UK SPF Future Spectrum Policy Summit 2025

Dr Abhaya Sumanasena

Chair of the UK SPF Steering Board, UK SPF and Real Wireless

 

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Catherine Page OBE

Deputy Director of Technology, Strategy and Spectrum, DSIT

No bio provided

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Stephen Talbot

Head of International Spectrum Policy and Chair of the ECC's Conference Preparatory Group, Ofcom

Stephen is currently Head of International Spectrum Policy in the Spectrum Group of Ofcom (UK) and has been in that position for 11 years. Stephen was appointed, in 2024, as the Chair of the CEPT Working Group for the wider European preparations for the WRC-27 period.  
 
Stephen has participated in the WRCs between 2012 and 2023 (in addition to the respective second CPM meetings). He was the Deputy Head for the UK to the ITU Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) for 2023 and the World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC) in 2015, 2019 and 2023. 

During the WRC-23 period Stephen was the Chair of the CEPT Group addressing agenda items related to Science Issues and the CEPT view on the items for WRC-27 agenda. He was additionally elected as Vice Chair for the duration of the CEPT CPG-23 process 

Prior to this he served as a Vice Chair of the ECC Working Group for Frequency Management (WG-FM), between June 2014 and November 2020. Whilst in that role he also served as the Chair of the ECC project team addressing the potential for “Wi-Fi” and similar systems in the 5925 – 6425 MHz band (“Lower 6 GHz”), that work was additionally subject to a European Commission Mandate. 

Stephen has had a diverse exposure to a wide variety of spectrum sectors and disciplines, under the WRC processes and of the harmonisation functions of ECC. His spectrum journey started in 1989 when working as an interference investigation and enforcement engineer for the UKs Government Department with spectrum responsibilities. 

More recently he also has had to grapple with the complexities of the offside rule, as a linesman, at his son’s football matches 

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Mr Chris Woolford

Director of International Spectrum Policy , Ofcom

Chris Woolford is Ofcom’s Director of International Spectrum Policy where his responsibilities cover the UK’s international spectrum interests, especially in relation to the ITU and CEPT. Chris has closely engaged for the UK on key European regulatory initiatives in the field of electronic communications and has participated for many years in various European spectrum groups. Chris also leads UK engagement with the ITU and led the UK delegation to WRCs in 2023, 2019, 2015 and 2012.

From 2019-2024, Chris was Chair of the CEPT Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) and a co-President of CEPT, during which time he oversaw the development of various key spectrum initiatives in Europe. Chris is also a Board Director of the International Institute of Communications (IIC) and in 2024 was appointed Treasurer of the IIC.  

Chris has more than 25 years’ experience of working on spectrum and communications regulation, both at Ofcom and its predecessor (Oftel). He has a degree in mathematics and statistics from Manchester University.

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Gösta Kallner

Mr Gösta Kallner has more than 35 years’ experience in the telecom industry has been involved in numerous network deployments across Europe, Asia and Americas with various global telecom operators and equipment suppliers, among them ice group, Orange, 3, Telia and Ericsson. The last 20 years´ focused on deploying and operating dedicated network in the lower spectrum with wide range characteristics typical 450 MHz. Currently Chairman of the no profit organisation 450 MHz Alliance and advisor for industries regarding deployments of private mobile networks. 

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Cristina Data

Director of Spectrum Information and Analysis, Ofcom

Cristina is the Director of Spectrum information and analysis, Spectrum Group at Ofcom and is also a NED of the Energy System Catapult. Cristina currently leads the Spectrum Mobile Data Strategy programme with a particular focus on assessing the implications of growing demand. Prior to working on 5G, Cristina led the development of a new spectrum sharing framework, and launched Ofcom open data policy. In particular Cristina was responsible for the release of the UK Interactive spectrum map and the release of information on spectrum use in open format. Prior to joining Ofcom Cristina held various marketing and strategy roles at Telefonica O2, EE (then Orange), and Ericsson (then Red Bee Media). Cristina holds a Master Degree in Management Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino university in Italy. 

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Luigi Ardito

Senior Director of Government Affairs EMEA, Qualcomm

Luigi Ardito is currently working as a Senior Director of Government Affairs EMEA at Qualcomm. He is leading Qualcomm spectrum and regulatory policy agenda in Europe dealing with various government entities and industry organizations. He is also the Chairman of Digital Europe Spectrum Group and member of the GSA Spectrum management team.

Prior to joining Qualcomm, Luigi worked at Sony Corporation both in Japan and in the UK for over a decade. He has additionally gained a professional experience at France Telecom and at the Italian Public Broadcaster RAI. Luigi has extensive experience in the Media and Telecom industry as well as the Semiconductor Industry gained through his assignments at Qualcomm, Sony, France Telecom and RAI.

