Q1. Can you please briefly introduce yourself, SRUK, and the kind of work that goes on there? What project are you working on?
SRUK is one of Samsung’s Overseas Research Centers (ORCs). It was established in 1996 as the first European R&D center, and is based on the outskirts of London. We are at the forefront of technology, with new areas of focus in communication networks, data intelligence, and on-device artificial intelligence (AI), along with our already long-established expertise in our specialist areas of visual development, security, Internet of Things (IoT), and telecoms.

I am a project leader for 5G standardization at SRUK, and I focus on research and standardization of 5G mobile networks. I joined SRUK in early 2015, and at the start of my career at Samsung, I initially coordinated collaborative European 5G R&D activities for two years before moving on to standards work in 2017. I was also heavily involved in hiring a team to work on the European-funded research that SRUK had won, many of whom have moved on to do standards work by building on their 5G research background. I have filed multiple patent applications and published several journals and international conference papers and was elected senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2016.

As part of the Standards Group here at SRUK, I have two main tasks. First is being one of Samsung’s 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Radio Access Network 2 (RAN2) delegates (RAN2 is the working group within 3GPP that oversees radio interface architecture and protocols) and part of the wider internal 3GPP team, which includes several ORCs in addition to SRUK and Samsung Research in Korea. My other role is managing part of our local standards group since early 2019, with several direct reports, while also being the project lead for our RAN and systems standards projects since 2018.


Q2. Please tell me the importance of your research field or technology. 
The wireless and especially wide-area connectivity embodied in mobile networks is the backbone of the pervasive connectivity that we often take for granted but whose importance to our society simply cannot be overstated. The ongoing pandemic has only reinforced the need for a robust communications infrastructure, so that work, as well as social contact, may continue in the absence of physical proximity.

For a mobile terminal made by one vendor to connect to an access point made by a different vendor, or for two network nodes made by different vendors to communicate with each other, a communications standard is needed. Data need to follow a certain format, various network events need to observe well-defined triggers, and the use of scarce radio resources needs to be carefully scheduled among different contenders.

In addition to this multivendor interoperability that standards enable, standards also foster economies of scale, leading to more affordable products for users. Without international standards such as 5G, the market becomes fragmented, international roaming is technically impossible or cost-prohibitive, and the cost of consumer products skyrockets.

3GPP is the partnership in charge of developing and standardizing cellular telecommunications technologies, including radio access—the technical area I cover. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the way 3GPP works; from early 2020, for example, all our meetings had to be done virtually. These challenges luckily did not prove to be impossible; mobile networks research, development, and standardization continue unabated. Progress in this area is needed more than ever to ensure the functioning and survival of a society hit by a pandemic. However, the transition did not happen overnight. It required careful planning on the part of 3GPP leadership, significant added effort by participating companies (mirrored in long hours, calls at all times of day and night, and loss of social component of our work), and a period of trial-and-error, during which we tested various ways of working remotely to see which one fits 3GPP best.


Q3. Can you tell me about the main achievement and a rewarding moment in your research?
Almost every aspect of my job involves other people, be it working with other companies on drafting a set of standard specifications for the next release, working with my Samsung colleagues on developing cutting-edge technology, or managing my team and watching them grow into top-level standards delegates and world-class engineers.

Such collaboration requires finding a common language, working toward a consensus, and having opposing views but still respecting the other side. For me, some of the most rewarding moments are when a new release of mobile technology is finalized, and I feel that we as Samsung and a wider community have created something very tangible together for the benefit of end users and society as a whole.

In terms of some personal achievement highlights, I would like to mention successfully integrating into the internal Samsung RAN2 team and becoming a recognized contributor externally within 3GPP. It was exciting but also initially daunting when I joined a team of very experienced engineers and researchers with many years of standardization experience in various roles. To go from those humble beginnings to the place where I am now frequently asked to lead discussions, collect and analyze companies’ input, and propose the best way forward toward a consensus is personally very gratifying. I work on several topics in 3GPP, and one topic that I would like to highlight as a potential game changer for 5G is the Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), which is simply explained 5G relaying whereby the backhauling network uses the same technology (5G New Radio [NR]) and can share the same spectrum as the access links, offering alternative to fiber. IAB is considered essential for 5G networks operating in higher frequency bands (mmWave) where because of adverse signal propagation properties, a flexible relay network is considered very beneficial. IAB is also a good example of a feature with a direct impact on the network business because it introduces a novel concept of radio network design, which, in turn, may impact the entire operator-vendor ecosystem.

For the past two releases, I have served as the rapporteur for Medium Access Control (MAC) issues related to IAB. Such topic/discussion rapporteur roles, which 3GPP delegates are expected to perform, carry a lot of responsibility but are very rewarding. These technical leadership roles are also of great value to Samsung, confirming our technical leadership and achieving external recognition of our deep expertise in mobile networks research and standardization.


Q4. What is your vision for the future and the goal you want to achieve?
Expanding our team, attracting as many talented people to SRUK as possible, and imparting to them the major contribution Samsung makes to society as a whole and how they could be part of it, is one of my main targets. People and project management and strategy setting is something that I enjoy, and I would like to develop myself further in these roles.

I also wish to continue my own technical 3GPP work. Not a day does goes by that I do not learn something new while doing RAN2 work and interacting with the Samsung standards team and our 3GPP partners. Samsung hires some of the best talent world-wide, and 3GPP gathers some of the most talented and knowledgeable telecommunications engineers in the world, many of whom have been in this game a lot longer than I have, with some having followed the evolution of mobile networks all the way from 2G up to now. It is humbling to participate in highly complex discussions with some of our industry’s giants but also very rewarding to be able to hold my own and make a contribution that is accepted, recognized, and valued while bringing esteem to Samsung.