The IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC) took place in Montreal, Canada at the beginning of June 2025, leading with the banner, ‘Communications Technologies 4Good’.

Abderrahmen & Team Meet at IEEE ICC Montreal June 2025 — From left to right: Prof. Eduard Jorswieck, Meriem Ghali, Abderrahmen Trichili, Alireza Vosoughi Rad, Dr. Ilias Gravalos, Dr. Iman Tavakkolnia

About IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC)

As one of the IEEE Communications Society’s two flagship conferences, the annual ICC is dedicated to driving innovation across almost every area of communications. The conference has a large global attendance with more than 3,000 scientific researchers from over 70 countries and over 1,000 papers and proposals submitted for programme sessions this year.

Content: The Research that is Shaping Our World

This years’ focus of IEEE ICC conference focused on “Communications Technologies 4Good”, featuring a comprehensive technical program including 13 symposia and a variety of tutorials and workshops. The industry programme was tailored towards practitioners, with keynotes and panels from leading research, industry and government leaders, business and industry panels, and technological exhibits.

HASC Representation at IEEE ICC 2025

Our HASC colleague, Abderrahmen Trichili, (UK IC Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, Research Fellow at Wolfson College, University of Oxford), attended the event as well as others from the HASC project. We caught up with Abderrahmen to find out the inside track on the event.

Guest Contribution: Abderrahmen Trichili on IEEE ICC 2025

I attended the IEEE ICC Conference, which was held in Montreal in June. The conference is hosted over five days. The first and last days of the conference are for workshops and tutorials, with the three days in the middle dedicated to the technical symposium.

There were many tracks running in parallel, so I had to mark the sessions I wanted to attend before heading to the conference. I also wanted to attend some of my former colleagues’ presentations.

Although I am not usually a big fan of big conferences, this one was special; I met many of my former colleagues and undergraduate friends along with people working in my field, notably Professor Steve Hranilovic. I also had dinner with 25 people who were at some point part from my previous group. So, conferences can be perfect opportunities to catch up with friends and see how successful they have become.

Networking with Leaders

Prof. Hranilovic is a pioneer in optical wireless communication at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada). I have met Prof. Hranilovic a few times remotely but we finally got to meet person while attending the same tutorial and discussing with the presenters. I am very grateful for all the advice he gave during the conference – this is a striking benefit of attending conferences like this – learning from the giants.

Presenting: Optical Wireless Channel Sounding in a Realistic Environment

I was also lucky enough to be presenting in the first session of the first day of the technical symposium – even with the early morning slot, I was pleased to be presenting to packed room! Some came specifically for the topic, and others who knew of me (former colleagues, friends, even one of my former teachers) came to see the work I am currently doing at the University of Oxford!

Abderrahmen Presents Optical Wireless Channel Sounding at IEEE Communications Society — Abderrahmen Trichili presents Optical Wireless Channel Sounding in a Realistic Environment at IEEE ICC – Photo Credit: IEEE Communications Society

I presented my work on Optical Wireless Channel Sounding in a Realistic Environment (co-authored with Mr. Grahame Faulkner and Prof. Dominic O’Brien). Prof. Majeed Safari (a co-investigator in Titan) was the chair of the session and asked me some very interesting questions together with some of the attendees.

About the Research: Optical Wireless Channel Sounding

Optical wireless communication (OWC) is seen as a promising technology for future-generation communication systems. In particular, OWC in the visible spectrum, known as visible light communication (VLC), can enable high-speed indoor connectivity, offering opportunities for data-intensive applications that conventional radio-based technologies struggle to support due to bandwidth limitations. Currently used VLC channel models have limitations in their underlying assumptions and lack verification through experimental measurements. Over the past two years, I have developed the world’s first visible laser-based channel sounder, capable of measuring optical channels with high temporal resolution. The system is based on a highly sensitive silicon photomultiplier detector and frequency-swept laser sources. The sounder was used to conduct indoor measurements to derive realistic OWC channel models. I reported initial measurement results collected in an office environment (considered a realistic deployment location for VLC) at the conference.

Abderrahmen Trichili with Measurement Rig Collecting Data — Abderrahmen Trichili with the measurement rig used to collect the data

Optical Networks and Systems Symposium

It was a busy schedule – I also had the chance to chair one of the sessions of the Optical Networks and Systems Symposium (ONS-03: Energy efficient optical communications). In the session, I had five brilliant presentations with presenters from the University of Alberta, Technische Universität Braunschweig, The University of Cambridge, École normale supérieure de Lyon, and Nokia; one of the presentations was given by a HASC Co-Investigator Dr. Iman Tavakkolnia (University of Cambridge).

I had the opportunity to meet with other HASC and Federated Telecoms Hubs (FTH) members, including Prof. Timothy O’Farrell (The University of Sheffield), Prof. Michail (Michalis) Matthaiou (Queen’s University Belfast, he came with a few of his group members and colleagues from the same University), and Dr. Hossein Kazemi (University of Cambridge). From Oxford, my colleague Daniele Di Martini from the Oxford Robotics Institute, with whom I co-organised a third-year project for the last two years, also attended the conference.

