Marco Carugi
Senior Consultant, Huawei Technologies, Rapporteur for ITU-T Q20 of SG13
Marco Carugi is a senior consultant with Huawei Technologies on advanced ICTs and related standardization since 2018. He has professional experience in R&D and technology strategy, with past positions in different roles within Solvay group, Orange Labs, Nortel Networks CTO division, ZTE R&D Technology Strategy, as well as consultant with various customers, including NEC (2015-2018). IMT-2020/5G and Future Networks, IoT and Smart Cities, AI/ML for Networks and Autonomous Networks are the main technical areas he is currently involved in. Active in standardization since long time, he has led specifications in different domains and held various leadership positions. He currently serves as Rapporteur for ITU-T Q20 of SG13 (“Networks beyond IMT-2020 and Machine Learning: Requirements and Architecture”) and Rapporteur for ITU-T Q2 of SG20 (“Requirements, capabilities and architectural frameworks across verticals enhanced by emerging digital technologies”). He also acts as Vice-Chair of the ITU-T JCA on Machine Learning, co-Convener of the ITU-T Correspondence Group for datasets applicable for AI/ML in networks, ITU-T SG20 Mentor, SG20 Liaison Officer to ISO/IEC JTC1/SC41 and member of the IEC-ISO-ITU Joint Smart Cities Task Force. Marco holds an Electronic Engineering degree in Telecommunications from University of Pisa (Italy), a M.S. in Engineering and Management of Telecommunication Networks from National Institute of Telecommunications (France), a Master in International Business Development from ESSEC Business School (France), and completed an Executive Program on Big Data Science at Ecole Centrale Supelec (France).
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 Merouane Debbah
Khalifa University
Mérouane Debbah is a researcher, educator and technology entrepreneur. Over his career, he has founded several public and industrial research centers, start-ups and is now Professor at Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi and founding Director of the KU 6G Research Center. He is also the Chief Scientific AI Advisor at the Technology Innovation Institute. He is a frequent keynote speaker at international events in the field of telecommunication and AI. His research has been lying at the interface of fundamental mathematics, algorithms, statistics, information and communication sciences with a special focus on random matrix theory and learning algorithms. In the Communication field, he has been at the heart of the development of small cells (4G), Massive MIMO (5G) and Large Intelligent Surfaces (6G) technologies. In the AI field, he is known for his work on Large Language Models, distributed AI systems for networks and semantic communications. He received multiple prestigious distinctions, prizes and best paper awards (more than 40 IEEE best paper awards) for his contributions to both fields and according to research.com is ranked as the best scientist in France in the field of Electronics and Electrical Engineering. He is an IEEE Fellow, a WWRF Fellow, a Eurasip Fellow, an AAIA Fellow, an Institut Louis Bachelier Fellow and a Membre émérite SEE. His recent work led to the development of NOOR (upon it release, largest language model in Arabic) released in 2022, Falcon LLM (upon its release, top ranked open source large language model) released in 2023 and the Falcon Foundation in 2024. The Falcon Model Series and The Falcon Foundation have positioned the UAE as a global leader in the generative AI field. He is a member of the Marconi Prize Selection Advisory Committee. |
 Antonio De Domenico
Senior Researcher, Huawei
Antonio De Domenico received his M.Sc. degree in Telecommunication Engineering from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 2008 and his Ph.D. degree in Telecommunication Engineering from the University of Grenoble in 2012. From 2012 to 2019, he was a Research Engineer with CEA LETI MINATEC in Grenoble, France. In 2018, he was a Visiting Researcher with the University of Toronto in Canada. Since 2020, he has been a Senior Researcher with Huawei Technologies in Paris, France. He is the co-inventor of more than 25 patents and has authored over 80 research articles. He is currently an Editor of Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing and co-leads the Energy Efficiency WG of the NGMN Alliance Green Future Networks. His research interests include heterogeneous wireless networks, machine learning for network modelling and optimization, and green communications.
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 Aditya Jain
AI Leader, Airtel
With a diverse background, including stints at global companies like United Airlines, American Express, and Cognizant, Aditya has honed his expertise across domains such as Telecom, Aviation, Financial Services, Operations, and Pharma Consulting working with a global outlook. Aditya received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from IIT Bombay in 2008. Leading AI initiatives at Airtel, he and his team work on developing foundational capabilities for the Telecom industry focussing on Airtel’s obsession on customer experience as a key metric. His recent work include working on use cases related to computer vision, fraud prevention and improving telecom customer interaction. Aditya's passion for knowledge fuels his love for reading AI articles, allowing him to stay at the forefront of technological advancements. Through his compassionate leadership, he fosters collaboration and human-centric values in data-driven landscapes.
