AT&T exec tapped to chair the Small Cell Forum

The London-based Small Cell Forum has appointed AT&T’s director of RAN product information, David Orloff, as the new chairman of the industry group.
Small Cell Forum advocates for adoption of small cell technology and solutions, along with integrated hetnets, with an emphasis on enterprise digitalization. The carrier-led group further focuses on small cell/Wi-Fi integration, self-organization network tech, small cell virtualization, neutral host networks and integration of the above into “5G.”
Orloff replaces Forum Chairman Alan Law. Small Cell Forum CEO Sue Monahan said: ““I would like to thank Alan Law for his stellar leadership at a critical time for the industry. Small cells have made enormous progress and are set to be the primary enabler of future networks for enterprise, dense urban and rural services. The Forum under Alan’s leadership over the last two years has been a major catalyst for that growth, but there are still many challenges ahead. I know David, with his deep level of experience of this industry and passion for the technology, will be the ideal person to take the Forum’s work even further.”
Orloff previously served as AT&T’s director of small cell platforms. He said the Small Cell Forum’s work around integration and density will be instrumental in the ongoing development of a 5G standard.
“There are a lot of smart people out there working on access technology for 5G,” he said. “Small Cell Forum is focused on delivering the enabling technologies and architecture to ensure the automation, service delivery and interoperability required to make 5G a success. I am honored to take this role at an extremely exciting time for small cells, which are now poised to be the foundation of the dense hetnet and of 5G architectures.”