In some parts of the world, losing connectivity is not just an inconvenience: it can be a serious risk.
For remote communities and critical environments, network outages caused by storms, fiber cuts, or extreme geography can leave people and services completely isolated. Traditional mobile networks depend heavily on centralized core infrastructure, meaning that a single disruption can bring services down across an entire region.
Telenor set out to solve this problem by asking a fundamental question: What if a mobile network could continue operating locally, even when completely disconnected from the rest of the network?
Designed to deliver network access anywhere, including hard-to-reach and high-risk environments, the Autonomous Edge uses a distributed 5G architecture with built-in resilience and failover. If the connection to the central core is lost, a local edge core automatically takes over, ensuring that critical services remain online. This ensures that essential services continue to function, and that disruptions caused by network outages are kept to a minimum.
Through its Open Lab innovation program, Telenor designed and deployed Autonomous Edge, a distributed 5G core architecture that enables remote locations to operate as fully autonomous networks when needed.
The solution consists of a centrally located core in Fornebu and an on-premises edge core deployed in Svalbard for local failover. Spanning approximately 2,000 kilometers between sites, the Telenor Open Lab Autonomous Edge deployment in Norway demonstrates a highly resilient and distributed design.
Subscriber data, policies, and configurations are kept synchronized during normal operation, with the central core managing network functions and services. If the backhaul connection is disrupted, the on-premises edge core automatically assumes control, allowing the remote site to continue operating as a fully autonomous 5G network. There is no “degraded mode,” no feature shutdown, and no manual intervention required. The site continues to function as a complete 5G network.
This ensures uninterrupted availability of local services, even during prolonged outages, while maintaining continuity for essential applications such as voice, data, and operational systems. This capability is particularly critical for public safety, industrial operations, and other mission-critical environments. Just as importantly, it enables people on site to remain connected with their loved ones during network disruptions.
Beyond resilience, Autonomous Edge also delivers performance benefits by reducing latency for time-sensitive applications such as real-time video, remote control, and monitoring systems. This makes it especially valuable in remote or high-risk environments where reliable, low latency communication is essential.
“We're very happy and honored to work with AxyomCore and M-Edge Network. We are building a multi-vendor 5G core, it's a very complex integration work and we get very good and timely support from these two partners”
Min Xie – Platform Lead and Senior Research Scientist at Telenor
With Autonomous Edge, Telenor can:
By redefining where intelligence and control reside in the network, Telenor has created a resilient connectivity model that works even under the most demanding conditions.
Telenor Open Lab is a powerful platform for innovation, enabling advanced 5G capabilities such as network slicing, private networks, edge computing, and AI in real, testable environments. The idea is simple but impactful: build real environments where new solutions can be tested, validated, and refined before scaling in the real world. AxyomCore is proud to be a partner in this initiative. By collaborating across operators, technology partners, and research communities, Open Lab aims to accelerate innovation and develop technologies that address real industrial challenges.
AxyomCore’s cloud‑native, edge-ready 5G core is designed to operate efficiently in distributed environments, enabling:
This architecture allows the 5G core to be deployed where it is needed most, at the edge, without sacrificing functionality or reliability.
Sachie Bristow, VP Global Alliances at AxyomCore, explains “Autonomous Edge proves that resilience and performance don’t have to be centralized. By bringing our 5G core capabilities to the edge, operators can keep services running where they matter most. We’re proud to work with Telenor, M‑Edge Network and Summa Networks to turn this vision into a real, deployable 5G architecture, and this is just the beginning.”
M-Edge has been instrumental in supporting the integration of this use case, working in close partnership with AxyomCore. Francois Duchene from M-Edge Network adds: “Autonomous Edge shows that resilience comes from how the network is designed. At M-Edge Network, we focus on making complex multi-vendor architectures work seamlessly in real-world conditions, ensuring reliable and fully autonomous 5G operations without compromise.”
Together, AxyomCore, M‑Edge Networks, Summa Networks, and Telenor demonstrate how a multi‑vendor 5G architecture can deliver resilient, high‑performance connectivity through a distributed control and user plane design. The Autonomous Edge provides a production‑ready foundation where control plane continuity and local core functions ensure service availability, low latency, and operational autonomy. Through initiatives such as Telenor Open Lab, AxyomCore supports operators in deploying edge driven 5G networks that enable critical services and scalable innovation.
About AxyomCore
AxyomCore is a global provider of cloud native wireless core and radio access network solutions. Its product portfolio includes high-performance 4G and 5G converged core, Femto core, security gateway, and enterprise RAN units. The AxyomCore platform offers unparalleled efficiency, scalability, and economics, ensuring that customers remain at the forefront of the rapidly evolving telecommunications landscape.
For more information, visit www.axyomcore.ai
About Telenor
Telenor is a leading telecommunications company with a strong presence across the Nordics and Asia, providing mobile, broadband, and digital services to millions of customers. Headquartered in Fornebu, Norway, Telenor is committed to empowering societies through connectivity and innovation, with a focus on building secure, resilient, and scalable digital infrastructure.
About M-Edge Network
M‑Edge Network delivers advanced, end‑to‑end mobile solutions with a complete portfolio of high‑performance Small Cells and fully integrated core networks, built on AxyomCore and Summa Networks, supporting both centralized and distributed deployments. Our expert team in Radio and Mobile Core ensures seamless, secure, and scalable 4G/5G rollouts, providing full lifecycle services from design and integration to managed services.