. In telecoms, the group has positioned itself around network transformation and digital operations as operators seek new sources of growth beyond traditional connectivity services.

According to Tech Mahindra, the Zero Gravity Telco Architecture is meant to support that shift by giving operators a structured way to simplify older estates before attempting large-scale autonomous AI deployment. Organising business meaning, context, and governance will be a necessary step before AI can be used safely at scale, it says.