Nicola Blefari-Melazzi
University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy, President of CNIT and of the RESTART Foundation
Status and (desired) evolution of the Telecommunications sector and thus of the related research
The SOFTCOM conference focuses on communications software, services and applications, telecommunications, and computer networks—fields undergoing constant and significant transformation. However, this evolution extends beyond scientific and technological advancements. The profound impact of technical changes in networking, combined with the emergence of new players assuming increasingly influential roles in the delivery of ICT services, is reshaping the entire ecosystem, its value chains, and the relationships among stakeholders.
These shifts are so substantial that they influence not only the economics of the sector but also the nature of research and development—affecting both the topics and challenges being addressed, as well as the methodologies employed.
Two long-standing trends are now manifesting their full impact: the growing prominence of software, often equalling or surpassing hardware in importance; and the logical fragmentation of the Internet into a few dominant blocks, where a small number of actors control key content and functionalities. This results in an uneven landscape, with significant disparities in performance and services across regions. Together, these trends pose serious risks to traditional network operators and, in some areas, threaten infrastructure investments.
This talk will explore the evolution of the communications sector, highlighting the implications of these trends for research priorities and challenges. Topics will include the deployment of 5G and other high-capacity networks, the transition toward 6G, and the roles of AI, cloud computing, and quantum technologies in EU-funded research initiatives. Key findings from large-scale research projects will also be discussed.
The presentation will conclude with an overview of potential future scenarios for the European telecommunications ecosystem. It will identify the key factors and decisions that could shape its development, aiming to provide guidance for policymakers and regulators in choosing the most favourable paths forward.
Nicola Blefari-Melazzi is a full Professor of Telecommunications at the University of Roma Tor Vergata, where he served as Chair of the PhD program in Telecommunications Engineering, Chair of the undergraduate and graduate programs in Telecommunications Engineering and Chair of the Department of Electronic Engineering. From January 2017 to January 2023 he has been the Director of CNIT (National Inter-University Consortium for Telecommunications), a non-profit Consortium made up of 41 Italian Universities. More than 1,300 people, belonging to the participating universities, collaborate with CNIT, while the number of own-employees is more than 100. Since January 2023 he is the president of CNIT.
His research projects have been funded by Italian Ministries, by the Italian National Research Council, by major companies (e.g., Ericsson, Telecom Italia), by the ESA and by the EU. He has participated in 33 EU projects, playing the role of project coordinator and PI for eight of them.
Since September 2022, he is the President of the RESTART Foundation, established primarily for the implementation, coordination and management of the research program “Telecommunications of the Future”, funded by the Italian Ministry of University with 116 M€.
He evaluated many research proposals and projects in EU programs and served as TPC member, TPC Chair, General Chair and Steering Committee Chair for IEEE Conferences and guest editor for IEEE Journals. He has been an area editor for Elsevier’s Computer Networks. He is author/co-author of about 260 papers. His research interests lie in the performance evaluation, design and control of telecommunications networks.
