Connected to the Future – Globally

Many children dream of reaching the stars in a rocket, but little Rami was more fascinated with satellites and everything that connected people.

5G technology, for example, is his playground. As a telecommunications engineer, Rami Langar focuses on optimizing resource management for next-generation mobile networks.

All networks reach their limit sooner or later. The need to allocate resources intelligently has now become inevitable. Rami Langar develops algorithms that can predict individual usage thresholds in order to maximize connections to the network. Why give more to those who use less?

From Tunis to Paris, from Paris to Waterloo – A Researcher’s Journey

With a government scholarship from Tunis and his engineering degree in hand, Rami flew to Paris to pursue his studies in telecommunications.

In 2002, he earned a master’s degree in Networks (RES) from the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University, Paris-VI. His thesis was on mobile network architecture and the intelligent network. In 2006, Rami completed his PhD at Télécom Paris, focusing his research on mobility management mechanisms and network performance. He refined his expertise, specifically on 5G mobile networks.

Then, while he was a visiting postdoctoral researcher at the University of Waterloo, Rami Langar discovered Canada. “I liked the lifestyle here, except for the cold. People are more tolerant, less stressed than in France.” Rami kept ties with the team at University of Waterloo, with whom he had worked for two years. Little did he know at the time that this experience would be decisive in his choice of adopted country.

Researcher or Professor? Why not both!

After his stay in Waterloo, Rami returned to Paris. He aspired to become a researcher at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) in France, but circumstances led him to take a different path, that of professor-researcher. So much the better, as it allowed him to work again with Guy Pujolle, his mentor during his master’s degree. “I had the good fortune to join his team as a lecturer. Guy Pujolle has had a huge impact on me.” There, Rami learned more about his teaching profession. He found it rewarding to succeed in motivating students who showed little interest in the functioning of a network at the beginning of the session.

After working his way up the academic ladder in France, Rami felt the need for new challenges. He wanted to return to the relaxed lifestyle of Canada and decided to move his family here. He applied to ÉTS, and his application was accepted.

He has a multitude of projects on his mind. He would like to see some of them flourish at ÉTS, especially in connection with sustainable mobile networks.

5G Deploys its Antennas and Fears are Multiplying

Rami Langar is well aware of the public’s reservations about this new technology. “It’s true that more antennas will be deployed, but these antennas have a much shorter range than the current technology. We’re talking 150 metres on average for high-bandwidth 5G versus one kilometre for 4G.” The more antennas there are, the lower the transmission power required. Rami is convinced that the future cannot do without this new technology.

However, there are three challenges, namely network security, digital restraint, and environmental impact. There is a lot of work to be done for current and future generations.

Rami Langar’s mission is to teach the new ÉTS cohort the importance of designing an energy-efficient network. “You need to keep in mind the percentage of energy that each part of the network will use to determine the best location for each component.”

For Rami Langar, 5G and even 6G technology belong in the era of smart cities. This technology facilitates transport for autonomous cars, delivers higher data rates, and serves more users. However, these benefits do have their downside—they encourage more consumption.

There’s no Stopping Smart Progress!

The real challenge today is to reduce energy consumption. Progress, yes, but intelligent progress—this is what software engineering specialists must focus on.

Rami Langar wishes to pass on this concern for digital restraint to his children. Although he has overcome many obstacles to be able to settle his young family in Montreal, Rami Langar likes to imagine a future for his grandchildren where flying cars powered by green technology will circulate in cities around the world … without traffic jams!