Perspectives

Abstract

by Stéphane Téral
April 15, 2025

Last week, I had the enormous once in a lifetime privilege of attending Nokia Bell Labs 100-year anniversary, at the one and only Bell Labs in Murray Hill, NJ, where it moved from New York City 80 years ago. I was one of the 200 distinguished guests, including Nokia customers, partners, press, investors, analysts, U.S. government officials (including US DoD and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy), local ecosystem leaders, Nobel Laureates, Turing Award winners, university leaders, former Bell Labs interns like Eric Schmidt (former Google CEO/Chairman) and Andrea Goldsmith (Dean of Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science and soon to be President of Princeton University), industry representatives; and 300 on-site staff to savor this unforgettable event. What a blast!

A tremendous honor to be part of this celebration. Walking through the hallways and corridors of this historical campus was a thrilling experience. As Claude E. Shannon puts it:
“The essential seclusion and isolation of Bell Labs has both advantages and disadvantages. It eliminates a good many time-wasting visitors but at the same time prevents many interesting contacts.”


The morning started with Nokia’s CNS (Cloud and Network Services) strategy session followed by a series of demos and ended with a guided tour of technology showcase including the museum and the Nobel Prize wall. Distinguished speakers and panel discussions kept us busy in the afternoon. The agenda was packed and I’m still digesting and processing the information I was exposed to, some being under NDA. Overall, I would sum up the whole event with 3 key themes: quantum, AI and 6G.

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