Iris Barcia - Pr. Mng. MPN Architecture, Vodafone

Iris Barcia is a multidisciplinary professional with entrepreneurial experience in the telecommunication industry. She is an innovator and forward-looking technologist that has worked directly with international executive teams and engineers at Tier 1 network operators, network infrastructure vendors, neutral-host vendors, government organizations, and services companies. She has been involved in the proposal and assessment of novel HetNet strategies for nation-wide 4G, 5G, IoT and public-safety networks, with a focus on future capacity provision and multi-technology evolution. More recently she’s focusing on Open RAN and MPNs. Prior to Vodafone, Iris has been the co-owner and COO of Keima, and has worked on RAN design, optimization and deployment projects at Telefonica and European rural broadband wireless initiatives. She has a BSc and MSc in Telecommunication Engineering from the University of Vigo (Spain) and an MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University (UK).

Andrew Burrell - Head of Digital Operations Marketing, Independent

Andy is responsible for Nokia’s Digital Operations’ marketing.  After more than 25 years in the telecoms industry he remains fascinated by the possibilities of technology, in particular the potential of 5G and Artificial Intelligence to transform networks, operations and business.  He loves to use his various devices to keep up with social media, news, and above all, the football results. Finally realizing that the phone call from Arsenal FC was never going to come, he has given up playing and now prefers to watch his kids chase their own dreams from the side of the pitch.  Tweet me @andyburrell or connect via http://linkedin.com/in/andrewburrell

Paul Ceely - Technology Strategy Consultant, Paul Ceely

Paul Ceely has over 20 years' experience network strategy and IP networking, and is been responsible for developing, driving and communicating the medium to long-term network strategy for BT.  He has shaped the mobile network strategy for EE since its formation in 2010 from the merger of T-Mobile UK and Orange UK, continuing this through the merger with BT in 2016, being instrumental in the strategy EEs 4G launch in 2012, the Emergency Services Network and the development of BT’s 5G Strategy.  Having studied Physics at Cambridge University, he started his career as a graduate working on IP networking and security in BT, before leaving for a startup, eventually ending up at T-Mobile and developing the IP strategy for the DT 4G programme.

Dritan Kaleshi - Director of Technology - 5G, Digital Catapult, Visiting Research Fellow, University of Bristol (Communication Systems & Networks Research Group)

With 30 years’ experience as a technologist and researcher in communication networks, distributed system design and interoperability, Dritan is Director of 5G Technology at Digital Catapult and Co-Director of SONIC Labs. Dritan has established and leads the Future Networks 5G and Digital Infrastructure programs in Digital Catapult, delivering technology development and innovation in advanced ICT systems and their adoption in enterprise networks in the UK. He was a founder of the SONIC Labs and of UK Telecommunication Network (UKTIN).  An acknowledged thought leader in his field, Dritan has published over 75 papers, holds three patents and has edited two international standards on interoperability, and is often invited to speak on advanced digital infrastructure and communication systems. He has represented the UK in international standardisation bodies and served on/chaired international conferences and technical committees, and provided technical advice to industry and the UK government.  His focus is on national coordination and how to best support advanced digital infrastructure and connectivity technology uptake, growing UK capabilities in telecommunications R&D, as well as developing in Digital Catapult  technical advances on new 5G/6G network architectures, network and service orchestration, edge computing and IoT support.  Prior to Digital Catapult he was at University of Bristol, where he led a 15-strong research team, strategically combining network and distributed systems research with industrial collaboration, making a wide range of contributions and practical implementations in networking, interoperability, smart energy, cities and digital health.

Chris Murphy - Regional CTO, EMEA, VIAVI Solutions

Chris has nearly 20 years of commercial experience in telecommunications covering network performance measurement, optimization and SON, particularly in cellular RAN including LTE, UMTS, CDMA and 5G.  His focus has been on the modelling, simulation and optimization of next generation technologies to build a revenue stream early in the life cycle of each new generation of telecommunication systems.  He has contributed to various industry and standardisation bodies including 3GPP, NGMN, ATIS and the WiMAX Forum. Chris joined VIAVI through their acquisition of Arieso. Prior to that he worked for Motorola and Nokia developing new technical capabilities for the service portfolio. Chris holds a degree in Mathematics and Computing and a Ph.D. in the calibration of oceanic remote sensing satellites for improved models of climate change. He has authored various journal articles, conference papers and book chapters, most recently in "Understanding 5G: A Practical Guide to Deploying and Operating 5G Networks." Chris has filed 18 patent applications.

