Change is in the air

“Every morning when I wake up I ask myself the same question: how can we use the right mix of technologies, processes, ideas and people to build stronger, more prosperous and, most importantly, safer societies?”

So says Peter Clemons, head of UK-based communications consultancy Quixoticity. Clemons is well known to Australian audiences through the pages of Critical Comms magazine and his addresses at Comms Connect conferences.

“For over 20 years now, since writing my first TETRA report back in 1996, my main focus has been public safety and critical communications,” writes Clemons in a new LinkedIn article that assesses the state of play of critical communications, and introduces the new Quixoticity Index — “a new vehicle for promoting best-practice & innovative new business models for public safety and critical communications users”.

“Change is in the air,” says Clemons. “We are tip-toeing our way from a well-known, well-understood, tried and tested land mobile radio world of VHF, UHF, TETRA, P25 and other narrowband voice-and-optimised data technologies towards a converged, hyper-connected 5G world of infinite possibilities.

“Such a daunting task will not be completed in one year, two years or even 5 more years.”

In his article, Clemons looks in detail at those coming changes, especially 5G, and makes some sensible predictions:

• Government bureaucrats and civil servants will no longer be able to impose suboptimal solutions on the end-user community;
• Equipment suppliers will no longer be able to tie network operators or end users into expensive long-term contracts with carefully crafted and concealed proprietary solutions; and
• Network operators will no longer be able to overcharge end users for services they don’t need or use.

Clemons says the industry should commit itself to “delivering a truly user-centric vision of critical communications, whatever the obstacles”.

“I believe such a vision is now within our reach if we understand — and are able to grasp — 5G’s true potential.

“My company, Quixoticity is working with a model of global critical communications that looks out to 2030 as a realistic date for our community to have successfully completed this transition. But, of course, we cannot wait for the time to pass and opportunities — and lives — to be lost. We must start today.”

You can read the full article on LinkedIn.

Pictured: Peter Clemons. Image courtesy Comms Connect.

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