Conferences like these are not just an opportunity to share and learn, but also to meet and network with others – all vital for the advancement of the innovations and technologies in our field. A fantastic event and I am very much looking forward to the next ICC which will be held in Glasgow in May 2026.

Conclusion

The IEEE ICC 2025 conference in Montreal showcased the sheer depth and ambition of the research taking place across the global communications landscape from both academia and industry. It not only provided a platform for sharing cutting-edge ideas but also a space for meaningful exchanges between researchers, industry leaders, and innovators all working towards a more connected, equitable future.

Abderrahmen’s reflections capture the spirit of these gatherings: part inspiration, part collaboration, and entirely driven by a passion for progress. As we look ahead to the next IEEE ICC in Glasgow, we carry forward the momentum of these conversations, the relationships formed, and the research that continues to shape the future of communication technologies.

Connect with Abderrahmen Trichili https://www.linkedin.com/in/abderrahmentrichili/

To keep up to date with all the news coming out of the HASC project, sign up to our regular newsletter here.

We are delighted to announce that the Future Communications Hub in All-Spectrum Connectivity (HASC) has secured an additional £3.2 million in funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). This continued support enables HASC to further its development of world-leading communication technologies essential to shaping the UK’s digital future.

Advancing Digital Infrastructure Through Innovation

“Communication underpins the functioning of modern society – from staying in touch with one another to powering the operations of smart cities and national systems,” said Professor Dominic O’Brien, HASC lead at the University of Oxford.

“The Hub is focused on developing the technologies and insights needed to create the networks of the future. We are delighted to continue collaborating with key partners, including TITAN, CHEDDAR, and JOINER, and we thank UKRI for their continued support in helping us realise this vision.”

What HASC Has Achieved to Date

Our work is pushing the boundaries in secure, high-speed and low-latency internet services. New technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) demand much higher capabilities than currently exist – our mission is to overcome the today’s limitations by completely reimaging connectivity. At HASC, we are exploring how to combine wired and wireless internet technologies to achieve seamless end-to-end connectivity.

The HASC project is led by Professor Dominic O’Brien from the University of Oxford and includes seven research partners from across the Universities of Belfast, Bristol, Cambridge, Southampton, Strathclyde, Imperial College and UCL. Additional partners include teams from the universities of Liverpool, Sheffield, Strathclyde, Surrey, Herriot Watt, Queen Mary and Kings College. Together, we are helping to develop the digital communications of the future by addressing four main challenges, Connectivity, Adaptivity, Security and tying it altogether with Modelling.

Here’s a look at what has been achieved so far:

Innovative Research: Pioneering studies across the four main challenges resulting in over 35 new academic publications covering a huge range of brand-new discoveries and technologies
Collaborative Partnerships: We have established strong collaborations with leading academic institutions and industry partners to help drive innovation and the practical applications of our research
Talent Development: Nurturing a new generation of researchers and engineers skilled in advanced communication technologies

Looking Ahead: The Impact of Extended Funding

The need for reliable, high-speed, low-cost, and energy-efficient communications only continues to grow. HASC will continue to work with our partners in CHEDDAR, TITAN and JOINER to deliver new research and to exploit the work that we do. Our key goals for the coming year are to continue with our research across each of the challenges, and to make full use of the connectivity that the JOINER Platform provides. Funding in the coming year will support a broad range of work, including:

Challenge 1 (C1) Connectivity

The C1 challenge is focused on demonstrating novel connectivity across and between radio frequency (RF) and optical domains. Here, the focus is on engineering the wireless propagation environment and leveraging the JOINER infrastructure to demonstrate new types of connectivity.

Challenge 2 (C2) Adaptivity

The C2 challenge addresses the need for reliable, adaptable networks, with a particular focus on the adaption of the physical layer using AI/ML techniques. Continued funding will allow us to further advance this work, addressing the future demands of applications such as smart cities, autonomous transportation systems, and industrial IoT applications.

Challenge 3 (C3) Security

With rising threats, the one major consistency in telecoms is the need for security. The C3 challenge focuses on this area and includes the use of quantum key distribution (QKD), post-quantum and physical layer techniques. Our work is creating new deployment scenarios for QKD which is a key technology for many carriers and vendors. Work here will extend the applicability of QKD in free-space transmission applications.

Challenge 0 (C0) Modelling

And finally, the C0 challenge pulls together all the other research by developing ‘system level’ end-to-end models of RF and fibre systems, delivering the data and models required to enable spectrum sharing and engagement in standards activities. We will continue to develop models and measure channels, creating open-source data sets relevant to standards and future spectrum planning.

Acknowledgements

We wish to extend our gratitude to UKRI for their continued support and belief in our vision. We also appreciate the collaborative efforts of our partners, including the other Federated Telecoms Hubs, Cheddar, Titan and Joiner Platform who are leading complementary projects in this wider initiative.

Join HASC on Our Exciting Journey

We invite you to stay connected with HASC as we embark on this next phase of innovation. Follow our progress, engage with the research, and explore opportunities to collaborate by following us on social media and subscribing to our newsletter.

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IEEE ICC Montreal, June 2025 – Event Round-up With Abderrahmen Trichili