Christian helps companies implement difficult things in technology. He facilitates this as a mobile technology innovator, who picks difficult tasks to do for himself for fun. This started in the late nineties when many different companies wanted to become an ISP or an MNO and so we created the first VISPs and MVNOS. We won a DTI innovation award 2 decades ago for offloading mobile over Bluetooth and WiFI and now 2 decades on we have won a DSIT award as part of the consortium lead by Telet for ORAN development; One Word. We are (of course) now moving into EVs after a decade of solving IoT problems around electrification of fleets, and having built the world's first full end to end cloud MVNE and MVNO platform & realised massive efficiency gains of mobile cores along the way - and put the two together to create private, sustainable mobile networks on wheels.
Julian Divett
Julian received his degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from the University of Surrey in 1997 and started his early career as a designer of circuits for consumer electronics products at Matsushita Electric UK Ltd. (Panasonic). Since then Julian has spent the last 25 years working for a number of U.K. mobile operators; most recently working for BT following its acquisition of EE.
Julian is currently a Principle Designer within the field of Radio Access Network (RAN) Transport Design which focuses on the design of scalable solutions to provide network connectivity between mobile cell sites and their respective core network. This encompasses both radio (microwave and millimetre wave) and optical fibre technologies.
More recently solutions have evolved to support new styles of cell site connectivity (now termed ‘midhaul’ and ‘fronthaul’) which are required to support the changes in RAN architecture necessary to support new features like Advance RAN Coordination (ARC); as means of further increasing radio spectrum efficiency and maximising cell site throughput for mobile subscribers.
Day to day activities in Julian’s role include collaboration with colleagues in design, planning and deployment teams (both internal to and external of BT) to ensure the timely integration of new RAN technology to help maintain the high regard of EE by its customers.
Caroline has been engaged in technology analysis, research and consulting for 30 years and since 2002, has been focused entirely on mobile and wireless. As co-founder and research director of Rethink Technology Research, Caroline has developed a significant research base and forecast methodology, based around deep contacts with mobile and converged operators round the world. This addresses critical issues and trends in mobile and wireless infrastructure, and particularly operator deployment intentions for 4G, 5G, small cells, Cloud-RAN and other technologies. She is also a senior contributor to Analysys Mason’s Next Generation Wireless research programme. She has led research and consulting projects with a wide range of clients, including mobile infrastructure vendors, large and start-up operators, regulators, trade bodies, government agencies and financial institutions. Her advice and forecasts have helped inform strategic decisions at a wide range of vendors, operators, start-ups and finance houses. Prior to setting up Rethink, Caroline held various executive positions at VNU Business Publishing BV, then Europe’s largest producer of technology related B2B reports and publications. She was the European content and research director, and was a member of the leadership team for VNU’s online business. She holds an MA from the University of Oxford.
Paolo Galbiati
Paolo Galbiati brings over 20 years of leadership experience in product strategy, product management, and marketing within highly regarded multinational organizations where he has successfully led several Microwave Product lines to commercial success.
Early in his career, Paolo held positions of responsibility in R&D and pre-sales, allowing him to develop a strong technical credibility, particularly with mobile operators, with whom he collaborates in defining evolutionary roadmaps and innovation programs.
Based in Milan, Paolo is currently responsible for Wireless Transport Product Line Management at Aviat Networks."
Vikas Grover
Vikas is an accomplished leader who brings a telecoms ethos to the satellite world. He joined the business in March 2021 to lead Avanti's Technology function, which accounts for half of the company's headcount. His team is responsible for developing, building and operating Avanti’s products and services.
With a background in telecoms, connecting people has always been a priority for Vikas and this has become a personal passion. Vikas began his career at Bell Canada in the 90s, where he contributed to creating some of the first networks in India. Following this, Vikas worked as a Technology Consultant at KPMG for nearly 8 years, before moving to Vodafone India. Whilst there, Vikas held various senior positions, including CIO and EVP of Technology Planning. Prior to joining Avanti, Vikas was the founding Chief Information Officer at OneWeb, where he led Global Networks, IT Platforms and Security.
In his current role, Vikas uses his cross-industry experience to ensure customers receive the bespoke, quality service they require.
Andy Sutton
- BT Fellow & Principal Network Architect, BT
Andy Sutton is a BT Fellow and Principal Network Architect for Wireless Access. The wireless access domain includes 4G/5G RAN architecture and mobile backhaul/xhaul, along with microwave and millimetre wave radio systems, and satellite communications. Andy holds an MSc in Mobile Communications from the University of Salford and has over 35 years of experience within the telecommunications industry. Andy’s current research interests include advanced RAN coordination techniques, including C-RAN and OpenRAN, optical fibre and radio based backhaul/xhaul, along with LEO satellite communications and High-altitude Platform Systems (HAPS), all in the context of building resilient heterogeneous networks. Andy holds the post of Visiting Professor of Telecommunications at the University of Liverpool and the University of Salford, he is a Chartered Engineer and holds Fellowships from the IET, ITP and BCS. Andy sits on the editorial board of the ITP Journal and is a CW SIG Champion for eMBB and Wireless Heritage.
