The latest in the Telecoms Trailblazers series.
Hi, my name is Azza Eltraify and I am a Project Manager and Senior Software Engineer at Ultracell Networks. A University of Leeds spin-off company, we focus on the cloud and edge networking infrastructure to improve its energy efficiency.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have a carbon footprint comparable to that of the global aviation industry and are responsible for 2% of global emissions, a statistic that I find terrifying. Worse still, unlike global aviation, which has almost flat growth, traffic in communication networks continues to grow at 30% to 40% per year, with the potential to increase by factors of 30 in 10 years and 1,000 in 20 years. Such an increase would lead to power consumption and emission levels that are simply not sustainable.
Though Ultracell Networks work within a range of systems—including core networks, edge computing and optical wireless—for the FRANC competition, our focus is on providing a more energy-efficient O-RAN. The FRANC project is designed to help the UK meet its goals for net zero, reducing power consumption by 85% and latency by 82%. Sustainability is, of course, our priority but high speeds are also vital amid a noticeable surge in the number of users.
We have achieved our aims by separating the architecture into small cloudlets. The test beds are being built to be tested with industrial partners to move towards technology readiness level six (TRL6) which will help achieve our route to market plan.
1/ What do you enjoy most about working in this space?
That we are working to resolve global issues around energy savings which feeds into CO2 reductions.
2/ What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve done in the name of work?
During the 2018 heatwave, my lab wasn’t able to cool down the servers properly. I had to use three desktop fans, with one suspended from the ceiling! I guess this is why my friends call me Macgyver…
3/ What excites you most about working in telecoms?
The possibilities of applications and working across industries to create an ecosystem. Our projects can be adopted to several use case in different industries such as healthcare, logistics and entertainment.
4/ What would you like people to know about your work?
The world is moving towards more sustainable automated infrastructures. The world is getting smarter and I believe that the work we are doing is essential to this global transition. We are trying to eliminate power-hungry devices, reducing energy consumption, and costs all while contributing to saving the planet.
5/ Why is a vibrant, flourishing telecoms ecosystem important for the UK?
The UK needs to have a unified infrastructure, with full communication. This will make it easier for different sectors to access information, share knowledge and expertise—and hopefully, lead to national and global collaborations and partnerships that can help the UK achieve its goal as a science and technology superpower by 2030.
