With 6G standardization progressing, Qualcomm’s Vice President of Technical Requirements discusses what it takes from a human perspective
Requirements are vital — 3GPP and different standardization our bodies grind by the technical (and political) work that permits new applied sciences to achieve international scale shortly and value effectively. Whereas it could not occupy a lot mindshare among the many finish person of a selected machine, standardization is what retains this entire factor working. And behind these working teams, these releases, these requirements, are very sensible, very dedicated individuals who consider in what they’re doing and work unbelievably laborious to do it. Right here’s a part of the story of a kind of individuals: Qualcomm Vice President of Technical Requirements Juan Montojo-Bennassar.
Montojo-Bennassar has been in his present place for greater than seven years and with Qualcomm for almost 29 years. He’s initially from Spain and splits time between his residence nation and San Diego, California, the place Qualcomm is headquartered. Montojo-Bennassar has been married for 25 years and has a 16-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. He leads Qualcomm’s exercise at 3GPP, ETSI and different trade teams.
To provide you an understanding of what it takes to do that work — the time dedication concerned, and the psychological tenacity required— see Montojo-Bennassar’s enterprise journey schedule for a 33-day interval masking parts of June and July:
- June 6: departed San Diego.
- June 9-13: attended the 3GPP RAN Plenary in Prague, Czechia, and labored by a Qualcomm international vacation.
- June 16: attended a 6G bilateral assembly in Helsinki, Finland.
- June 17-19: attended an ETSI board assembly in Sophia Antipolis, France.
- June 23-25: attended a 6G bilateral assembly and 3GPP elections in Beijing, China.
- June 30-July 2: attended a 6GIG assembly in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
- July 7: lectured doctoral college students on 5G-Superior and 6G in Catania, Italy.
- July 9: returned to San Diego.
And this journey schedule isn’t uncommon. It’s the job. Montojo-Bennassar acknowledged, “It’s a number of work. Just about you’re all the time on the go…and while you’re on the go, you must be reachable. And you must attain out to individuals…I like my job. [But] it’s a skinny line — being tremendous busy versus being stressed.”
I talked to Montojo-Bennassar about his household life, the sacrifices he’s made for his profession, and the way that each one works on a day-to-day foundation. As I’m scripting this, I simply boarded a seven-hour flight that can kick off an eight-night work journey. I already miss my son and spouse. I don’t actually understand how he (and folks with equally demanding careers) do it. His reply was easy and profound: “Innovation doesn’t come without spending a dime.”
This subsequent bit is for the street warriors: Montojo-Bennassar is one million miler on each American Airways and United Airways, however he’s not treasured about airline loyalty. “I prioritize time-wise and fare-wise comfort.” He prefers a window seat and his favourite airports (and terminals) are San Diego Worldwide Airport Terminal 2 and Madrid-Barajas Airport Terminal 4 “for his or her effectivity.” His favourite place to go for enterprise journey is Nuremberg, Germany, the place he was based mostly for 4 years. Again to enterprise.
Standardization work is fascinating when you perceive what it truly is. In fact it’s an train in establishing the technical consensus wanted to foster developments in a means that’s economically viable. However it’s additionally deeply political — corporations need their strategy to win out and nations need their corporations to dominate. This course of is simply as a lot about growing a tech benefit as it’s about counting votes, whipping votes and in any other case turning mushy, interpersonal abilities into strategic benefit. It’s a posh, delicate factor.
Montojo-Bennassar talked me by the sheer gravity of levying objections inside 3GPP, primarily taking a stand in opposition to consensus agreements and being seen as blocking progress. He identified that 3GPP now begins conferences by studying a “consensus rules reminder.” The textual content is as follows:
“The eye of the delegates to the assembly is drawn to the truth that 3GPP endeavours to achieve consensus on all selections and due to this fact depends upon a cooperative spirit of the person members. Specifically, particular person members are inspired to hunt a consensus-based resolution and solely to maintain objections as a really final resort, and the place completely vital and properly justified. The management will conduct the current assembly in a way whereby casual strategies of reaching consensus are inspired, while guaranteeing that properly justified issues are taken into consideration.”
“I would like to face alone two toes on the technical issues,” Montojo-Bennassar defined. Finally, “You construct credibility…That is one thing that you simply achieve over time, you earn over time. It does take some braveness to go to the mic in entrance of all people — a packed room — and simply say what you care about. However over e-mail, it’s very low cost.”
As Qualcomm celebrates its fortieth anniversary, and turns long-running foundational analysis and growth work into what’s going to in the end be a 6G customary, Montojo-Bennassar mirrored on what the corporate’s historical past means to him and the way it informs his work. “Qualcomm has a really massive title due to all we characterize,” he mentioned. “It’s not pretend. It’s not made up…You do carry that flag of Qualcomm’s fame. To me, mainly it meant I needed to reside as much as that fame.”