He holds an Electronic Engineering Degree from the Politecnico di Torino in Italy, an MBA of Marketing and Finance from the Henley Management College in the UK and a Diploma in Communications and Media Regulations at the European University Institute – Robert Schuman Centre.

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James Youngs

Defence Spectrum (Innovation) Assistant Head, Directorate of Strategy and Military Digitisation, MoD

James has worked in spectrum policy for government for 11 years and for MOD for 6 years, a career civil servant.

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Professor Robert Stewart

Professor Dept of Electronic and Electrical Eng., University of Strathclyde

Bob has led a number of DCMS 5G Testbed and Trials projects was part of the founding partners team working with Scottish Government to create the Scotland 5G Centre.  In recent years he has been working on solutions for the media and broadcast industry and private 5G SA networks working alongside a number of international broadcasters.  Over a 30 year Bob has published 4 books and more than 200 papers. Bob is also a director of the University startup company Neutral Wireless Ltd

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Mr Tony Lavender

Partner, Plum Consulting

Tony Lavender is a Partner of Plum Consulting.

He has extensive experience across a wide range of telecommunication and technology industry issues gained through working as a consultant, for the UK telecommunications regulator Oftel and for a network operator over a period of more than 30 years. Tony is particularly interested in public policy, regulation and the relationship between technology, and the economy. In recent years Tony has focused on radio spectrum issues and much of his client work at Plum has focused on the benefits of innovation in the radio spectrum field.

Website: www.plumconsulting.co.uk

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Kumar Singarajah

UK SPF Cluster 4: International Spectrum Issues and Euroma

 

: https://www.techuk.org/who-we-are/our-partners/uk-spectrum-policy-forum/leadership.html

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Manuel Rascado-Marti

Spectrum Policy Consultant , LS telcom

As a Spectrum Policy Consultant at LS telcom, Manuel manages global consulting assignments with a focus on regulatory policy, strategic planning, and radio spectrum management. Having previously served as the secretariat for the UK Spectrum Policy Forum, he is well-versed in intersections of policy, strategy, and innovation, as well as domestic and international spectrum policy activities. With prior roles as an analyst and senior reporter, he possesses a comprehensive and independent perspective of the wireless sector.

Manuel holds a master's in International Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London.

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Luigi Ardito

Senior Director of Government Affairs EMEA, Qualcomm

Luigi Ardito is currently working as a Senior Director of Government Affairs EMEA at Qualcomm. He is leading Qualcomm spectrum and regulatory policy agenda in Europe dealing with various government entities and industry organizations. He is also the Chairman of Digital Europe Spectrum Group and member of the GSA Spectrum management team.

Prior to joining Qualcomm, Luigi worked at Sony Corporation both in Japan and in the UK for over a decade. He has additionally gained a professional experience at France Telecom and at the Italian Public Broadcaster RAI. Luigi has extensive experience in the Media and Telecom industry as well as the Semiconductor Industry gained through his assignments at Qualcomm, Sony, France Telecom and RAI.

He holds an Electronic Engineering Degree from the Politecnico di Torino in Italy, an MBA of Marketing and Finance from the Henley Management College in the UK and a Diploma in Communications and Media Regulations at the European University Institute – Robert Schuman Centre.

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Matthew Baker

Head of Radio Physical Layer & Coexistence Standardisation, Nokia

Matthew Baker is a Nokia Bell Labs Fellow and leads a RAN standardization team at Nokia. Prior to addressing 6G, he has contributed to the standardization of 3G, 4G, 5G and 5G-Advanced in 3GPP, where he held the posts of Chairman and Vice-Chairman of 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 between 2009 and 2017. He holds degrees in Engineering and Electrical and Information Sciences from the University of Cambridge, UK. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Reading, UK. He is co-editor of the book “LTE – The UMTS Long Term Evolution: From Theory to Practice”, has authored many papers and holds several hundred patents in the field of mobile communications.

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Marja Matinmikko-Blue

Research Director of Infotech Oulu Institute; Director of Sustainability and Regulation at 6G Flagship, University of Oulu

Marja Matinmikko-Blue is Research Director at Infotech Oulu and Director of Sustainability and Regulation at 6G Flagship research program at the University of Oulu, Finland, where she also holds the position of adjunct professor in spectrum management. She completed her Doctor of Science degree in communications engineering in 2012, and Doctor of Philosophy degree in industrial engineering and management in 2018 at the University of Oulu. She has been conducting multi-disciplinary research into the technical, business, and regulatory aspects of future mobile communication systems in close collaboration with industry, academia, and regulators for over two decades. Most recently she has been studying sustainability topics related to ICTs. She has published 210+ scientific publications and prepared 200+ contributions and statements to regulatory bodies at national, European, and international levels. She represents Finland in global 6G definition work at UN based ITU-R. 

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Stuart Cooke

Director of Future Spectrum , GSMA

Stuart is Chair of the GSA’s Global Spectrum Team and Director of Future Spectrum at GSMA. 

