From my first week of working with this talented and friendly team, I knew I had landed in the right place. Where else could I facilitate the application of the latest telecoms and technologies to make cities (and hence the habitat of most of the world's population) more efficient and livable? And if the expression "as goes London, so go the cities of Europe" has factual merit, then my colleagues and I can derive even more motivation from our potential influence.

Having worked for over 20 years in all phases of development and operations of mobile telecoms, the prospect of applying 5G solutions to connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) operation is as exciting to me as it is quite simply a natural technological marriage.

With my penchant for research and analysis on developing technology, I look forward to interesting projects and ventures which are grounded in both commercial viability as well as wider citizen benefit. 

So, with one foot planted in the UK and the other in my home on the continent, my pace quickens. Fasten your seat belts! We’ve got some exciting projects ahead!

One of the primary projects that I am currently working on is the Smart Mobility Living Lab: London (SMLL). While still in its building phase, when completed the SMLL will serve as a unique urban test environment for autonomous vehicles and associated technologies and support equipment. Ultimately, we envision that the SMLL will enable vehicle model certifications as more advanced technologies allow CAVs to achieve levels 3 through 5 autonomy.

Partnering with TRL, Cisco, Cubic and Transport for London (TfL) on the project, I am leading DG Cities’ role of procuring and enabling a high-speed fibre network, which will connect roadside monitoring equipment. This is crucial as it will allow data to be streamed and analysed at the SMLL’s control centre. Planned SMLL testing will involve vehicle performance, communications links, infrastructure and support system testing, and real-world scenario tests. All of this will enhance our understanding of what must be done to assure a safe, high-value operation of CAVs in our urban environments.

In addition to this, I am also working to develop and facilitate workshops for the research arm of the SMLL, called the Strategic Research Programme. My particular role is to explore the influence and impact of vehicle connectivity (V2X) in the evolution of business models, and on wider aspects of the ecosystems and society.

Beyond my work for the SMLL and SRP, I am also keen to develop potential projects that will make use of enhanced fixed and mobile connectivity in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. This will aim to stimulate further economic activity and to provide greater and higher quality services to benefit all residents.

The future will bring a great deal of opportunity for us and our partners, and I look forward to developing projects that will allow me to apply some of the latest technologies. From 5G to Augmented Reality, these technologies offer enormous potential to improve our urban environments and the quality of life for all.