Keynote Speakers

Fumiyuki Adachi

Tohoku University, Japan

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Title: Dense Heterogeneous Networks for The 5th Generation Mobile Communications

Mobile communications network has now evolved into the 4th generation (4G) after 35 years from its birth in 1979. Almost every 10 years, we witnessed the arrival of new generation. From 1G to 2G mobile communications, the coverage extension was the most important concern. Between 2G and 3G networks, there was a big leap in the radio transmission data rate. The major communication service was the voice in 1G and 2G mobile communications. In 3G mobile communications, high speed data communications of up to 2Mbps was targeted. Since the start of 3G services, video communications are getting popular. In 3.9G LTE and 4G LTE-A, much higher quality video communications and close-to-1Gbps broadband data services will become more and more popular. Therefore, the area spectrum efficiency (bps/Hz/km2) is a paramount concern. Mobile data traffic in 2020 is predicted to reach 1000 times of 2010. In 5G mobile communications, much broader data services (>1Gbps/user) and massive device connections services are expected. Hence, not only the radio energy efficiency (bits/Joule) but also the network energy efficiency become an important concern. One promising solution is the introduction of small-cell structured networks. However, wide range of user mobility is problematic and causes frequent handover. Furthermore, traffic density is not necessarily high everywhere. Recently, heterogeneous network (HetNet) is attracting much interest for 5G. In HetNet, a number of small base stations (SBSs) are deployed in a macro BS (MBS).

In this presentation, we overview the evolution of mobile communications technology over the past 35 years and discuss about the technical issues toward 5G mobile communications. After introducing the HetNet concept, we will discuss the impact of SBS power on/off on network power consumption, throughput, and handover (HO) and the decentralized dynamic channel assignment.

Fumiyuki Adachi received the B.S. and Dr. Eng. degrees in electrical engineering from Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, in 1973 and 1984, respectively. In April 1973, he joined NTT Laboratories and conducted various researches on digital cellular mobile communications. From July 1992 to December 1999, he was with NTT DoCoMo, where he led a research group on Wideband CDMA for 3G systems. Since January 2000, he has been with Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, where he is a Professor at the Dept. of Communications Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering. His research interest is in the area of wireless signal processing (multi-access, equalization, antenna diversity, adaptive transmission, channel coding, etc.) and wireless networking.

He is an IEICE Fellow and an IEEE Fellow. He is a recipient of the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society Avant Garde Award 2000, IEICE Achievement Award 2002, Thomson Scientific Research Front Award 2004, Ericsson Telecommunications Award 2008, Telecom System Technology Award 2009, Prime Minister Invention Award 2010, British Royal Academy of Engineering Distinguished Visiting Fellowship 2011, KDDI Foundation Excellent Research Award 2012, VTS Conference Chair Award 2014, and C&C Prize 2014. He is listed in Highly Cited Researchers 2001 (http://highlycited.com).

K Ananth Krishnan

CTO and Vice President,
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

Title: The Digital Wave in Communications: Re-imagining the Future of IT Industry

The Digital five forces of Cloud, Mobility, Social networks, Big Data & Analytics, AI & Robotics are re-imagining the way every industry works. Artificial Intelligence has been an area of interest to telecommunications for many years. Now, with the availability of immense computing power, and the fusion of digital forces, AI is gaining new importance.

Telecom Companies see the evolution of Information Centric Networks (ICN) and Software Defined Networks (SDN) playing a greater role in capacity and infrastructure management. Cognitive networks that draw upon AI and Machine Learning, solve several problems today’s complex networks face. Any business that uses communication in call centers now relies on AI to improve Interactive Voice Response and speech comprehension. AI also enables better understanding customer behavior, and to enhance offers/products/services.

Businesses are building systems integrating Computing, Communication and Artificial Intelligence driving disruptions, as seen, for example, in Smart, Autonomous Vehicles, Robots and UAVs. The Internet of Things (IoT) that is leveraged in these initiatives is moving towards a “Cognitive Internet of Things”, an IoT system that needs to be anticipatory, self-configuring & self-healing.

The talk will highlight select developments in research in the IT industry.

As CTO, Ananth directs research and innovation in Tata Consultancy Services. Ananth has architected a 4E model to make invention, innovation and co-innovation at TCS deliver value to TCS business and its customers. Under his leadership the TCS research community has created a significant portfolio of patents, papers and IP.

Ananth has been a member of the TCS Corporate Think-Tank since 1999, and has led several strategic initiatives. He has been a Principal Architect and Lead Consultant in the Architecture and Technology Consulting Practice, and earlier the head of the TCS Systems Management and the Systems Software Group.

Ananth is on the Customer Advisory Boards of several organizations including Symantec and IBM-Rational, He was elected a Fellow at the Indian Academy of Engineering (INAE) in recognition of his contributions towards engineering in 2013. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a member of the Computer Society of India, and is an invited faculty in the Department of Management Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He was an invitee to the quarterly management review with the TCS Board (the executive committee of Tata Sons Limited) from April 2000 to March 2004. Named a Distinguished Alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in 2009, Ananth has been listed in Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders (2007). He has also been chosen as one of Infoworld's Top 25 CTOs ( 2007).

Ananth is an M. Tech. in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He also has a Masters degree in Physics from the same Institute and a Bachelor's degree in Physics from Fergusson College, Pune.

Ananth is married, with two children and lives in Chennai, India. He has formally "retired" from a successful career in Trivia and Quizzing (which includes the 'Brain of IIT' individual title and two 'Cranium Cup' titles at IIT and several years on the IIT Quiz team), public speaking, crossword puzzle solving and cricket.

Henning Schulzrinne

Columbia University &
United States Federal Communications Commission

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Title: Internet in the Small: The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is often seen as the safe prediction for the next big Internet disruptor. What makes the Internet of Things unique from a networking and security perspective? What are the challenges in terms of data traffic, spectrum, naming and numbering? How can we avoid building an Internet of Things that seems to mainly solve "toy" problems? What kind of standards are needed to allow re-use of sensors and actuators beyond a single smartphone app? I will try to show that there is no single Internet of Things, but rather overlapping models that pose different challenges, with computing and storage moving back-and-forth between edge and core networks.

Prof. Henning Schulzrinne, Levi Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University, received his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts. He was an MTS at AT&T Bell Laboratories and an associate department head at GMD-Fokus (Berlin), before joining the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering departments at Columbia University. He served as chair of the Department of Computer Science from 2004 to 2009, as Engineering Fellow at the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2010 and 2011, and as Chief Technology Officer and Technical Advisor at the FCC from 2012.

He has published more than 250 journal and conference papers, and more than 70 Internet RFCs. Protocols co-developed by him, such as RTP, RTSP and SIP, are now Internet standards, used by almost all Internet telephony and multimedia applications. His research interests include Internet multimedia systems, ubiquitous computing, and mobile systems.

He is a Fellow of the ACM and IEEE, has received the New York City Mayor's Award for Excellence in Science and Technology, the VON Pioneer Award, TCCC service award, IEEE Region 1 William Terry Award for Lifetime Distinguished Service to IEEE, the UMass Computer Science Outstanding Alumni recognition and is a member of the Internet Hall of Fame.