In a world that seems to spin faster and faster, it is sometimes necessary to stop and reflect on the continuous telecom race. In September this year, I will have been working in the telecoms industry for 25 years – that’s a sort of milestone for me, well, for anyone, I guess. As you know, 25 years in this industry is when we have seen a gigantic evolution of technology in telecoms.
The first ever fax in car solution
In 1994, when I started in the industry, I went to a trade fair to learn more. At that show, Ericsson showed revolutionary technology. The first car-mounted fax machine was on display—a machine for your car that could receive fax messages. Once installed in your vehicle, it would receive the fax via the mobile networks. So then you did not have to go to the office to read your faxes. 25 years ago. All this became possible with GSM technology. The GSM technology was also getting cheaper at that time, meaning young people like me could buy the first mobile phone with one of my first salaries.
It was just an accident
I got into the business by accident, but at the same time, I found it incredibly easy to relate to the technology. One of my teachers at school was a cheerful and enthusiastic radio amateur who taught us all about antenna technology and radio engineering, and I felt I was passionate about that too. My new job involved selling radio-based links and antennas, and I quickly realised I was in the right place! I still feel incredibly strongly about antenna technology and wireless transmission through enthusiastic partners and suppliers. After all, the basic technology is the same and my desire to find the best solution for the customer’s needs remains.
Over these 25 years, I have seen 3G, 4G, and now soon 5G networks predicted, standardised and rolled out. And you can expect that within 4-5 years, we will start talking about 6G. 6G will be launched in 2030 ±1 year if you are interested in my scouting for the future. Otherwise, I think the big challenge we have in the coming years is to make the communication networks more energy efficient and to take responsibility for the climate and compensate for what the networks cost in environmental impact. Has anyone heard a single operator talk about that so far?
I like to say that I still go to the same job after 25 years even though my role and the market has changed. It’s a fun evolution I want to continue to be part of! If I could make a difference, enthusiastic teachers, help an incredible amount to get interested and motivation up at an early stage, and that’s a big key to the success of future professionals.