July 29, 2026
A car that communicates with its surroundings, an airplane that detects the first signs of declining performance mid-flight, a doctor who makes a remote diagnosis using artificial intelligence: these innovations may seem very different from one another. Yet they all rely on one fundamental element: high-performance, reliable, and secure telecommunications networks.
These are the challenges ÉTS Professor Michel Kadoch is addressing. His research covers the full range of technologies that will shape next-gen networks. From 5G to the future 6G, including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, cybersecurity, and digital health, his team is developing solutions that will enable networks to transmit ever-increasing volumes of data, faster and with greater reliability.
Preparing for 6G networks
Mobile networks are constantly evolving. After 5G, research is now turning to 6G, which promises even faster, smarter communications capable of connecting an ever-increasing number of devices simultaneously.
To achieve this goal, researchers are exploring new ways to manage telecommunications infrastructure. Thanks to software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV), network control and management functions are decoupled from the hardware infrastructure and handled by software. This allows operators to adapt their infrastructure in real time, allocate resources as needed, and improve quality of service.
Michel Kadoch and his team are also exploring the integration of terrestrial and satellite networks. This synergy will help ensure more consistent connectivity in remote areas while guaranteeing uninterrupted communications when terrestrial networks are unavailable.
The team is also working on optimizing network slicing, a technology that enables the creation of multiple virtual networks on a single physical infrastructure. This way, each slice can be tailored to the needs of a specific application, whether it’s an autonomous vehicle, a connected factory, or a telehealth service.
Overcoming obstacles with smart surfaces
The frequencies used by 5G—and even more so by the future 6G—offer very high data rates, but they also have a drawback: they are extremely sensitive to obstacles. In urban areas, a single building can be enough to interrupt communication between an antenna and a smartphone.
To solve this problem, Michel Kadoch is working on reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS). These intelligent surfaces act like mirrors, redirecting radio waves in the optimal direction to bypass obstacles.
Unlike early passive reflectors, these new surfaces continuously adapt their behaviour to maximize the signal strength received by the device. This technology could play a major role in future 6G networks, where communications will need to remain reliable despite increasingly complex environments.
When artificial intelligence drives networks
As networks get more complex, managing them becomes impossible without automation.
Artificial intelligence is therefore at the heart of several projects led by the professor. His team uses deep learning, reinforcement learning, and federated learning to optimize resource allocation, balance the load across servers, manage traffic, and improve data centre performance.
These algorithms are also used to quickly detect cyberattacks, such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which render a service inaccessible by flooding it with requests. The goal is to enable networks to learn from their environment, anticipate problems, and automatically adjust their operation.
ÉTS Professor Michel Kadoch
Safer transportation with connected devices
The Internet of Things is another major focus of Michel Kadoch’s research.
In the transportation sector, connected vehicles continuously exchange information with other vehicles and with road infrastructure. This communication allows for quick dissemination of alerts, improves traffic flow, and enhances road safety.
The team is also focusing on the aeronautics sector. The idea is to equip aircraft engines and wings with numerous sensors that continuously monitor their operating condition. The data collected would be analyzed in real time using artificial intelligence.
Today, many checks are performed once the aircraft is on the ground. Monitoring systems in flight makes it possible to observe their behaviour under actual operating conditions and gradually detect a decline in performance well before a failure occurs.
This approach would allow more efficient planning of maintenance work, reduce aircraft downtime, and improve safety.
Cybersecurity powered by machine learning
The proliferation of connected devices can also increase the risk of cyberattacks. Michel Kadoch is developing systems that can automatically identify intrusions, malicious traffic, and attacks originating from networks of connected devices, such as botnets.
His work combines artificial intelligence, federated learning, and blockchain to better protect digital infrastructures while facilitating the secure management of industrial maintenance operations. The goal is to detect abnormal behaviour before it compromises systems.
Networks at the service of medicine
The expertise developed in telecommunications also has applications in healthcare.
In particular, the team is working on remote diagnostic tools that combine ultrasound, artificial intelligence, and blockchain to improve medical image analyses and facilitate collaboration between healthcare facilities.
Another project, conducted with a company incubated at Centech, involves a smart jacket that can locate a medical capsule swallowed by a patient. Equipped with a camera, this capsule travels naturally through the digestive system while capturing images. The challenge is to pinpoint the location where each image was taken.
Sensors built into the jacket enable real-time detection of the capsule’s position. This allows doctors to associate each image with a specific location in the body, which facilitates the diagnosis of certain digestive disorders.
Networks becoming platforms for innovation
In the past, telecommunications networks were simply data transmission infrastructures. They are now becoming true smart platforms capable of learning, adapting, and making decisions.
By bringing together telecommunications, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, cybersecurity, and digital health, Michel Kadoch’s work clearly illustrates this evolution. Behind each of these advances lies a single goal: to build networks that are more efficient, more secure, and intelligent enough to support the technologies that will transform our daily lives.
