Tuesday, March 03, 2026
At Mobile World Congress, NTT DOCOMO, StarHub, and ServiceNow unveiled a joint initiative designed to keep international travelers connected through autonomous roaming resolution powered by ServiceNow CRM. Together, the companies are building the industry’s first inter-carrier operational model on the ServiceNow AI Platform, aiming to help telecom operators detect and resolve roaming disruptions faster while improving global connectivity reliability.
When travelers lose service abroad, multiple carriers must collaborate to restore connectivity. However, without standardized industry processes, operators often rely on fragmented intake channels such as emails, portals, and web forms. Consequently, issue reporting becomes slow and inconsistent, leaving customers stranded without service at critical moments. At the same time, operators face lost revenue, declining trust, and increased competitive pressure in markets where seamless roaming is essential.
To address this long-standing challenge, DOCOMO has expanded its Zero-Touch Operation (ZTO) framework—originally developed with ServiceNow in 2021—to automate inter-carrier operations in real time. By eliminating manual intervention in remote maintenance tasks, DOCOMO previously accelerated fault recovery and reduced operational overhead. Now, the three companies are extending this automation across network boundaries, transforming traditionally manual roaming workflows into intelligent, AI-driven processes.
The newly developed shared operational model leverages AI, structured data, and automated workflows to streamline roaming fault resolution. When a service disruption occurs, the system immediately identifies what went wrong, which network is affected, and what corrective actions are underway. As a result, carriers gain greater visibility across interconnected networks, minimize manual coordination, and enable proactive customer support. Ultimately, this innovation shortens resolution times and enhances service reliability for travelers worldwide.
Technical validation is currently underway, and the companies plan to launch the solution commercially in the second half of the year. The initiative aims to standardize cross-carrier operations, improve service quality, and create a scalable model that supports global interoperability.
“This collaboration marks an important step toward improving the reliability of international roaming services for customers around the world,” said Akihiro Hikuma, senior vice president, executive general manager of network division at NTT DOCOMO. “By extending automation beyond individual network domains and introducing a standardized, cooperative model for inter-carrier operations, we can significantly reduce service interruptions and enhance the transparency and speed of issue resolution. DOCOMO is actively building an open and collaborative ecosystem with diverse partners such as StarHub and ServiceNow, advancing intelligent cross-border operational automation that improves customer experience and contributes to the evolution of global connectivity.”
“Reliable roaming is essential for travelers who depend on connectivity wherever they go,” said Volkan Sevindik, chief technology officer at StarHub. “By working with DOCOMO and ServiceNow to automate and standardize inter-carrier roaming operations, we are addressing a long-standing industry challenge at its root. This collaboration reflects StarHub’s commitment to putting customer experience at the center of how technology is applied at scale, improving service reliability through intelligent automation so customers can stay connected seamlessly across borders.”
“Our partnership with DOCOMO and StarHub represents a bold step toward a future where telecom operations are predictive, proactive, and seamlessly integrated,” said Rohit Batra, general manager and vice president of industry products at ServiceNow. “With ServiceNow CRM and the unique capabilities of the ServiceNow AI Platform, fault tickets flow automatically, recovery happens in real time, and operations that used to take hours now take minutes.”
Additionally, Pascal Menezes, chief technology officer at Mplify, emphasized the role of industry standards in enabling interoperability across service providers.
Overall, this collaboration signals a significant advancement in AI-driven telecom automation and global roaming reliability.
To join our expert panel discussions, reach out to info@intentamplify.com
Contact Center Technology Insights:
Tags:
TechSee unveils its Visual AI platform to extend network visibility across the entire home, improving connectivity, retention, and customer experience.
Infovista unveils VistaOne, an AI-enabled platform unifying network and customer experience intelligence for CSPs and enterprises.
