Hello, I’m Ronald Wilting, the CEO of Forefront RF. I have been working in the telecoms sector for 30 years, with a focus on semiconductors. Over the course of my career, I’ve worked in various roles, from technical engineers at start-ups to senior executive roles at multinational organisations.
Founded in 2020, Forefront RF is a disruptive start-up that has simplified mobile radio front-end design in smartphones, wearables and other IoT devices with a breakthrough tunable duplexer. Our technology reduces overall PCB space by lowering the component count whilst increasing the number of supported frequency bands.
Our approach to Radio Frequency Front End design architectures could potentially overhaul manufacturing processes by replacing fixed frequency duplex filters with a frequency-agnostic solution that is dynamically tunable according to available frequencies.
I am responsible for commercialising the technology. Often there is a gap between innovative ideas and real-world applications. Everything is technically possible but you need to make innovation commercially viable. Designing internally has proved to be extremely beneficial as it has kept us focussed. The customer should remain at the forefront of any project and the technology should be easy to use.
Our solution should be ready for market within the next 18 months. It is the first major advancement in RF signal processing for a decade, which is exciting. Initial customer feedback has been positive, with companies planning to use the technology in various ways.
What do you enjoy most about working in this space?
The innovation: working on technologies that can change the face of wireless communications and introduce new concepts to customers.
What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve done in the name of work?
I once flew to South Korea on a Tuesday, arrived home on the Friday, and then flew back to South Korea on the Sunday…
What excites you most about working in telecoms?
The speed at which the industry is adapting to new technologies and the way products are used by consumers. Almost anywhere you go, you can see the direct impact wireless communications have had on society. There aren’t many technologies that have had the same impact on daily life.
What would you like people to know about your work?
Most of my work as CEO involves communicating with people. I want the team to enjoy the journey of the company. Story-telling is significant here: there is an art to selling a vision, whether to my employees, customers or investors. The message needs to be simple but motivating. I think it is easy to underestimate this crucial part of the role.
Why is a vibrant, flourishing telecoms ecosystem important for the UK?
There is much hype about AI and augmented reality right now but the real future is telecoms because it underpins everything we do. It is an area that is often forgotten and early breakthroughs in this space happened in the UK. Brilliant telecoms engineers are working hard in the country right now to maintain this. We also have some of the best universities in the world. Let’s keep this up.
