Cambridge Wireless experts make 2015 predictions

Claus Bentsden, Head of Computational Biology, Astra Zeneca (Academic / Industry SIG): It will be really interesting to see if there is a step change wearables in 2015 – the Apple watch launch and evolution will be interesting to follow and there is plenty of room for tech innovation here such as flexible touch screens. Maybe less sexy and consumer oriented – but it feels like proteomics is about to take off big time. Will we finally be able to effectively quantify the proteome at the single cell level? Possible implications include disruptive innovation regarding our understanding of biology and our ability to deliver life changing medicines.  And 2015 will be the year of anything, anywhere, on any device with further steps towards being truly agnostic about where your information is – probably with much more press focusing on security.

David Chambers, Founder and Senior Analyst, ThinkSmallCell (Small Cell SIG): During 2015 mobile network operators will put in place the foundations for phase timing for LTE, to enable full HetNet operation of features such as eICIC, eMBMS and CoMP. This establishes the groundwork for highly efficient densification combining macrocells and small cells to achieve the highest coverage, capacity and spectral efficiency that meets the demands of future wireless data traffic growth.

Kevin Coleman, Managing Director, Alliantus (Business SIG): Device focus will switch to wearables, especially Apple iWatch.

Timothy Cook,  Head of Strategic Business Development, Arqiva (Digital Delivery and Content SIG): 4K/UHD standards will be defined.

Giuliano Marciocci, Senior Staff User Experience Manager, Qualcomm (User Experience SIG): Virtual Reality will heat up as a new medium for delivering interactive experiences, with new players coming onto the market to join Samsung and Oculus VR. This will intensify a discussion on how the new medium can be used to deliver learning, shopping and entertainment and its potential impact for gaming and storytelling. 

Zahid Ghadialy, Managing Director, eXplanoTech (Small Cell SIG): Wearables will continue to disappoint in 2015 and won’t take off in huge numbers.

John Haine, Innovation Coordinator, u-blox UK (Radio Technology SIG): 2015 will be the year where the wireless industry discovers that it needs a new technology for Internet of Things communications.  At the moment there is a hotch-potch of short range solutions that need a smartphone or similar gateway; proprietary systems that have limited functionality and/or coverage and capacity; and cellular, designed for voice and mobile broadband, which is too expensive and uses too much energy for applications that have to live in the field for years or decades.  Attention will suddenly focus on standards for wide-area ‘one hop’ communications that can connect billions of simple sensors and actuators, wherever they are, at low cost and lasting for years on a simple battery.

Nick Hunn, CTO, WiFore Consulting (Connected Devices SIG): The Apple iWatch will arrive, although probably later than expected.  Despite a tsunami of other wearable products appearing, it will take up around 75% of the media coverage and may be the product upon which the market decides whether wearables are worth pursuing.

Collette Johnson, Business Development Manager, Healthcare, Plextek Consulting (Healthcare SIG):  We will see the use of virtual reality in consumer systems for experiential retail.

Dana Pavel, General Partner, TecVis LP (Big Data SIG): 2015 will bring even more movement towards personal wellbeing, through more sophisticated data gathering and processing systems as well as through increased efforts towards integrating personal healthcare with existing healthcare systems. This could also involve new business models, hopefully some more focused on preserving data ownership, while also enabling more sharing with various parties.

Tim Phipps, Business Development, Wireless Cambridge Consultants (Security and Defence SIG): 5G will be claimed to include faster-than-light artificial intelligence / technology innovation and convergence will drive a big shake-out in the wireless networks industry; small cells, SDN, SDR and 5G will lead to dramatic new winners and losers.

Antony Rix, Senior Consultant, TTP Group (Connected Devices SIG): The current Silicon Valley VC tech funding bubble will burst in 2015.

Dirk Trossen, Principal Engineer, InterDigital Europe (Virtual Networks SIG):  There will be a deflation of the IoT hype with the realisation of major limitations to delivering the IoT. This is despite many expecting 2015 to be the year of IoT.

CW also predicts further expansion in 2015 and the last 12 months saw a wide range of new members including Telecom Italia, Huawei, Network Rail Telecom and AstraZeneca. It is calculated that the combined value of some 400 CW members is over $1.5 trillion.