O-RAN Seminar - Foster Open RAN Ecosystem in Nordic Region - 19 April 2021

The open radio access network (RAN) has gained its momentum to take off in the mobile industry. It represents the convergence of communication, information, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the RAN domain towards an open networking ecosystem. The open RAN decouples software from purpose-built hardware. The new ways of implementing, integrating and operating RAN systems bring new business opportunities and challenges. To accelerate innovation in this new area, there is a need to foster an open development ecosystem and common test environment by region, in which different players cross-industries can work closely for new cost efficient and smart wireless connectivity solutions.

This seminar brings together key players in the open RAN community to share the state of play of open RAN development. With the focus on the O-RAN, the topics will cover the open RAN implementation, test and integration, and open RAN ecosystem. The seminar is featured by a panel, where top O-RAN experts from industry and academia will share their views on open RAN opportunities, challenges, and ways to build local open RAN ecosystem.

The seminar targets both industry and academia, and especially welcomes these who are interested in collaboration to explore new business opportunities and solutions in open RAN.

Preliminary Agenda

Speaker Bios

Dr. Chih-Lin I

Chih-Lin I is CMCC Chief Scientist of Wireless Technologies. She received Ph.D. EE from Stanford University. She has won 2005 IEEE ComSoc Stephen Rice Prize, 2018 IEEE ComSoc Fred W. Ellersick Prize, the 7th IEEE Asia-Pacific Outstanding Paper Award, and 2015 IEEE Industrial Innovation Award for Leadership and Innovation in Next-Generation Cellular Wireless Networks.
She is the Chair of O-RAN Technical Steering Committee and an O-RAN Executive Committee Member, the Chair of FuTURE 5G/6G SIG, the Chair of WAIA (Wireless AI Alliance) Executive Committee, an Executive Board Member of GreenTouch, a Network Operator Council Founding Member of ETSI NFV, a Steering Board Member and Vice Chair of WWRF, a Steering Committee member and the Publication Chair of IEEE 5G and Future Networks Initiatives, the Founding Chair of IEEE WCNC Steering Committee, the Director of IEEE ComSoc Meetings and Conferences Board, a member of IEEE ComSoc SDB, SPC, and CSCN-SC, and a Scientific Advisory Board Member of Singapore NRF.
She has published over 200 papers in scientific journals, book chapters and conferences and holds over 100 patents. She is co-author of the book “Green and Software-defined Wireless Networks – From Theory to Practice” and has also Co-edited two books: “Ultra-dense Networks – Principles and Applications” and “5G Networks – Fundamental Requirements, Enabling Technologies, and Operations Management”. She is a Fellow of IEEE and a Fellow of WWRF. Her current research interests center around ICDT Deep Convergence: “From Green & Soft to Open & Smart”.

Mr. Udayan Mukherjee

 Udayan Mukherjee is an Intel Fellow in the Network Platforms Group and chief technologist for network infrastructure at Intel Corporation. He leads technology and product development related to wireless radio access and core networks, including Cloud-RAN, virtual RAN, base stations based on the LTE and LTE-Advanced standards, and mobile edge platforms, as well as gateways and packet core solutions. Udayan is also responsible for establishing new growth areas for Intel in the telecommunications market segment, a role that includes developing technologies and optimizations for telecom platforms designed for software-based networking and network function virtualization, developing wireless-specific intellectual property, and leading Intel’s 5G wireless network technology development. Udayan’s research interests include mobile computing and communication platforms; heterogeneous networks; next-generation air interface technologies; network virtualization; and mobile edge services and applications.

A specialist in communications and computer system design and development, Udayan joined Intel in 2000. Before assuming his current role, he led Advanced CA-based telecom server development as principal engineer in Intel’s Modular Communications Platform Group. He also led technology development in areas such as memory power management and chassis-, shelf- and rack-based manageability software, and he spearheaded Intel’s efforts to deliver the industry’s first draft of a carrier-grade telecom Linux specification.

