Q&A with Scott Kelton
1. How does your prior work experience relate to this position?
I’ve tried to experience as many different roles during my 22 years in the wireless industry as I could, be it from the client, supplier, technology equipment vendor or wireless user perspective. It’s much easier to empathise and understand a client’s requirements if you can put yourself in their position. We can bridge the gap between the wireless industry and the users by understanding their particular needs and explaining the options available to assist them.
2. What do you see as the most significant challenges and opportunities facing the wireless industry today?
In some ways, the challenges remain similar to how they have always been. Technology users want and often expect the ubiquitous service promised to them by the marketing and technology sector hype, while the technology industry tries to cope with the expectations upon them, on a budget. Through an exchange of knowledge and experience, we can help both sides.
3. What’s been your most successful/interesting project for RW so far and why?
Using the experience I gained working on Wembley Stadium when that was built, the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’s new stadium project from 2014 to 2019 was the most interesting and challenging project so far. They provided us with the opportunity to define, scope and implement an array of wireless technologies from the very inception of the development and retained us to manage them all the way through to handover and operation. Working with a client who put technology at the heart of their new stadium venue and was willing to invest the time and effort to truly plan it from the beginning was a fantastic opportunity. The scale and technical challenges of the project were immense, but the results were more than worth it in the end.
4. What’s your vision for how wireless technology will benefit users, businesses and economies in the next five years?
Benefits to using high-quality and reliable wireless technology will continue to strengthen and emerge, particularly as standalone 5G becomes the norm and the new Wi-Fi standards emerge. For this to be really successful, it will take significant efforts from the wireless industry, particularly the carriers and vendors, to help ensure the benefits versus the whole life investment levels in wireless technology are transparent.
5. What advice would you give to somebody at the start of their career thinking about going into the wireless industry?
Go for it. The opportunities are boundless. Try to move around the industry if you can, so you get to experience the challenges and capabilities of the numerous stakeholders. The industry is always evolving and has the ability to impact on so many areas of society and the way we lead our lives. I enjoy being a part of it and I’m always looking forward to the next “big thing” that will shape our futures.
