In conjunction with MWC Barcelona 2022 which will be taking place from the 28th of February to the 3rd of March, Tara Neal, Executive Editor of The Fast Mode spoke to Jürgen Hatheier, Chief Technology Officer of EMEA & APAC, Ciena on the company's plans and showcases for this year's event.
Tara: What do you think MWC 2022 will be all about? And what are your MWC 2022 plans?
Jürgen: We are excited that MWC 2022 will once again be a live-person event, and we are looking forward to connecting with our customers, partners and industry influencers.
At MWC 2022, we are focusing on Ciena’s Nex-Gen Metro and Edge offerings, with an emphasis on our 5G Network Solutions and our Blue Planet 5G Automation capabilities. Additionally, Ciena will be participating in two panel speaking sessions as part of the conference agenda - Working is Changing, Is Your Network Ready? and Cloud and Edge: A New Approach to Innovation. Apart from the panel discussions, we will also have a number of demos highlighting our capabilities at our booth.
Tara: How has the pandemic impacted the operational and business landscape of the tech segment you are operating in?
Jürgen: From an industry perspective, our telecom and internet content provider customers are seeing steady growth in bandwidth demand. These demands stem from the exponential rise in remote working to maintain the flow of business and commerce; to distance education so our children continue to learn and develop; and e-gaming and streaming entertainment for the reprieve we all need. And, while many were already on a path toward digital transformation, it is safe to say that the pandemic accelerated many companies’ plans to embrace cloud-based applications.
As a key enabler of the innovations that drive network connectivity, we remain focused on helping our customers deliver networks that can successfully adapt to ever-changing bandwidth demands so that people and companies can maintain their connections.
Tara: What emerging trends/technologies have you observed in your tech segment in recent months?
Jürgen: There are a number of emerging trends in the networking segment, but I’ll just point out a few:
- 5G - No doubt, investment and excitement around 5G continues to be a key theme. 5G promise orders of magnitude improvements in speeds and latency. And, as demand for increased speeds and lower latency grow, this presents a major opportunity for network providers. In addition, we are also starting to see a greater focus on the adoption of private 5G, which is being driven by enterprises who are seeking to improve process efficiency, business continuity and agility, operations safety, and sustainability.
- Network Edge - The home has become a critical access point for connectivity driven by the rise in remote work, education and life in general. There is also an increased adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and an ever-increasing demand for entertainment, such as online gaming and high-definition video streaming. To address this activity, we are helping our data center and network provider customers expand their edge networks so that they are closer to end-users and so that they can deliver an improved user experience.
- IP Optical Convergence - Network providers are also taking a harder look at how they support IP-based services, which previously required large hardware-based routers with complex IP stacks and full of protocols that are no longer relevant in today’s network. We will work with our customers to help them re-imagine IP so it is automated, open, and lean – driving simpler and more agile service delivery.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) for improved network management - Our network provider customers are also leveraging AI and advanced software to simplify network operations and enhance overall operational efficiency. For example, new software capabilities and AI allow network providers to program their networks to automatically take action, as needed, to address changes in traffic patterns or unexpected demands.
- Immersive digital experiences enabled by VR and AR - For the past few years, we have seen a steady rise in VR and AR gaming experiences, but we are now at the stage of digital concerts taking place in games such as Fortnight, 5G in-stadium experiences, digital artwork being sold online and what has recently been dubbed as the Metaverse by Facebook - only escalating excitement around our digital world. Whether we are experiencing this through a VR headset of simply through our mobile phone the digital world is all around us and will continue to be an emerging trend. To make all of this possible, I believe we will start to see a greater focus on network automation, edge cloud and, of course, 5G.
Jürgen Hatheier is Chief Technology Officer of EMEA & APAC at Ciena. In this role, Jürgen is responsible for aligning Ciena’s product portfolio to the business challenges and opportunities of customers in these regions.
