I have worked in just about every geographical market, with almost all the major suppliers, operators and end-users in our space. I have always believed that one day all communications will be critical to societies, economies and our general health & well-being. However, I found that there was a huge void in interest, knowledge and investment between the enormous commercial space and the niche critical space that needs to be bridged if we are to develop the secure, reliable, always available future solutions required by all global citizens – solutions that the critical communications industry understands very well. I believe Quixoticity can fill this gap.

I have been spending a lot of time recently in the Middle East, in particular, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and even more recently, Dubai, understanding more about the requirements of public safety & national security agencies, helping out mission-critical communications-focused operators such as Bravo and developing a new framework to understand critical communications in emerging markets. Many global standards bodies, institutions and associations tend to be very Eurocentric or focused on already-developed markets. There is an exciting new world out there beyond the main global centres that is developing very quickly and can contribute new ideas and new ways of seeing the world.

Perhaps Quixoticity’s most ambitious project, now reaching a critical stage in its development, is the Quixoticity Global Index which will rank a wide range of markets, organisations and solutions according to their visions & maturity as we move from a predominantly “2G world” of TETRA/P25/DMR towards a new fully convergent world circa 2030. Is there one particular path from one world to the next? If not, then how many might there be and which ones might be quantitatively or qualitatively better than others? Hopefully, if this work succeeds, the Quixoticity Index will be a valuable additional tool for Governments, suppliers, operators, end-users & fellow analysts, investors etc.

The future is always a source of endless possibilities. The world seems to be an increasingly complex, confusing and dangerous place, but this is also a sign that we are transitioning perhaps faster than we had previously imagined towards a new world fit for the generations to come. While we must, of course, make sure we hold on to those technologies and solutions that provide us with stability and continuity – especially within the naturally conservative field of critical communications – the rapidly emerging and converging 5G space of 2020s/2030s will be infinitely better than our present reality. So I am looking forward to all the exciting new services and applications within the spheres of security, public safety, mobility, automation, AI/ML, VR/AR that will provide us with greater knowledge and support to cope with the unforeseen challenges of living in future smart, safe cities and nations.