Dr. Rikin Thakker is the Vice President of Telecommunications and Spectrum Policy at the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC). He possesses over 15 years of experience in the field of cellular and wireless communications. He has helped design, deploy, and maintain cell sites with 3G and 4G technologies for major cellular operators in the United States. He also advises operators, regulators, OEMs, and vendors around the world on 5G strategies including densification, spectrum allocation, and broadband deployment. Dr. Thakker serves as the subject-matter expert (SME) for MMTC’s joint Department of Labor (DOL) contract with the National Urban League and the Wireless Infrastructure Association under the ApprenticeshipUSA initiative.
Dr. Thakker is also a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). He has designed several graduate level courses related to Cellular Network Infrastructure, Wi-Fi Technologies, and DAS/Small Cells for the Master’s in Telecommunication program at UMD. He received Instructor of the Year award in 2018 and 2014. He is also an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University’s (GWU) Ph.D. in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering (EMSE) program.
Dr. Thakker is also a co-founder of RF Academics – an initiative started by a group of elite professors to cater to the industry’s need of quality education and consulting services at corporate speed. Dr. Thakker chairs the Education and Training Working Group at the Innovation and Technology Council of WIA (Wireless Infrastructure Association, formerly PCIA). He also serves on the Editorial Review Board for the International Journal of System Dynamics Application (IJSDA). Dr. Thakker earned his Ph.D. in Systems Engineering with a concentration in Mobile Communications and Spectrum Management from GWU, and his M.S. in Telecommunications from UMD.