In an interview, Monojit Samaddar, Country Director, VIAVI, speaks with TimesTech about the technologies transforming next-generation connectivity. He discusses the growing adoption of hollow core fiber, AI-driven data center evolution, AI-native RAN testing, quantum-safe cybersecurity, and the changing priorities in the Test & Measurement industry. The conversation highlights how advanced validation and assurance are becoming critical to building resilient, high-performance digital infrastructure.
Read the full interview here:
TimesTech: As hollow core fiber adoption gains momentum, which application areas are expected to drive growth, and how is the ecosystem addressing challenges related to performance validation and long-term reliability?
Monojit: Hollow Core Fiber (HCF) is rapidly gaining adoption in applications where ultra-low latency, high bandwidth, and secure communication are essential. Key use cases include AI and high-performance computing, data center interconnects, quantum communications, defense and secure networks, high-frequency financial trading, and next-generation smart city, edge computing, and 5G/6G infrastructure deployments — all benefiting from the speed, low signal delay, and enhanced security enabled by air-guided fiber technology.
As hollow core fiber transitions from innovation to deployment, performance validation becomes mission-critical. Operators must verify latency, attenuation, dispersion, and end-to-end transmission performance with absolute confidence to realize the full potential of HCF—ultra-fast, ultra-efficient, and highly reliable connectivity at scale.
Earlier this year, VIAVI announced the industry’s first all-in-one medium and long-range bidirectional testing and certification solution for HCF. Combining high-precision OTDR-based fiber characterization with advanced analysis of chromatic dispersion (CD), polarization mode dispersion (PMD), and attenuation, VIAVI delivers complete visibility across short, metro, and long-haul networks.
TimesTech: How are AI-driven data center architectures evolving to support the rapid shift from 400G to 800G and 1.6T infrastructures, and what role do test and assurance play in ensuring performance and reliability across complex environments?
Monojit: AI data centers are scaling at unprecedented speed, driven by the explosive growth of generative AI, machine learning, and high-performance computing workloads. As infrastructure rapidly transitions from 400G to 800G and advances toward 1.6T architectures, the underlying Ethernet and optical layers are becoming significantly more complex, tightly integrated, and performance-critical. This evolution places stringent demands on ultra-low latency, extreme bandwidth density, and continuous validation across the entire lifecycle—from lab and manufacturing environments through deployment and live network operation.
VIAVI is a key enabler of this transformation, delivering end-to-end test, measurement, and assurance solutions purpose-built for hyperscale and AI-driven data center ecosystems. VIAVI helps operators validate high-speed optical and Ethernet connectivity, ensure seamless interoperability across multi-vendor environments, and maintain consistent performance as networks scale in size, speed, and complexity.
As AI workloads grow exponentially, hyperscale data centers demand ultra-high-speed, reliable Ethernet fabrics capable of handling massive, bursty traffic with near-zero packet loss. VIAVI’s comprehensive testing solutions spanning layers 0-7 ensure infrastructure keeps pace with AI-driven demand. In close collaboration with hyperscale operators and ecosystem partners, VIAVI delivers next-generation high-speed Ethernet component validation in R&D and manufacturing, advanced AI data center assessment and validation, as well as security and performance validation for application-aware networking devices.
From initial build and turn-up through continuous assurance and long-term optimization, VIAVI provides end-to-end visibility and lifecycle validation—ensuring AI data center infrastructure is not only scalable, but engineered for sustained, high-performance operation.
TimesTech: As AI adoption accelerates across RAN environments, what role does VIAVI see the AI RSG playing in standardizing the testing, validation, and assurance of AI-driven network functions to ensure reliable and high-performing networks?
Monojit: TeraVM AI RAN Scenario Generator (AI RSG) is redefining how AI-native 5G and future 6G networks are designed, validated, and optimized. As RAN environments grow more complex, AI RSG enables autonomous, self-optimizing network operations that enhance Quality of Experience (QoE) while reducing operational complexity, energy consumption, and spectrum inefficiencies through intelligent automation and power optimization.
