Q: Please briefly introduce yourself, Samsung Research America, Standards and Mobility Innovation (SMI) Team, and the kind of work that goes on there. What projects are you working on?

I am Aris Papasakellariou, Vice President at Samsung Research America’s Standards and Mobility Innovation (SMI) Team, focusing on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards. Our activities in 3GPP primarily involve developing, evaluating, comparing, and promoting designs to enable wireless applications and achieve respective KPIs, such as data rates and coverage for mobile broadband, latency and reliability for Internet of things (IoT) or Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, power savings for devices or networks, and so on.

Q: Please tell me about the importance of your research field or technology.

3GPP developed 4G-LTE and 5G-NR, and is expected to start activities on 6G in 2025. Applications for these technologies have a market size approaching $1 trillion a year and continue growing. They have enabled the proliferation of smartphones and applications that rely on wireless data for mobile users. These technologies are driving verticals such as industrial IoT and satellite communications, and will enable the development of technologies such as virtual and augmented reality (AR/VR), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for wireless, holographic video, and ‘green’ networks. Wireless communications are pervasive, had a definitive impact in improving peoples’ lives, and are still near the middle of a process that is gradually transforming our world.

Q: Can you tell us about the main achievement and rewarding moment in your research, or the episode?

In the big picture, the reward was to be part of Samsung’s long journey in 3GPP, from being a new company 20 years ago to now being firmly among the very few companies that drive the evolution of technologies. That journey had many memorable and rewarding moments, and also some disappointing ones. Almost all involved a story for having some fundamental technology adopted in 3GPP after a long and often strenuous team effort. One achievement that stands out for me personally was being the editor for the TS 38.213 specifications that are arguably the brains of 5G-NR.

Q: What is your vision for the future and what goal would you want to achieve?

I envision a future where wireless communications will be immersed in reality and continue to transform our lives. From preventing accidents, enabling real-time medical services, and offering experiences that most people cannot otherwise have, to providing significant benefits in productivity and the economy - all for improving the quality of life. Most of my professional career was in 3GPP standards and I want to conclude it by continuing to make fulfilling contributions that offer tangible benefits to people from the use of wireless technologies and their applications for the next frontier of 6G.