To predict future trends

Petri started as a trainee at Sonera in the spring of 1995, so he has worked here for seven years.
- My job at Sonera has to do with broadband backbone networks. I'm in charge of a team whose task is to develop Sonera's backbone networks. The job requires expertise in various network technologies, theoretical knowledge and naturally also familiarity with customer needs, says Petri.

All telecommunications services require transmission networks. The task of the team is to find the most efficient implementation alternatives for offering the company's services. As a rule, the customers give directions to the development, but part of the development is always hidden from the customers, often being based solely on technology.

Specific requirements

Working with networks is like maintaining and continuously fine-tuning a big 'machine'. The basic requirements and guidelines are set by financial realities, partly by standardization and equipment manufacturers.

- We should know and be able to predict future trends beforehand, and we should be able to respond to them at exactly the right moment. We conduct dialogue with several equipment manufacturers on a daily basis as we look for different solutions for our network and try to determine when is the right time to do something, says Petri.

Ability learn more important than education

Irrespective of educational background, the thing that matters is the individual's ability to develop oneself, to adopt new things quickly, as well as to have IT and telecommunications expertise. On the other hand, in order that the team could develop something new, they must know Sonera's current network solutions well. Also, the team's cooperation network within Sonera must work well.

- Developing new things always includes learning new things, so fast learners catch on fairly quickly even if they do not have much advance experience. The engineering students in our team are a good example, says Petri.

Adopting new knowledge essential

- Thinking about my years of study, the thing that has benefited me the most has been the ability to learn, for my current job is constant learning. Studying at the university's faculty of technology was, for me, very much self-directed learning. Searching for information - either by yourself or in a group - and adopting and analysing new knowledge are also essential in my current job.

Sonera is a very versatile place of work. Thinking about technology, Sonera deal here with larger wholes than those employed by equipment manufacturers, for example. At individual level, you can find a challenge by focusing on a special sector or expanding your expertise to extend across various sectors or technologies.