Stuart has held a variety of roles, including in the UK government's 3G auction team, the Nokia standards & regulatory affairs, 4G pioneer start up Flarion Technologies, Qualcomm business development and wireless energy harvesting start-up Drayson Technologies.

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Theo Spathopoulos

Senior Specialist in Spectrum Standardisation and UK SPF Steering Board Vice Chair, Nokia

Theo is currently a Senior Specialist in the Spectrum Standardisation team at Nokia, leading Nokia’s involvement in various regional and global spectrum regulatory discussions.

Prior to that he was a Frequency Coordination Engineer at Inmarsat and he has also been a Spectrum Technology Analyst at Ofcom, the UK’s telecom regulator. Theo has also authored and co-authored various conference publications around 5G.

Theo holds an Electrical and Computer Engineering degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, an MSc in Mobile and Satellite Communications from the University of Surrey, UK and an MSc in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.

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Nicolas Chuberre

6G-NTN Technical Manager and Solution Line Manager , Thales Alenia Space

Nicolas CHUBERRE graduated in 1988 from “Ecole Supérieure d’Ingénieur en Electronique et Electrotechnique” in Paris. Previously with Nokia & Alcatel Mobile phones to design signal processing algorithms, Medium Access Control protocols and test tools for 2G cellular handsets & systems assembly, he joined Thales Alenia Space to manage the development of satellite payload equipment and the design of advanced Satellite Communication Systems (GEO and Non GEO). He has successfully initiated and led several European collaborative research projects in FP6, FP7, H2020, Horizon Europe as well as ESA ARTES context. He has been chairing the SatCom Working Group of Networld2020 technology platforms (https://www.networld2020.eu/) during 9 years and as such was member of the partnership board of the 5G Infrastructure Association (http://5g-ppp.eu/). Nicolas has published several papers on innovative Satellite System concepts and co authored a book ” 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks: Technologies, Standards, and System Design”. Currently he is defining and developing Satellite Solutions for 5G and 6G systems. In addition, he is the lead representative of Thales in 3GPP TSG RAN where he is the rapporteur of the standardisation on the integration of satellite in 5G since 2017 (https://www.3gpp.org/news-events/partners-news/2254-ntn_rel17). He also chairs since 2006 the Satellite Communication and Navigation working group at ETSI (www.etsi.org). He is the technical manager of the Horizon Europe research project “6G-NTN” (https://www.6g-ntn.eu/). Last, he chairs the NTN forum (https://connectivity.esa.int/nonterrestrial-networks-ntn-forum

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Scott McKenzie

Director, Coleago Consulting

Scott is one of the directors of Coleago and is a highly experienced consultant with over 30 years’ experience in the telecoms and high technology industries. Since joining Coleago, he has led numerous complex spectrum, fibre, MVNO, regulatory, transaction and training projects.

Early in his career, Scott McKenzie held a variety of engineering and marketing positions with Telstra and Ericsson. After business school, he worked as a management consultant with Arthur D. Little before spending six years as an equity analyst in the City of London with the investment banking divisions of SEB and Société Générale. Upon leaving the City he became Chief Strategy Officer for the international mobile division of the Dutch telecom operator Royal KPN, where he was also CEO of the mobile wholesale business unit.

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Dr Abhaya Sumanasena

Chair of the UK SPF Steering Board, UK SPF and Real Wireless

 

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Greg Bensberg

Spectrum Policy Advisor , Everyone TV

No bio provided

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Graham Mills

Fellow of DVB, Independent Consultant

Graham is a Chartered Engineer with an engineering degree from Cambridge University and an MBA from Cranfield School of Management. Throughout his career he has specialised in digital media & networks – including at BT where his final 10 years were as a strategy director. He has a deep understanding of digital broadcasting markets in Europe through his work in DVB where he represented BT and then Vodafone. He chaired DVB’s Commercial Module for 21 years, leading its work on requirements for new DVB specifications, and is now a Fellow of DVB. He was a founder of the UK’s Digital TV Group (DTG), enabling the UK’s early launch of digital terrestrial television and the publication of the D-Book, the definitive configuration guide for TV receivers in the UK. Graham is now an independent consultant in the telecoms and media industry and commercial advisor to an Oxford University high-tech start-up.

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Alex Buchan

CTO, DTG

Alex Buchan is CTO at the Digital TV Group (DTG), independent RTO and industry collaboration centre for broadcast and digital media. He is the project lead of the 5G ONE4HDD project, a consortium led by DTG which is part of the DSIT Open Network Ecosystems programme, having also led 5G VISTA project as part of UK 5G Trials and Test Beds. He leads technical direction and strategy for DTG with regards to future delivery of TV services as well running several DTG working groups and its spectrum policy work . He is also a Director at SafeShark, a DTG Testing joint venture providing consumer IoT cyber security testing and certification.

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