Built on a powerful digital twin framework, VIAVI’s TeraVM AI RSG emulates real-world and synthetic network conditions across 4G, 5G, emerging 6G, and non-terrestrial networks (NTN). It enables scalable AI/ML model training for advanced technologies such as massive MIMO, while supporting up to 10,000 UE instances and thousands of cells per server. With flexible deployment across Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, Azure, and GCP, the platform enables scalable and efficient testing for RAN vendors, CSPs, and application developers.
TeraVM AI RSG also accelerates Open RAN and AI-native network innovation by generating realistic RAN datasets for SON (Self-Organizing Networks), rApps, and xApps, while enabling benchmarking and validation of RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) performance. Its highly configurable scenarios — including UE and cell diversity, spectrum bands, mobility patterns, GIS-based mapping, traffic models, and anomaly injection — deliver a realistic environment for validating next-generation network architectures, improving reliability, and driving faster innovation at scale.
TimesTech: With growing concerns around quantum-era cybersecurity threats, how is VIAVI contributing to the industry’s preparedness for quantum-safe network security?
Monojit: Quantum-safe communications are rapidly evolving from a research initiative into a strategic industry imperative, driven by advances in Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), hybrid QKD-PQC security models, satellite-based cryptography, and architectures that bridge classical and quantum-secure networks. As quantum computing capabilities accelerate, these technologies are reshaping the future of secure communications and redefining long-term cybersecurity strategies.
The core challenge with post-quantum cryptography and quantum-safe architectures is not only algorithmic strength, but proving end-to-end performance, interoperability, and resilience under real network conditions. VIAVI addresses this through an integrated portfolio spanning the physical layer, network scale, and operational intelligence.
At the physical layer, VIAVI uses advanced optical test infrastructure such as the VIAVI MAP-300 platform to emulate real-world photonic environments. This enables recreation of production-grade fiber conditions, controlled introduction of impairments, and validation of next-generation transport systems including 400G and 800G networks. This ensures quantum-safe architectures remain stable under true optical stress.
At the network and security layer, VIAVI’s software platforms—TeraVM Security and CyberFlood—enable large-scale emulation of realistic user behavior and attack traffic. These systems can simulate tens of thousands of users, allowing rigorous stress testing of post-quantum cryptographic implementations under production-like load, ensuring PQC is not only secure but also scalable, performant, and interoperable in hybrid environments.
VIAVI delivers end-to-end test, validation, and assurance capabilities required for quantum-safe networks through a portfolio of interoperable solutions spanning remote fiber testing and monitoring, real-time intrusion and environmental sensing, 400G/800G field validation, and AI-driven threat detection and automated response. Working at the forefront of industry collaboration and standards development, VIAVI is accelerating the shift from quantum-safe innovation to real-world deployment.
TimesTech: What are the major trends currently shaping the Test & Measurement industry, and how are they influencing technology innovation and customer priorities?
Monojit: The Test and Measurement (T&M) industry is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by automation, digitalization, and the accelerating demands of high-performance, mission-critical networks. Technologies such as quantum-safe communications, resilient Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), 6G, Open RAN and AI-RAN, high-performance computing (HPC), and AI-driven data center architectures are redefining how next-generation networks are designed, validated, secured, and optimized.
AI-centric infrastructure is driving unprecedented growth in network scale and bandwidth demand, with data centers rapidly evolving from 400G to 800G and advancing toward 1.6T architectures. Training and inference at scale are driving unprecedented demand for 400G, 800G and 1.6T Ethernet and optical technologies. Open RAN and AI-native RAN architectures are reshaping 5G and paving the path to 6G through multivendor innovation and intelligent automation. At the same time, quantum-safe communications and secure GNSS-based timing technologies are transitioning from research initiatives into operational deployment, creating new requirements for interoperability, synchronization, resilience, and cybersecurity assurance.
As telecom, hyperscale, semiconductor, aerospace, automotive, and critical infrastructure networks become increasingly software-defined, distributed, and AI-driven, the demand for intelligent test, validation, and assurance solutions continues to intensify. VIAVI addresses these challenges through comprehensive test and measurement, and resilient PNT solutions that enable organizations to accelerate innovation, ensure performance and security, and maintain operational confidence across the evolving digital ecosystem.
