Securing the Network of Networks

Drawing on Real Wireless’s work across many UK and European research and innovation projects, this talk examines how security is evolving from the protection of individual networks towards the continuous assurance of distributed digital services. Insights will cover secure and privacy-preservation in the build up to 5G and how these experiences should shape the beyond-5G era, federated Telco-Edge-Cloud infrastructure, AI-native network operation, multi-technology spectrum sharing, critical-infrastructure resilience and the experimental environments needed to validate future systems.

The talk will consider the growing importance of Zero Trust, trustworthy AI, post-quantum preparedness, and security-by-design. The way in which standards, open interfaces, supply-chain choices, digital sovereignty, and geopolitical competition increasingly influence architectures.

Future Sustainability cannot be treated as a wash in the product launch marketing cycle. It must be an evidence-led, system-level discipline that connects technology, standards, regulation, business models, and national strategic interests from concept to in-service.

THE SPEAKER:  Simon Fletcher

Simon has an MEng in Electronic and Electrical Engineering and an EMBA both from the University of Surrey. He started his early career in the defence sector in ECM Systems prototyping and development. He moved to NEC Corporation at the start of 3G leading software and hardware development before moving into a systems roles and heading joint venture engagements in various areas of telecom base stations development for 3G and 4G/LTE. He worked with NEC Corporation on technology scouting, advising business and product development functions in Europe and Japan aligning Corporate research lab, standards, and emerging product development for various Wireless Systems solution areas. He was CEO and Director of Mobile VCE supporting technology transfer from university research into emerging industry solutions.

He joined Real Wireless, a UK based consultancy with a global client base, in 2016 as CTO and is now CEO. Real Wireless covers the full spectrum of wireless systems innovation from the early technologies to the operational systems through built environment deployment, policy and regulation, and techno-economics advising Government policy makers and CxO in industry and the university sectors. He is the Chief Strategy Officer and Director of the Small Cell Forum, a global industry trade association addressing the mobile small cell market for DAS and Small Cell Industries.