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 David López-Pérez
Distinguished Researcher, Universitat Politècnica de València
Dr. David López-Pérez is a Distinguished Researcher at Universitat Politècnica de València. Before joining this position, David served as an Expert and Technical Leader at Huawei Technologies in Paris and held the title of Distinguished Member of Staff at Nokia Bell Labs in Dublin. Throughout his career, David has focused on the study of both cellular and Wi-Fi networks, with primary research interests in network performance analysis, network planning and optimization, heterogeneous networks, non-terrestrial networks, green networking, machine learning, and the development of new technologies and features. David's major contributions revolve around the understanding of small cells and ultra-dense networks, as well as advancements in data-driven modelling and optimization. He has pioneered work on cellular and Wi-Fi interworking, explored multi-antenna capabilities and low-latency features for future indoor networks and investigated network energy saving mechanisms. He has authored a book on small cells and another on ultra-dense networks, in addition to publishing over 150 research manuscripts covering a variety of related topics. He is also a prominent inventor with 60+ patents.
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 Lu Lu
Deputy Director, Department of Basic Network Technology, China Mobile Research Institute I Vice-Chairman of ITU-T SG13 WP1 I Leader of Core Network Group of CCSA TC5
Lu Lu, the Deputy director of department of Basic Network Technology, China Mobile Research Institute,Vice-Chairman of ITU-T SG13 WP1, Leader of core network group of CCSA TC5. She received her master’s degree from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommun.15 years working experience in telecommunication network technology areas such as in 3GPP, ITU-T, GSMA, ETSI, CCSA. Currently she is mainly leading in the research and development of Network evolution, including 5G/5G-A network architecture design, 6G network architecture, network intelligence, computing aware network in China Mobile.
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 Humberto Pontes
Regulatory Specialist, Anatel/Brazil
Humberto Pontes is a seasoned expert engineer in the field of telecommunications, data science and cybersecurity regulation. With a robust academic background, including a degree in Communication Networks Engineering, Social Science and a master's in Applied Computing from at the University of Brasília(UnB), Humberto also holds an MBA in Project Management and a specialization in Information and Communication Security Management. He has been with ANATEL since 2007 as Regulatory Specialist and has actively participated in international missions related to critical infrastructure and cybersecurity within ITU, OCDE, Mercosul, and Citel. Humberto is known for his contributions to the advancement of 4G and 5G in Brazil, Business Inteligence, digital Inclusion and cybersecurity initiatives.
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Vishnu Ram OV
Independent Research Consultant
Vishnu has hands-on experience in the field of Telecom industry for more than 25 years, developing and implementing standards, and holds many international granted patents. Vishnu currently works as an independent consultant, is a Vice Chair of ITU Focus Group on Autonomous Networks and the co-convener of ITU Correspondence Group on datasets. Previously, he was a co-editor of ITU-T Focus Group specifications on Machine learning in 5G. His current passion includes coordinating standards initiatives, industry bodies, open source and academia, mentoring student projects and coordinating the ITU “AI/ML in 5G“ Challenge across the globe. He also curates and moderates webinars under the ITU Machine learning 5G webinar series and AI for Good. Vishnu was nominated as Scientific Advisory Board Associate (SABA) member of Motorola Networks and is a senior member of IEEE. He holds a Masters degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. |
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 John Strassner
ATIS ANA I ETSI ENI
John Strassner is the CTO and VP of the Americas Standards and Industry Division of Futurewei. He is also a tenured Professor in AI and computer science. Previously he was a Fellow and VP of Motorola, the Chief Strategy Officer of IntelliDEN, and a Fellow and VP at Cisco. He is active in ETSI ENI and various working groups of ATIS. He was awarded the IEEE/IFIP Daniel A. Stokesbury Award for excellence in Policy Management, and the Albert Einstein award by the CIO Council for excellence in autonomic networking. He has authored two books and chapters for 9 other books, and has almost 400 refereed publications and journal, is part of many technical program committees, and has given numerous keynote speeches and invited talks. He is a TMF Distinguished Fellow and a MEF Distinguished Fellow. He also has over 60 granted or in process patents. |
