Hello – I’m Norbert Sagnard, and I work at the Centre for Wireless Innovation (CWI) based at Queen’s University Belfast. After spending 13 years in seven different countries, I moved to Northern Ireland 25 years ago and have worked in wireless telecoms since 1990, specialising in everything from hardware to software, platforms, apps and research.
To most people’s surprise, I am not an academic. I refer to myself as a “commercial telco guy”. I help academics launch products and generate revenue using my understanding of the market: the staff at CWI are extremely innovative and smart but have limited experience applying their research to commercial products in a day-to-day environment.
CWI is the UK’s largest research, development and exploitation base in the physical layer wireless industry. Our 70-strong team, comprised of research academics, postdocs, PhD students and engineers, develops technologies focused on RF, THz Systems, Signal Processing and Communication Theory. According to ShanghaiRanking, the department is ranked in the top 100 globally for telecom engineering research.
Universities in the UK are very good at collaborating. This is important: knowledge sharing can lead to a breakthrough because departments countrywide often work on similar or related topics. Unfortunately, academia and the industry have a more fragmented relationship. I am trying to change this, but communicating more effectively will require building – and maintaining – a robust ecosystem.
What do you enjoy most about working in this space?
Wireless connectivity is becoming increasingly important everywhere– trust me, as it expands, you will see that. NOKIA, for example, is developing for NASA a wireless comms network to use on the moon.
What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve done in the name of work?
I shipped a London taxi and its cabbie to Vegas in 2001. The aim was to raise awareness of my employer at the leading North American telecom event. A cabbie never leaves its cab…
What excites you most about working in telecoms?
I used to dream as a child that I could take my home telephone anywhere. I’m now living that dream, and working with those that made it possible. We are only at the start of a technological revolution, which excites me.
What would you like people to know about your work?
I’m here to connect companies in need of telecom innovation. My colleagues are very clever and can work out pretty much anything. They continually push the boundaries of physics and electronics.
Why is a vibrant, flourishing telecoms ecosystem important for the UK?
To have a rich and busy ecosystem in the UK, we need to support the best minds in the country and abroad. The UK must be an exciting place to work, especially for young people. Our ecosystem should integrate research, application and the market. I’ve seen many UK companies bought out by international companies, which is an economic tragedy. We need continued financial government support across education, research and entrepreneurship. It is a diverse, flourishing sector worth investing in.
