As Director of Spectrum and Standards for EchoStar Corporation, Munira’s focus is on advancing satellite technology to be part of the next generation of integrated networks across the 5G ecosystem. In this capacity Munira plays an active role at 3GPP and other forums in contributing to and advocating for non-terrestrial networks (NTN) to be included in the 5G specifications and its evolution towards 6G. Along with others satellite stakeholders, Munira helped lead the successful effort to gain approval for work items leading to the completion of NTN-NR and NTN-IoT specifications in 3GPP Rel-17. Prior to EchoStar, Munira served as a senior advisor developing business and technical strategy for the design and execution of deployment plans for FirstNet, the US nationwide public safety LTE broadband network, incorporating both terrestrial and non-terrestrial solutions.
Earlier in her career Munira held various key positions with telecom and technology organizations including Sprint Nextel, Lockheed Martin, and LCC International. Her roles included managing and participating in numerous wireless deployment and spectrum management projects. Munira is currently Chair of the Standards Working Group of Global Satellite Operator Association (GSOA) https://gsoasatellite.com. She received her MBA from the George Washington University and holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. She also holds a PMP certification from the Project Management Institute.