Towards Open, Programmable, and Intelligent Cellular Networks

In this talk, I will discuss how openness, programmability, and intelligence (key components of the Open Radio Access Network, or Open RAN, vision) can restart the innovation cycle in mobile networks. Despite the many advances brought by 5G, there is a significant and growing gap between research and actual products and deployments in the field. While this is partly motivated by business and market factors, there are also technical reasons that prevent rapid innovation in the mobile space, exacerbating the economic drivers. These include an inflexible network that is difficult to deploy, adapt, upgrade and secure; manual control and tuning, which leads to a gap between theoretical capabilities and practical applications; and the limited automation in cellular network management. I will highlight the transformative potential of designing and deploying novel cellular architectures, moving from conventional networks to open, programmable, and intelligent systems. This promises to make 6G networks more agile, cost-effective, energy-efficient, resilient, and ultimately successful. I will introduce trends and developments in cellular networks from a systems-level perspective, and present recent results from my research on (i) data-driven optimization and automation of open cellular networks, (ii) agile spectrum and infrastructure sharing, and (iii) experimental platforms and prototypes for wireless systems. I will also discuss how Open RAN opens pathways to transition research into network deployments, based on experiences with standardization and commercialization, and interactions with the broader wireless industry.