Between October 27 and 30, 2025, Flávio Geraldo Coelho Rocha (UFG), researcher at SMARTNESS, carried out a series of technical visits and scientific activities in Europe, with stops in Italy and Hungary. These initiatives reinforce the Center’s commitment to fostering international collaboration and advancing research on the evolution of 5G and 6G networks.
Italy
At Ericsson in Pisa (Italy), the researcher was welcomed by Paola Iovanna, Fabio Ubaldi, and Fabio del Vasto, with whom he discussed transport networks for 5G architecture, the concept of Xhaul, Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees, and network slicing, key technologies for critical industrial applications.
Also in Pisa, he visited the CNIT (Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Telecomunicazioni), where he was received by Francesco Paolucci and Andrea Sgambelluri. The visit emphasized the role of optical networks and optical transport in Open RAN architectures, as well as opportunities for future scientific collaborations between research groups.
In Bologna, Flávio attended the Conference on Network and Service Management (CNSM 2025), where he presented the demo “Zero-Lag Smart Pipes for Smart Factories: AI-Driven Programmable Transport in Open RAN”. The demonstration highlighted solutions based on artificial intelligence and programmable transport, showcasing advancements achieved within one of SMARTNESS’s research lines. During the event, he exchanged ideas with researchers from the University of Bologna, including Júnia Maísa de Oliveira Pereira and researchers Prof. Edmundo Madeira, Ramón Fontes and Sunneet Singh.
Hungary
Concluding his agenda, the researcher visited Ericsson in Budapest (Hungary), where he was welcomed by János Farkas and Fejes Ferenc. Discussions covered 5G architecture, Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), Fronthaul, standardization efforts, and Quality of Service (QoS), followed by a tour of Ericsson’s private 5G network showcased in the company’s main hall.
These activities strengthen the international engagement of SMARTNESS, aligning the research developed at the Center with global trends and reinforcing Brazil’s role at the forefront of innovation in mobile communications, artificial intelligence, and next-generation networks.
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