Before joining Intel, Udayan spent more than a decade leading engineering teams at various technology companies, including Hewlett-Packard Co. and First Data Corp. A three-time recipient of the Intel Achievement Award, Udayan was appointed an Intel Fellow in 2016. He has been granted 10 U.S. patents, with additional patents pending, and is the author or co-author of multiple papers on topics related to wireless and telecom technologies.

Udayan holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology Durgapur in India and earned dual master’s degrees in systems science and industrial engineering from Louisiana State University.

Mr. Mats Eriksson

Mr. Eriksson is a Senior Consultant at TietoEVRY and CEO of Arctos Labs Scandinavia AB. He has more than 40 years of extensive experience in telecoms research and development. He co-founded and served as first chairman of the EU Living Lab network to foster greater innovation on IT based services. His contributions span systems engineering, research management, service development, product and business management.

Dr. Jarno Niemelä

 Dr. Jarno Niemelä is currently Head of Mobile Access Technologies in Elisa responsible for covering development of all mobile access G -technologies and mobile frequencies. He has been working extensively with mobile access network research, technologies, planning, operations, optimization and automation for more than 15 years in different engineering, consulting, training and management positions. He holds a Dr. Tech. degree from Tampere University of Technology (2006).

Mr. Eng Wei Koo

 Eng Wei Koo is Keysight’s Director of Technology responsible for Open RAN strategy development and standards leadership. Eng Wei currently leads Keysight’s delegate team in O-RAN Alliance that is making significant contributions to Open RAN test specifications and activities. He has more than 20 years of telecommunications industry experience in the design, architecture and technology management of lab test, field trials, live networks assurance and optimization, customers experience management and analytics solutions for 3G, 4G and most recently 5G and Open RAN and 3GPP core networks.

Prof. Petri Mähönen

Dr Petri Mähönen is currently a full professor of networked systems and a founding director of the institute for networked systems at RWTH Aachen University. Previously he held an Ericsson Chair of Wireless Networks also at the RWTH Aachen. Before joining to RWTH Aachen in 2002, he was a professor and research director at the Centre for Wireless Communications, Finland. His present research interests include cognitive wireless networks, embedded intelligence in IoT systems, theory of complex networks, future network architectures, and more generally optimized and adaptive wireless communications.

Prof. Sasu Tarkoma

Professor Sasu Tarkoma is the Head of Department at the Department of Computer Science, University of Helsinki and Director of the Helsinki Center for Data Science (HiDATA). He is Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board for Finnish Defence (MATINE). He is actively involved in the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (HIIT), the Finnish Center for AI (FCAI) flagship, Helsinki Center for Data Science (HiDATA), and the Allied ICT Finland network. His research interests are Internet technology, distributed systems, data analytics, and mobile and ubiquitous computing.

Prof. Riku Jäntti

Riku Jäntti is a Full Professor of Communications Engineering and the head of the department of Communications and Networking at Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering, Finland. He received his M.Sc (with distinction) in Electrical Engineering in 1997 and D.Sc (with distinction) in Automation and Systems Technology in 2001, both from Helsinki University of Technology (TKK). Prior to joining Aalto (formerly known as TKK) in August 2006, he was professor pro tem at the Department of Computer Science, University of Vaasa. Prof. Jäntti is a senior member of IEEE and associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology. He is also IEEE VTS Distinguished Lecturer (Class 2016). The research interests of Prof. Jäntti include machine type communications, cloud based radio access networks, backscatter communications, quantum communications, and radio frequency inference.

Dr. Tao Chen

 Dr. Tao Chen is a senior researcher at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, a Royal Academy of Engineering visiting professor at University of Kent, UK, and an adjunct professor at University of Jyväskylä, Finland. He has more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications sector, and long experience in coordinating large R&D projects. He was the coordinator of 5G PPP COHERENT project, which was the first proposed the real time and non-real-time RAN controller concept for virtualized RAN. His research interests include AI and programmability in mobile networks, new spectrum access, and resource management in heterogeneous networks.