Driving innovation in telecom, global adventures, and the future of network slicing, Atila Horvat, Head of Network Slicing at Rakuten Symphony, shares his journey, vision, and aspirations.
Tell us about your journey.
I'm originally from Croatia and have been working in telecom for almost 21 years. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to travel and live in many countries around the world, gaining extensive experience in every domain of the telecom industry.
Just when I thought I was settling down with one of the largest IT companies in the world, I received a call from a recruiter at Rakuten Symphony. The recruiter shared the company's vision and the exciting projects they were working on. They were looking for someone with my multi-domain expertise and experience to help drive their innovative initiatives forward.
In October 2022, I joined Rakuten Symphony in the Singapore office. Transitioning to Rakuten Symphony has been an invigorating experience, providing new challenges and opportunities to leverage my skills in a dynamic and forward-thinking environment. The chance to work with a team that is passionate about innovation and dedicated to pushing the boundaries of telecom technology has been incredibly rewarding.
What are your roles and responsibilties at Rakuten Symphony?
I'm the Head of Network Slicing, under the OSS BU at Rakuten Symphony, but my role is also a cross-BU and cross-team functional role, since I oversee end-to-end solutions for network slicing. Such complex role requires close collaboration with various BU heads. I also serve as the Director of Product Management for our newest product ‘Slice Manager’, which is a key component of our network slicing advanced solutions.
My daily responsibilities include managing a global team, coordinating with multiple BU teams, and ensuring that our multi-BU products work together seamlessly. I focus on the big picture, ensuring all components function harmoniously to deliver high-quality innovative solutions.
So what is network slicing?
As one of the authors of the network slicing concept, this is my current specialty and passion. Network slicing is a sophisticated way to manage and optimize network resources by dividing a single physical network into multiple logical networks, supported by one or more virtual or physical network or any combination of. Think of the entire 5G network as a cake, and each slice of the cake represents a distinct logical network tailored for specific services, applications or companies. This method ensures that each slice, or logical network, is managed independently, offering high reliability, security, isolation and performance compared to everyone sharing the same network resources.
In more technical terms, network slicing allows operators to create multiple unique and isolated networks on a shared or dedicated physical infrastructure. Each slice can be customized with specific characteristics and resources to meet different Service Level Agreement (SLA) requirements. For example, one slice can be dedicated to high-speed, low-latency gaming, while another can be optimized for IoT devices with lower data rates but high reliability.
There are different phases and levels of slicing in an operator’s journey. The basic level is static slicing, where fixed portions of the network are permanently allocated to, mostly, consumer services. This ensures dedicated resources but can be inefficient if those resources are not always in use. More advanced slicing involves dynamic or on-demand slicing, where network resources are allocated and deallocated as needed and when needed. For instance, a high-resolution video call may require a dedicated slice for an hour, which can be released once the call ends, thus optimizing resource use, energy consumption and improving overall efficiency.
Network slicing is a game-changer for the telecom industry, but its success depends on operators investing in the necessary infrastructure and technology to support it. This approach not only enhances network performance and reliability, opening up new revenue streams, but also promotes sustainability by the use of resources.
What was your best day at Rakuten Symphony?
For me, it was last year’s Halloween. I dressed up as Captain America, and my wife was Wonder Woman. We walked from our home to the office in full body costume. As we walked down the street, lots of people noticed us, but when we got to Rakuten Crimson House, everyone just acted like it was a normal day and kept working and having fun.
It really struck me how relaxed and accepting the culture is here. It felt perfectly normal to come to work in costume in the middle of a workday. It was a memorable day in many ways, showing me just how inclusive and open-minded Rakuten Symphony is.
Is there anything that inspires you, and a person?
I don't really have a motto, but I do have a person who inspires me: my wife. She is a huge driving force in my life and always supports me. I also draw inspiration from my family, as my dad, mom, and grandpa all worked in telecom. I still remember my dad taking me to Deutsche Telecom NOC office and showing me the intricacies of the network operation and technology. This sparked my interest from a young age. Their dedication and knowledge in the field have greatly influenced my decision to pursue a career in telecom.
Do you have any hobbies?
I love good food and enjoy exploring Singapore's diverse culinary scene, which offers everything from inexpensive eats to high-end dining experiences. I have a passion for reading science research and also enjoy science fiction, imagining futuristic worlds and advanced technologies. This passion is something I share with my wife, and we both love Star Trek!
Do you have any advice for people who want to join Rakuten Symphony?
Take the time to research Rakuten Symphony and understand what we’re doing. The work culture here is unique and offers countless opportunities for growth and learning. People are open and willing to teach, helping you develop and expand your skills. With a diverse environment that includes individuals from various backgrounds, not just telecom, the experience is incredibly enriching.
What’s next for you?
I want to help make Rakuten Symphony a disruptor in network slicing and make the telecom industry healthier. My goal is to spread awareness about the benefits of network slicing and implement our advanced solutions. As the industry moves towards global support and the launch of network slicing, we aim to set new benchmarks and demonstrate the benefits of our innovations. This vision drives my work every day, and the potential for integration and innovation within the Rakuten Group makes working here incredibly exciting.
