Ilham Nandana completed his MSc in Wireless and Optical Communications at UCL in 2015. While his path didn’t follow the traditional route of engineering roles, the programme's technical depth and fast-paced nature provided him with a unique edge: resilience, adaptability, and a powerful cross-disciplinary skill set. Today, Ilham works at the intersection of telecom infrastructure and strategic innovation, drawing on the technical foundation and problem-solving approach developed during his time at UCL.
What initially attracted you to the MSc in Wireless and Optical Communications at UCL, and how did it shape your career?
UCL’s reputation as a leader in telecommunications was pivotal when making my decision. The programme’s rigour and industry recognition opened doors, though I’ve never worked as an engineer. The course’s intensity taught me resilience under pressure, a skill that propelled me into strategy and business development roles.
Can you share a memorable experience from your time at UCL that had a lasting impact on your professional journey?
The relentless pace of the programme itself was transformative. Wrestling with complex concepts under tight deadlines trained me to thrive in high-stakes environments, mirroring challenges I later faced at work in global telecom strategy.
How did the MSc programme prepare you for the challenges of the telecommunications industry?
While I didn’t pursue engineering, the technical foundation let me bridge gaps between technical teams and business stakeholders, critical in roles like my current position at CommScope and prior work at Prysmian Group.
The programme was a masterclass in translating theory into real-world situations. Courses gave me technical vocabulary to collaborate effectively with both internal teams and customers, while project-based learning mirrored the cross-functional challenges I now tackle in strategy roles. Most importantly, it taught me to distill complex technical constraints into business opportunities - a skill I used recently to align with the company's R&D pipeline with emerging AI infrastructure demands.
You’ve worked in various roles across different countries. How has your global experience influenced your approach to strategy and market development?
Travel revealed that telecom trends are both global and hyper-local. Many strategists overgeneralise; success hinges on balancing macro innovations (like AI) with regional factors—policy, geopolitics, and sector-specific demands.
What excites you most about your new role as Director of Strategy and Market Development at CommScope?
Driving strategy for the world’s largest broadband and data centre solutions provider is a thrilling challenge. The industry is at an inflection point, with AI reshaping infrastructure demand—my role involves anticipating these shifts.
What trends or innovations in telecommunications do you think will define the industry's future?
I think there are three seismic shifts in relation to the network:
1. AI-Native Networks: Beyond automation, we will see self-optimizing systems where LLMs predict fiber faults before they occur.
2. Energy-aware Infrastructure: With data centers overtaking aviation in emissions, innovations like liquid-cooled base stations will become ROI drivers.
3. The Hyperlocal Cloud: Edge computing will force telecom players to become micro-data center operators - a pivot requiring new skills.
What has been the most rewarding project or initiative you’ve worked on so far in your career?
Playing a key role in securing a one hundred million dollar partnership with a major U.S. digital player. It underscored the power of aligning technical possibilities with business strategy.
What advice would you give to current and prospective students considering a career in telecommunications?
- Follow trends, but contextualise them. AI’s impact varies by region.
- Envision your post-graduation path early. The telecom ecosystem is shifting rapidly.
- Embrace pressure. UCL’s program prepares you for real-world challenges.
How do you see the demand for professionals in wireless and optical communications evolving in the next decade?
I do believe the demand will still be there, as hardware specialists will need software fluency (e.g., photonics engineers writing AI-driven network scripts) and Strategic Hybrids who understand both optical links and geopolitics. I feel the courses at UCL enable us to operate at this intersection.
Looking back, what skills or knowledge from your MSc have been most valuable in your career progression?
The most valuable skill from my MSc was developing crisis frameworks. UCL's intense, deadline-driven projects trained me to solve high-stakes challenges methodically. This proved critical when aligning technical feasibility, ROI timelines, and KPIs under pressure.
