Nokia Bell Labs President Peter Vetter addresses future of wireless at Innovation Campus lecture series

Peter Vetter, president of Bell Labs Core Research at Nokia, presented “The 6G Network at the Center,” the first Virginia Tech Innovation Campus Center of Next Distinguished Lecture Series on Tuesday, March 12 in at the Virginia Tech Arlington Research Center.

The lecture, hosted by Innovation Campus Professor Walid Saad, was attended by more than 50 faculty, administrators, students, and friends of the Innovation Campus. Vetter discussed why 6G is no longer a mere long-term aspiration, but a framework of technologies that will become reality by the end of the decade. He noted that we’ve been on the 6G journey for five years and are on the way to standardization.

Vetter outlined Bell Labs’ vision of the 6G network at the center that is an essential pillar equal to artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud to shape the future of human augmentation.

“Throughout history and still today, at Bell Labs we always work on the human problem. We don’t work on technology just because it is cool – we always address the human need problem,” said Vetter. Bell Labs has 750 researchers around the globe.

Lance Collins, vice president and executive director of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus, welcomed the crowd. “Through this speaker series, the Innovation Campus is excited to highlight leaders making an impact within our four core research areas: Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Wireless and Next G Technology, Quantum Architecture and Software Development, and Intelligent Interfaces,” Collins said. “We will continue this tradition after the Innovation Campus’ first academic building officially opens in Alexandria in early 2025.”

Vetter leads an eminent global research organization with the mission to create game changing innovations that define the future of networks and insure portfolio leadership for Nokia’s core business. During an international career of 30 years in research leadership mostly in fixed and mobile networks, Vetter and his teams have realized several world-first system demonstrations and successfully transferred industry leading concepts to the business groups. He received a Ph.D. at Ghent University (Belgium) in 1991 and was a post-doctoral fellow at Tohoku University (Japan) until 1993.

Next G Wireless is one of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus’ four main research areas of focus. In close collaboration with centers and institutes at Virginia Tech and partners in the tech industries, the Innovation Campus is actively embarking on the 6G and Beyond journey, fostering the university’s national and international leadership in research and development of wireless technologies.

Following the opening of Academic Building One in Alexandria in 2025, the Innovation Campus will utilize the centrally-located campus as a gathering space for experts in technology, business, and government, including at its 300-seat Boeing Auditorium.