Meet us at the International Open RAN Symposium in Colorado, USA

Event overview

On 17-19 September 2024, the The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is hosting the International Open RAN Symposium (IORS). This is the first in a series of annual, multi-day events designed to accelerate the global adoption and deployment of interoperable Open Radio Access Networks (RAN).

The goal of the symposia is to create a community of practice for consistent and repeatable Open RAN testing which includes existing or newly initiated testing laboratories, government partners, industry, and standards development organisations.. This event provides a space to demonstrate viable Radio Intelligent Controller (RIC) Apps and their use cases, for the purposes of technical knowledge sharing.

If you’d like to meet our team of experts in Colorado, please set up a meeting with us through the link below

Connect with the SONIC Labs team here

Hear from us

The Digital Catapult team will be present at the IORS and welcome the opportunity to share more about our SONIC Labs programme. During the event, the team will be participating on the agenda, including:

On day 2 of the technical track, Paul Sludden is leading an interactive discussion on test collaboration, assisted by Maggie Chao (ITRI)
On day 2 of the policy track, Sophie Weston is participating on the panel: “The Importance of Standards Bodies Engagement for Policymakers”
On day 3 of the technical track, Charles Turyagyenda is leading a breakout session: “Are technology readiness levels (TRL) necessary?”

You can find more information as well as the full agenda here.

Our speakers

Paul Sludden

Project Director, SONIC Labs

Paul is responsible for the project strategy delivery of the SONIC Labs programme and supporting the strategic goals of Digital Catapult and its mission of enabling greater interoperability in digital network infrastructure. Prior to Digital Catapult, Paul has spent over 30 years developing Radio Access Technology solutions with mobile network operators, consultancies and vendors in the UK, Europe, the Americas, and Australia gaining extensive experience in network strategy, technology system introduction, programme delivery, design and performance.

Sophie Weston

Senior Policy, Research, and Engagement Manager

Sophie’s work at Digital Catapult includes strategic partnerships and ecosystem engagement across the telecoms sector for SONIC Labs, a £20 million investment by DSIT to drive forward the rollout of the wireless communication technology known as Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN). She leads the development of the SONIC Labs Advisory Board and core Industry Groups to encourage growth and investment in the UK telecom sector, specifically on Open RAN development and deployment and engaging with the telecommunications industry on identifying and mapping barriers and opportunities for 5G and advanced networks.

Digital Catapult Headshots (Image by Kirsten Holst)

Charles Turyagyenda

Lead 5G Technologist

Charles holds a PhD in Telecommunications from the University of Sheffield. He has over 10 years’ experience in the wireless networks industry and academia. He is currently contributing to the UK Telecom diversification strategy as the technical lead for the SONIC Labs programme. Throughout his career, he has been active in the research, development and standardisation of cutting-edge communication network technologies particularly: Open RAN, Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC), Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV). He is an inventor, developer and scientific writer who has invented multiple patents and authored several peer-reviewed publications.