Julius Robson - Chief Strategy Officer, Small Cell Forum

Julius work with SCF spans a range of small cell and adjacent technologies at different stages in their commercial maturity. He has previously chaired a number of groups within industry forums including the NGMN alliance and the LTE/SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI) – all focused on establishing strong ecosystems around emerging technologies. His background is in wireless technology research and was later Nortel’s delegate to 3GPP RAN during the development of LTE. He now works as an independent wireless expert for clients with requirements ranging from the deeply technical IPR analysis through to the commercial development of business value propositions. He holds a BEng in Electronic Engineering and an MSc in Microwave and Optoelectronics.

Dan Warren - Director, Samsung Electronics R&D Institute UK

Dan Warren is Director, Advanced Network Research at Samsung Research UK.  He leads a team of researchers working on cutting-edge radio and system-level technology innovation, who are contributing heavily to EC-funded 5G projects and 3GPP standardisation of 5G.  Dan performs a strategic role identifying and progressing technological innovation and market opportunities that can be the basis of new Samsung products, covering topics such as IoT, V2X and the application of AI.  Dan is also currently Chair of the European Commission 5G-PPP Steering Board.

Prior to joining Samsung, Dan held senior roles at Capita, GSMA, Vodafone and Nortel.  Dan is a widely respected authority on technical, strategic and commercial matters relating to Telecoms, Internet of Things, Voice over LTE and IMS, Roaming and Interconnect and end-to-end network architectures, regularly speaking at global events with audiences from technologists to financial investors. Dan holds a Ph. D. in Applied Mathematics from Brunel University.

Iris Barcia - Pr. Mng. MPN Architecture, Vodafone

Iris Barcia is a multidisciplinary professional with entrepreneurial experience in the telecommunication industry. She is an innovator and forward-looking technologist that has worked directly with international executive teams and engineers at Tier 1 network operators, network infrastructure vendors, neutral-host vendors, government organizations, and services companies. She has been involved in the proposal and assessment of novel HetNet strategies for nation-wide 4G, 5G, IoT and public-safety networks, with a focus on future capacity provision and multi-technology evolution. More recently she’s focusing on Open RAN and MPNs. Prior to Vodafone, Iris has been the co-owner and COO of Keima, and has worked on RAN design, optimization and deployment projects at Telefonica and European rural broadband wireless initiatives. She has a BSc and MSc in Telecommunication Engineering from the University of Vigo (Spain) and an MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University (UK).

Roberto Kompany - Principal Analyst, Omdia

Roberto is a member of Analysys Mason’s Telecoms Software and Networks research team and is the lead analyst for the Next-Generation Wireless Networks programme focusing on strategy and market research. He is also a Cambridge Wireless Special Interest Group (SIG) mobile broadband champion. Prior to joining Analysys Mason, Roberto worked for Dixons Carphone, where he analysed the effect on the business of shifts in the telecoms market – for example, in terms of mergers, operator KPIs and technology – in Europe and the UK. Previous positions included consultancy, where he helped a variety of clients worldwide with mobile-related projects, such as a capex reduction and developing a 5-year strategy for an incumbent’s wireless infrastructure. He started his career at a leading network equipment vendor, where he served in several different capacities, such as R&D, and deployment and optimisation of mobile infrastructures across multiple continents. Roberto holds an MSc in Mobile & Satellite Communications from University of Surrey and an MBA from IE Business School.

Peter Love - Techno/economic business consultant & programme manager, Independent

I am an experienced leader of diverse sales teams and a trusted advisor for Cx0/CxO-1 leaders. Educated with Six Sigma Yellow Belt, ITIL v3, and with a PMP certification, my skillset lies in my ability to excel in global project delivery, demystify complexities, and handle challenges with tenacity and good humour. I am committed to fostering industry dialogue and have chaired telecoms forums and acted as Special Interest Group champion to drive collaboration and impact. My career has spanned global strategy, operational development, geographic management, and consumer electronics, maintaining an 80:20 balance between sales and operations

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.