A series of Future Capability Papers, authored by the UKTIN Expert Working Groups, are being published over the coming months. Find out more here.
UKTIN spoke to Neil McRae, Chair of the UKTIN Core Networking Expert Working Group, to learn more about the group’s paper.
Download the Future Capability Paper: Core Technologies here
Please talk us through the process of creating the paper.
Identifying the scope was the first step. This isn’t about core networks, but the technologies that make up core networking, whether transport or synchronising protocols. Alongside the more traditional ways of defining networks, we also covered new areas such as quantum. The working group is a diverse team, including experts in routing, mobile and applications, which was beneficial here. We then set out to establish a series of recommendations.
What is the one thing you’d like people to know about the report?
The report doesn’t cover every single core networking technology. The sector is just too big. We focused on the areas we understood well, and where we could see new opportunities. We left out security and network management because while they are relevant to core networking, our UKTIN colleagues have already covered them.
What surprised you most while preparing this report?
The vastness of core networking was a key takeaway. There are so many technologies in this space and what constitutes core networking will vary from person to person, depending on experience. It is a wide subject area, with lots of opportunities, however, finding a niche and sticking with it is where the true value lies.
What conclusions were you able to draw from the paper?
The UK should be focused on quantum and we should drive this as aggressively as we can. It will be tricky for the UK to become a leader in core networking technologies (as I have mentioned, the area is great in size), but we have made a good start with quantum. We need to continue to partner with like-minded organisations to propel this work.
Are there any themes picked up in this paper that we can expect to see continued or explored in the other EWG papers?
There are lots of relevant themes. Core Networking technologies are in almost every expert working group. They drive capabilities, providing end-to-end solutions for television, healthcare and wireless networks for mobile phones. The area is absolutely crucial to the telecoms sector and I hope our paper demonstrates that.
Download the Future Capability Paper: Core Technologies here
