A warm welcome, lamp lighting, and brief introduction from the presenters of this TSDSI and IEEE hosted one-day workshop, including IEEE President Jim Jeffries, Pamela Kumar, and RK Pathak, on Friday, October 26, 2018, in New Delhi. The workshop was conducted at Hotel Aloft, in Aerocity, New Delhi.

Dr. Ashutosh Dutta, Co-Chair IEEE Future Network Initiative, introduces the newly renamed Future Network Initiative, how to get involved, and shares an overview about what IEEE is doing with regards to 5G and beyond. Dr. Dutta looks at the various dimensions and applications that will become available, as well as the environments they will operate within.

Dr. SaiDhiraj Amuru, Adjunct Professor at IIT Hyderabad, looks at 5G settings specific to network needs in India. Dr. Amuru considers quantifying the data throughput and evaluating and enhancing spectral efficiency, before delving into MIMO and its role in future networks.  

Mr. Phil Twist, NOKIA, speaks about 5G from a network marketing communications perspective and 5G’s current deployment phase around the world. By considering the necessities such as spectrum allocation, automation, and understanding various use cases specific to India, Mr. Twist shares what we can expect heading into the year 2020.

Mr. Parag Naik, Saankhya Labs, speaks about hardware and software architectures throughout networking in past generations, and the current network challenges. Mr. Naik reviews architectural limitation of RAN today, and what’s needed for RAN of the future such as open architectures, virtualization of the interface, and the ability to auto-tune data.  

Dr. Ashutosh Dutta gives an overview of mobile network history but focuses on the key characteristics of 5G, specifically integration, flexible networks, and flexible mobility. Looking at use cases for Network Function Virtualization (NFV), as well as the network security challenges and opportunities, Dr. Dutta addresses the various components required for successful security and flexibility in 5G networks.

Mr. Jishnu Aravindakshan, Tejas Networks India Limited, opens with a look at diverse use cases of 5G networks and Centralized RAN architecture. Reviewing fronthaul and deployment options, Mr. Aravindakshan specifically looks CPRI (Common Public Radio Interface) and exercises a comparison of fronthaul options and their challenges.

Mr. Jatinder Pal, Ciena, looks into the future and starts off his talk with a video that encapsulates the vision of daily life interwoven with intelligent network architecture. Mr. Pal reviews the benefits and features of an adaptive network and discusses what’s actually needed to achieve state of the art cloud computing.

Dr. Lars Nielsen, Global Certification Forum, starts his presentation off with a quick overview of GCF as part of the mobile industry’s 3GPP mobile certification scheme that recognizes product standards for interoperability. Dr. Nielsen looks at what it takes to get certified by their organization and outlines its roadmap for 5G implementation.

Secretary for IEEE R10 Mr. Ravi Annaswamy, Innohabit, recalls the network evolution over the past eight years and how things such as MMS, mobile TV, and the IoT have been shaping up. Mr. Annaswamy looks to the demand for service-based applications, opportunities for growth and the market verticals to keep in mind going forward.

Dr. Abhishek Tiwari, Facebook, reviews the company’s 10-year roadmap with connectivity at the core of their mission. Dr. Tiwari takes a look at the main barriers to connectivity, including access, affordability, and awareness, as well as what Facebook is doing to take these challenges head-on.   

Mr. Srinivasan Ramanujam, Intel, presents various use cases of Edge computing and considers the evolution of Edge alongside 5G networks and future networks. Looking at the role of Edge within 5G and IoT, Mr. Ramanujam also reviews the drivers for Edge computing, such as latency, security, and connectivity, as well as how Edge with change business.

TSDSI Chairman, Professor Abhay Karandikar, shares his gratitude for the organizers of the event, as well as the speakers, attendees and online viewers of the live stream.