CTTC SEMINAR – Plaza6G+ Experimentation-as-a-Service

Sergio Barrachina-Muñoz (Barcelona, 1991) holds a PhD in Information and Communication Technologies (2021) by Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain. Previously, he received his BSc Degree in Telematics Engineering (2015) and MSc in Intelligent Interactive Systems (2016), also from UPF. Sergio joined the Wireless Networking Research Group as an intern in 2015, where he worked under the supervision of Dr. Boris Bellalta. He was also a recipient of a FI grant from the Generalitat de Catalunya. His thesis research focused on developing autonomous learning techniques for improving next-generation Wi-Fi networks through efficient spectrum access.

Sergio is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Smartech department at Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC) in the context of the 5GMed5GMediaHUB project, which aims to help EU to achieve the goal of becoming a world leader in 5G. Apart from research, Sergio has been involved in teaching undergraduate courses since 2015, with subjects mainly related to computer networks both in UPF and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC).

Horacio Bleda Martínez’s career in the telecommunications sector began in 1989 at Telefónica before transitioning to Telefónica Móviles España in 1997. In his role as a Network Systems Engineer, his responsibilities spanned technical support, planning, and optimizing mobile networks, demonstrating his capability to adapt and excel in complex technical environments.

Eager to broaden his professional scope, Horacio ventured into the field of data science, attracted by the analytical and transformative power of data. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and has completed specialized courses in Big Data and data science at the Barcelona Activa IT Academy.

Horacio boasts technical expertise in 4G/5G networks, Python, and cloud computing, alongside qualities such as dedication and a commitment to continuous learning. Since mid-February, he has been contributing to the PLAZA 6G Project at the Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC), applying his engineering knowledge and data science interest to advance telecommunications and 6G technology development.

Umair Riaz is a dedicated professional from Pakistan with a strong background in Electrical Engineering, focusing on Mobile Communications and Security, Radio Frequencies, and Software-Defined Radios (SDRs). He earned his Bachelor’s degree from COMSATS University Islamabad, Attock Campus, in 2018, and completed his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Digital Systems and Signal Processing (DSSP) from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in 2023. His Master’s thesis, titled “Spectrum Sensing: An Integrated Approach for 6G Networks” further deepened his expertise and passion for telecom technologies. 

With approximately four years of experience working in defense setups, Umair has specialized in Mobile Network Security. His role involved managing security protocols, analyzing and addressing network threats, and ensuring the protection of sensitive communications. 

In 2024, Umair joined the Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC) as a Researcher. He is currently working on the funded project PLAZA 6G, part of the UNICO initiative. His role involves integrating test beds for 5G technologies, contributing to the advancement and deployment of cutting-edge network solutions. 

Josep Mangues-Bafalluy received the PhD degree in Telecommunications in 2003 from the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC). He is Research Director and Head of the Communication Networks (COMNET) Division of the Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC), which is currently composed of 28 people working on optical networks and systems and mobile networks. Prior to that, he coordinated the activities of the IP Technologies Area of the CTTC since June 2003. Before joining CTTC, he worked as assistant professor at the Barcelona School of Informatics (FIB) and the Technical College of the Baix Llobregat (EUPBL) (Now called Castelldefels School of Telecommunications and Aerospace Engineering – EETAC) of UPC, where he taught topics related with computer networking, computer architecture, and programming. At the same time, he was also researcher in the Department of Computer Architecture and the Advanced Broadband Communications Center (CCABA) of UPC. Prior to that, he worked as software developer in a geographic information systems SME.

He has published over 120+ journals/magazines and international conference papers (e.g., IEEE Communications Magazine, IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, Ad hoc Networks, IEEE Access, IEEE Netsoft, IEEE Infocom, IEEE ICC) through collaborations with multiple international research groups. He has given keynotes in conferences/workshops (MONAMI 2015, Mobislice 2020). In addition to academia, he has also given talks in various industrial events (e.g., LTE World Summit, Small Cells World Summit). Furthermore, he frequently carries out communication actions for society at large (e.g., talks in open science weeks, book co-authorship). He has also co-authored two patents and various ETSI contributions and IETF drafts.

He has been advisor of two defended theses and is currently supervising 4 PhD students. He also supervised some bachelor/master theses and participated as jury and as external reviewer of various PhD, Master, and Bachelor Theses.

Since July 1997 he has participated in several (around 40) EU, Spanish, and industrial research projects. Some of the European projects are H2020 5GPPP 5Growth (workpackage leader and technical leader at CTTC), H2020 5GPPP 5G-Transformer (workpackage leader and technical leader at CTTC), H2020 5GPPP 5G-Crosshaul (workpackage leader and technical leader at CTTC), Flex5Gware, SANSA, FP7 BeFEMTO (technical leader at CTTC), FP7 COMBO, FP6 WIP (technical leader at CTTC) and some others. He has also led Spanish research projects 5G-REFINE, 5GNORM, SYMBIOSIS, ARTICO, and DISTORSION, as well as Catalan research groups (grup de recerca consolidat/reconegut) 2017 SGR 1195 and 2014 SGR 1397. He also led industrial projects SCALE (Aviat Networks), DESSERT (Cisco), Freedom (Orange), and participated in some others as researcher (e.g., Interdigital IDCC_mmwave) and in the negotiations to obtain the contract from companies. In this respect, he also frequently participates in meetings/events/fairs and presents the labs, skills, and demonstrations of the research group to companies with particular focus on experimental and simulation capabilities.

He also designed the EXTREME Testbed® in 2003 and guides its design and evolution since its creation. It is a generic purpose cloud/edge/networking experimentation platform, over which the experimental and simulation-based research of the mobile networks department is carried out. This includes multiple proof-of-concepts developed in the framework of public-funded and industrial research projects featuring cloud/edge, mobile (RAN and core) and transport and wired and wireless technologies (incl. 4G, 5G, Wi-fi/WiGig, SDN, NFV, network slicing, AIML-based network automation).

He was vice-chair of IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conferece’18 (Barcelona), one of the flagship IEEE Comsoc conferences. He has also repeatedly taken part in TPCs of several renowned conferences, such as Globecom, PIMRC, WOWMOM, EUCNC, Broadnets, and acted in various roles in other conferences (panel organizer, financial chair, advisory committee, publicity chair, vice-chair), including the organization of multiple online workshop/events for technical dissemination of research results. He has also refereed research projects for Spanish and international research agencies and participated in expert groups of various European platforms (e.g., networld2020). He has also contributed to multiple EU-level white papers (e.g., 5GPPP View on 5G Architecture Feb.2020) as well as some panels (e.g., OSM hackfest 2019).

During his period as head of the communication networks division (since April 2013), the division carried out projects/contracts for an accumulated funding of almost 11 million euros (until 2020) and published around 150 journals and 350+ international conference papers. He has also been leading the writing of the strategic plan for the COMNET division in which all its long-term research lines and strategic decisions are defined. In this respect, and jointly with other team members, he has also planned and carried out the recruiting processes to fulfill the research needs during these years.

Furthermore, several postdocs and researcher engineers, PhD and master students were trained on research as well as industry-oriented skills (e.g., experimental testbeds, performance evaluation, systems research, network architecture, code development, network programming, network simulation, project management). In fact, many former group members are currently having successful careers in big companies (e.g., Cisco, Telefonica) and start-ups. Moreover, he has acted as host of multiple international visiting researchers.

His research interests include: Cloud/Edge computing and Software-Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) applied to next generation mobile networks and data science/engineering- and AIML-based network automation.