Maria Cuevas

Maria leads the Networks Research unit in BT’s Network Strategy and Research department. Her team’s mission is to identify and co-develop new technologies to enhance BT’s networks and services in terms of capacity, efficiency, coverage, security and customer experience. 

The research work programme conducted by Maria’s team underpins BT’s mid-to-long term best converged network vision. The role of her team is to develop new technologies to support future product and services, Maria also advices the business on the impacts of emerging network technologies, standards and regulation. 

Her team’s areas of research include 5G revenue opportunities and evolution into 6G, the convergence of cellular and Wi-Fi access, the application of AI and ML to network automation, virtualisation and disaggregation of network functions, the evolution of M-MIMO, future optical access and fibre technologies, low power network technologies as well as the applicability of emerging quantum technologies for telecoms, amongst other areas. 

Maria has worked in BT for 23 years, she has played multiple roles across design, architecture, technology strategy and research. During that time, she has been involved in a number of key transformational programmes and projects including all-IP transformation, spectrum acquisition and platform procurement amongst many others. She has also played a key role in standards and industry bodies, including ETSI, the GSMA and more recently the Telcom Infrastructure Project, where she is member of the Technical Committee.

Maria holds a Telecoms Engineering degree, undertook an MSc in Telecoms as part of the Erasmus exchange programme and a Business Strategy & Leadership Master by Ashridge International Business School.

Maria was awarded the “Women in Telecoms” Award by the ITP and is now part of the Distinguished Engineers community within BT.

Maria is also a Director in the Board of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA)