La Salle Campus Barcelona is a university center with more than 100 years of history. In 1903, at La Salle Bonanova school, the Brothers of the Christian Schools launched the first industrial technical studies in Mechanics, Chemistry and Electricity. In 1965, the first group of students specializing in Electronic Equipment was established. This marked the creation of the La Salle School of Technical Telecommunications Engineering (EUETT), the first university-level telecommunications school in Catalonia.
In the 2025-26 academic year, those first Telecommunications studies celebrate their 60th anniversary. Over this time, education, technology and society have undergone countless changes. What endures is a way of doing things, a Lasallian spirit that permeates the campus and promotes a values-based education that prepares professionals to adapt to any context. Over 60 years, many engineers have graduated from La Salle Campus Barcelona. The EUETT evolved and later merged with the La Salle School of Electronic and Computer Engineering to form the current La Salle-URL Higher Techical School of Engineering (ETSELS). Since then, each decade has brought technological transformations that have impacted society, with the campus at the forefront, helping to lead and shape them while contributing to regional, economic and social development.
The seed planted by the School of Engineering sixty years ago has become one of the fundamental pillars of the campus, helping to maintain the technological identity that defines all its schools. Over time, we have become a strategic driver of growth and have expanded our academic offering in Engineering as well as in Animation and Digital Arts. These educational initiatives have fostered internationalization, talent attraction and transdisciplinarity, positioning La Salle-URL as a benchmark in technological education
Guiomar Corral, Director of the La Salle-URL School of Engineering
1970s: the first La Salle engineers and the rise of microprocessors
During the 1970s, as the first EUETT engineers graduated, the technology world was experiencing a turning point driven by circuit miniaturization and the emergence of microprocessors. The Intel 4004 is considered the first commercial microprocessor and marked the beginning of this new era. Ismael Gutierrez, a Telecommunications Engineering graduate from La Salle-URL, worked for seven years at Intel before joining Apple, where he works as an expert in cellular networks.
Cellular networks began to develop in the 1980s with 1G, and since then we have seen a new generation approximately every decade: 4G around 2010, 5G around 2020, and now we are preparing for 6G. This progress has been made possible thanks to a global research ecosystem and organizations such as 3GPP, which coordinate industry efforts and define common standards. This allows devices and services to evolve simultaneously, improving key aspects such as speed, latency and energy efficiency for both users and operators. Now, with the arrival of 6G and the expansion of artificial intelligence, an important question arises: will we continue designing networks in a traditional, step-by-step way, or will we allow AI to play a central role in design and optimization? And if so, how will we understand and validate these systems? 6G will not only be another evolution, but also a major experiment to determine how far AI can take networks beyond what engineers have achieved so far
Ismael Gutierrez, Cellular Systems Engineering & Algorithms at Apple
1980s: personal computers, video games and the birth of TV3
The 1980s were marked by the growing popularity of personal computers, the widespread adoption of the compact disc and the consolidation of video games as a global industry. In Catalonia, the decade also saw a major milestone: the launch of TV3. Alumni Marc Farrús and Natalia Prats are closely connected to these developments.
The arrival of personal computers, video games and the compact disc brought digital technology into households on a massive scale. With the popularization of personal computers, computing became democratized: it was no longer exclusive to large companies or laboratories, but accessible to the general public. The compact disc profoundly transformed the way music was experienced. Analog sound gave way to digital sound, much more precise, without degradation and easy to index. Video games also changed how many young people of my generation spent their leisure time. Their widespread adoption gave rise to an industry with enormous economic impact. Sony played a key role in all three technologies, especially in the compact disc, which it developed jointly with Philips, and in the field of video games, with the launch of the PlayStation console in the 1990s. These digital technologies likely sparked the curiosity of many young people at the time and acted as a trigger for them to pursue Engineering studies at La Salle
Marc Farrús, Hardware Technical Manager at Technica Electronics
With the birth of TV3, the audiovisual ecosystem changed in many ways: on the one hand, citizens and the country gained access to a television offering in Catalan, providing a window to content created by and for our people. Calling it “La teva” is no coincidence, it is our reason for being. From the perspective of the audiovisual sector, a key driver of the Catalan audiovisual industry emerged. The Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation, beyond producing and broadcasting content, supports and energizes film and Catalan-language productions. From a technological standpoint, it also positioned us as a driver and reference point for many other national and international broadcasters. In all of this, La Salle played a very important role. Most of the technicians who made the launch of TV3 possible came from La Salle. Conversely, some of my professors were TV3 employees. There was, and still is, a university-industry relationship that facilitated talent creation and knowledge transfer to television. I myself joined the Corporation through an internship. Young, well-trained, talented and motivated people were key to laying the foundations of what we have today
Natalia Prats, Director of Digital and Technological Infrastructures at 3Cat
1990s: the rise of mobile telephony, the inauguration of SEAT in Martorell and the Olympic Games
In the 1990s, digital mobile telephony began its real expansion, while millions of households took their first steps online through Internet connections via telephone lines. In the industrial sphere, the new SEAT plant in Martorell was inaugurated, becoming one of the most modern automotive complexes in Europe. The highlight of the decade was the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games.
The arrival of the Internet transformed the way I conducted research: it allowed me to move from a slow, manual process to a fast and efficient one. Previously, accessing the state of the art required hours of searching through specialized journals such as those of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), often in print format. With the Internet, this process was radically simplified. Keyword searches reduced hours of work to minutes and allowed me to focus on what truly matters: thinking, analyzing and creating. As a result of this approach, I developed the technology of which I am the inventor, Antenna Booster Technology for Internet of Things devices, which led to the creation of the company Ignion. Moreover, at La Salle-URL we are pioneers in training students in this disruptive technology, contributing to a better connected society and industry. Mobile telephony arrived at the right time for my research, focused on the design of very compact, multiband antennas, ideal for future mobile phones. We are talking about the late 1990s. Through my doctoral thesis, subsequent research and years in Seoul (South Korea), where I led an R&D center at Fractus, we made a decisive contribution to the transition from external “whip” antennas to more compact internal antennas integrated into mobile phones. Our technology was adopted on a massive scale worldwide
Jaume Anguera, IEEE Fellow, Founder and CTO of Ignion and Full Professor at Universitat Ramon Llull
The inauguration of the SEAT plant in Martorell in 1993 represented a structural change for the industrial fabric of Catalonia and Spain. It enabled a deep modernization of the automotive industry, incorporating advanced production processes and technological standards aligned with leading European manufacturers, within the framework of SEAT’s full integration into the Volkswagen Group. The new plant consolidated Catalonia as one of the main industrial hubs in the automotive sector, generating a strong multiplier effect on auxiliary industries and suppliers, particularly in the Baix Llobregat area. In terms of employment, Martorell concentrated thousands of direct industrial jobs in a facility designed for high production capacity and long-term sustainability, while also fostering more qualified employment linked to new technologies and production methods. Furthermore, the development of a broad ecosystem of suppliers, logistics and industrial services significantly contributed to indirect job creation in the surrounding area. The plant also strengthened the export capacity of Spanish industry and, in the context following the 1992 Olympic Games, became a symbol of the country’s economic modernization and its ability to compete industrially within Europe
Encarna Cabes, Senior Technical Audits Auditor at SEAT
2000s: 3G, the first smartphones and the RESCAT network
The 2000s brought the implementation of third-generation mobile telephony and the arrival of modern smartphones. In the field of security and emergency management, Catalonia took a decisive step with the deployment of the RESCAT network, the public radiocommunications network based on TETRA technology.
The deployment of the Emergency and Security Radiocommunications Network of Catalonia (RESCAT) in 2005 was a key strategic decision to improve the security system and emergency management. The network unified communications among the main emergency services —Mossos d’Esquadra, Firefighters, Rural Agents, local police, Civil Protection and EMS— which had previously operated with separate systems. This integration strengthened operational coordination and response capacity in crisis situations. Today, RESCAT serves around 60,000 users, covers 99% of Catalonia’s territory and handles nearly 60 million communications annually, demonstrating high reliability even in critical emergencies
Isidre Faijes, Service Delivery Manager for Digital Workplace Environment at the Catalan Telecommunications and Information Technologies Center (CTTI)
2010s: 4G, fiber optics and electric vehicles
The 2010s were marked by the arrival of 4G, fiber-to-the-home connectivity and the European Galileo navigation system. At the same time, the automotive sector underwent a transformation driven by electrification, connectivity and autonomous driving.
I graduated in 1988 and I remain closely connected to La Salle, particularly through its Business Council, of which we are members and one of the founding companies. In addition, I was president of the Alumni community between 2003 and 2008. Over the years, we have promoted all kinds of joint activities and projects, with technology always as the common thread. I would say that the main technological change of the last 20 years has been the development of artificial intelligence, and that the technological revolution of the coming years will be quantum technologies
Andreu Vilamitjana, General Manager of CISCO Spain and Portugal
2020s: AI, cybersecurity, MareNostrum 5 and the new space race
The 2020s are shaped by accelerated digitalization: 5G, fiber optics and artificial intelligence. In addition, Barcelona has strengthened its strategic role with the launch of MareNostrum 5, one of the most advanced and versatile supercomputers in the world serving the scientific community. Meanwhile, electric vehicles are experiencing unprecedented growth, in a context where cybersecurity has become a key concern for companies and space agencies are intensifying exploration projects.
During my years at La Salle (1998–2004), the technological advancement that most impacted me was the consolidation of digital communications, especially mobile communications and satellite communications. At the university, I experienced the introduction of advanced coding techniques and improvements in radiofrequency spectrum management. Digital signal processing became a key tool in my education at La Salle, ultimately shaping my professional path. Studying at La Salle provided me with a very solid technical foundation, opening the door to working at the European Space Agency’s control center (ESOC), as well as giving me a structured way of thinking, problem-solving and teamwork. The combination of theory and practice prepared me very well to adapt to demanding, multicultural and constantly evolving environments. This education was essential to work in an institution such as the European Space Agency, where strong engineering foundations, rigor, innovation and teamwork are required
Gabriela Ravera, Ground Operations Manager at the European Space Agency
