DC15 — Responsive Telecom Edge Sites Aggregated as Virtual Power Plants

Host: TDC NET, Denmark — mobile and radio-access-network team. The PhD degree is awarded by Technical University of Denmark (DTU).
Work package: WP3 (Fleet Operations and Industrial Validation)
Duration and start: 36 months, full-time; start between February and September 2027 (latest start September 2027).

The project

In this project you test the whole AEGIS platform in a live telecom site that runs both mobile-network functions and general AI workloads. This is the industrial pilot of the network.

You will show how the software-defined datacenter platform can coordinate these two very different kinds of work, delivering grid flexibility while never breaking the strict availability that a mobile network requires.

What you will work on:

• Develop xApps and rApps for the Open RAN RIC to change the power of telecom network functions.
• Build controllers that manage general AI workloads on the site’s Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) platform.
• Create one flexibility API that exposes the combined flexibility of both workload types to the fleet orchestrator.

What you will deliver:

• A set of validated control applications for the RIC and MEC platforms that can change site energy without affecting service.
• A public report on the coordinated control methods in the TDC pilot, including the potential for MW-scale flexibility while keeping network-availability targets.

Secondments

You will spend two research visits with partners in the network:

• Cellnex Telecom (Spain) — 3 months from around January 2028 (industry), with Mila Rey Porto: study what it takes to pool flexibility from a large fleet of telecom sites so they can take part in European energy markets.
• Technical University of Denmark (DTU) (Lyngby, Denmark) — 3 months from around January 2029 (academic), with Paul Pop: connect the TDC pilot environment with the fleet orchestration and control platform.

The host

TDC NET runs Denmark’s leading mobile network and works on energy-efficient radio access networks. The PhD degree is awarded by DTU, where you are enrolled through the Network Technologies group at DTU Electro.

You will be employed by TDC NET and enrolled for your PhD at Technical University of Denmark (DTU) (Lyngby, Denmark).

Supervision

Main supervisor: Henrik Christiansen (ORCID) — Senior Mobile RAN Architect, TDC NET; former Associate Professor at DTU. He works on energy-efficient 5G networks and radio-access-network architecture.

Co-supervisors:

• Mila Rey Porto — Cellnex Telecom
• Paul Pop (ORCID) — Technical University of Denmark

Profile we are looking for

• Mobile networks and telecom (Open RAN, MEC)
• Software and control
• MSc (completed or near completion) in telecommunications, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field
• Curiosity, initiative, and good spoken and written English

You must also meet the MSCA eligibility rules — no PhD yet, the mobility rule, and open to all nationalities.

How to apply

Official vacancy at the host institution: link coming soon.

Until then, apply through the central AEGIS application portal: AEGIS application portal (reference position DC15), and read what to include in your application.

Questions about this position? Contact the coordinator, Prof. Paul Pop, aegis@compute.dtu.dk.