The Future X Network: A Bell Labs Perspective

We are at the dawn of an era in networking that has the potential to define a new phase of human existence. This era will be shaped by the digitization and connection of everything and everyone with the goal of automating much of life, effectively creating time by maximizing the efficiency of everything we do and augmenting our intelligence with knowledge that expedites and optimizes decision-making and everyday routines and processes.

The Future X Network: A Bell Labs Perspective outlines how Bell Labs sees this future unfolding and the key technological breakthroughs needed at both the architectural and systems levels. Each chapter of the book is dedicated to a major area of change and the network and systems innovation required to realize the technological revolution that will be the essential product of this new digital future.

Marcus Weldon, is the president of Bell Labs and chief technology officer of Alcatel-Lucent. Marcus holds a BS in chemistry and computer science from King’s College, London, and a PhD in physical chemistry from Harvard University. In 1995 he joined the Physics Division at AT&T Bell Labs as a post-doctoral researcher, before becoming a Member of Technical Staff in the Optical Materials Division. Dr. Weldon won a series of scientific and engineering society awards for his work on electronic and optical materials, and holds numerous patents related to that work.

In 2005 he moved from research to hold a variety of CTO roles in different business divisions, before becoming the Corporate CTO with responsibility for defining the future direction of the industry and the associated evolution of the Alcatel-Lucent portfolio. He became the thirteenth President of Bell Labs in December 2013. He is a member of the Executive Board of ATIS (Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions) and a member of the FCC Open Internet Advisory Committee.