Hello, I’m Yiannis, a Telco Solution Architect focused on 5G Core, Policy & Charging, and cloud-native transformation.
I enjoy turning complex telecom challenges into clear, scalable solutions with real-world impact.
Who I am
I hold an Industrial Ph.D. in Signal Theory and Communications from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, awarded Cum Laude, an MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology, and an Integrated Master’s in Information and Communication Systems Engineering from the University of the Aegean.
Over the years, I have worked across research and industry international projects, based in Greece and Spain, contributing to projects in 5G, MEC, network slicing, and cloud-native network optimization. My research has been published in international journals and conferences and has received more than 260 citations.
My degrees
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Telecommunications Engineering
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
2018 – 2023
PhD in Signal Theory and Communications, focusing on 5G and Edge Computing technologies
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Quantic School of Business and Technology
2022 – 2023
Completed an innovative online MBA program focused on strategic leadership, analytics, and digital transformation.
Master of Engineering – Information and Communication Systems Engineering
University of the Aegean
2008 – 2014
Specialized in Computer, Telecommunication, and Network Technologies.
My Journey
Today…
Telecom Core Solution Architect
Madrid, Spain · May 2024 – Present
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☑️ Own end-to-end (E2E) solution architecture for Policy & Charging transformation programs (legacy → 5G SA) across 6 markets, aligning Operating Companies (OpCos) requirements with Group governance and multi-vendor (e.g., Nokia, Oracle, Mavenir) constraints
☑️ Lead E2E Policy architecture decisions, driving High-Level Design (HLD) standardization, interface alignment, and operational readiness across multi-vendor deployments.
☑️ Establish CaaS capacity guardrails and engineering limits, translating platform constraints into scalable resource allocation rules that protect service stability and performance.
☑️ Govern E2E lifecycle management (LCM) planning for Policy products and supporting platforms (e.g., VMware / OpenShift), coordinating upgrade readiness, compatibility validation and risk mitigations.
☑️ Shape RFQs and vendor roadmap alignment, contributing to evaluation criteria, solution trade-offs and design-to-cost decisions.
☑️ Perform feasibility and cost–benefit assessments for new capabilities, translating business requests into implementable architectures and proposing pragmatic alternatives when needed.
Solution Authority - Core Design & Engineering
Madrid, Spain · May 2022 – May 2024
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☑️ Acted as solution authority for Vodafone Spain’s 5G SA Core rollout, serving as the primary technical bridge between local engineering teams, Vodafone Group, and vendors to drive design sign-off and go-live readiness.
☑️ Drove technical governance for core functions, contributing to capacity definitions (cBOMs) and HLD discussions for Policy & Charging while ensuring local requirements aligned with Group standards and platform constraints.
☑️ Architected and led the E2E technical design for Private and Hybrid Mobile Private Network (MPN) solutions across 3 European markets, leveraging multi-vendor ecosystems (e.g., Ericsson, Huawei, Athonet) and directly supporting a €13M contract win (2023).
☑️ Oversaw engineering delivery and acceptance testing for MEC-enabled solutions with AWS, aligning integration scope, acceptance criteria, and stakeholder implementation alignment for deployment.
☑️ Enabled the transition to cloud-native 5G Core architectures by driving structured knowledge transfer and technical upskilling for legacy 4G-oriented teams.
Telco Platform Orchestrator Developer
Barcelona, Spain · Jan 2021 – Sep 2021
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☑️ Built early-stage interworking and traffic-steering components for a proprietary 5G orchestrator, supporting feasibility work around Casa Systems PCRF integration.
☑️ Automated CI/CD workflows and improved pipeline reliability, reducing manual steps and accelerating release cadence for customer deliveries.
☑️ Delivered internal enablement on 5G policy concepts, improving design consistency and team execution.
☑️ Automated orchestration workflows to reduce manual configuration time.
☑️ Assisted in proof-of-concept demos for strategic 5G pilot projects.
Endorsements
Although Ioannis joined the PCRF/PCF engineering area relatively recently, he quickly took ownership of an impressive and growing number of tasks. He delivered comprehensive analyses on CPU usage limits, charging migration, and product compatibility, always showing high quality, collaboration, and willingness to share knowledge across teams.”
Marco Vecchiato, Supplier & Roadmap Management Senior Engineer, Vodafone IT, 2025
“Ioannis has shown strong leadership and critical thinking when tackling innovation challenges, from Mobile Private Networks to MEC deployment on AWS. He contributes with vision, explores new ways of working, and helps teams move forward by combining technical insight, business value, and collaborative spirit.”
María Purificación Puebla, Specialist Demand Manager, Vodafone SP, 2023
During his PhD, Ioannis proved to be an exceptional doctoral researcher, combining strong analytical thinking, technical depth, and a highly independent working style. He produced high-quality research outputs, including strong publications in 5G, MEC, cost-aware Network Function placement and lifecycle management, with clear academic impact and strong citation performance. He led the development of innovative experimental testbeds, ran extensive validation experiments, and evaluated 5G-oriented optimization algorithms with both theoretical and practical relevance. His ability to transform complex research problems into concrete, reproducible engineering results made him a valuable member of the research group and a pleasure to supervise.
Angelos Antonopoulos, Research and Innovation Director, Nearby Computing, 2022
“Alerta (Nagios alerting) was a clear success story, and Yiannis’ involvement in the project was critical. He provided requirements, tested and troubleshot issues, coordinated with internal teams and external vendors, and handled challenges in the right way. Throughout the year, he brought quality to the position and the team while also mentoring colleagues and supporting difficult monitoring and troubleshooting tasks.”
Giorgos Atsaros, Support Manager, Upstream Systems, 2017
My published research sits at the intersection of 5G networks, MEC, network slicing, VNF placement, and cost-aware network optimization. This work helped shape my technical foundation and continues to influence how I approach complex telecom challenges in industry: breaking problems down clearly, evaluating trade-offs, and designing solutions that can work beyond theory.
Although my focus has since shifted toward telecom core architecture and cloud-native network transformation, my research continues to be cited internationally, with more than 260 citations to date. For me, this reflects not only academic output, but also the long-term relevance of applied research when it is grounded in real engineering problems.
