Looking back at 2017: So long and thanks for all the tech

Trying to look back on a year can be difficult, as our industry is one of incremental changes and is no respecter of calendars (with possible exceptions for shows like Mobile World Congress and Critical Communications World). It is often easy to identify the main trends, but much harder to predict the pace at which they occur. With those caveats in mind, let’s turn to our contributors’ thoughts on 2017 and the year ahead.

Richard Searle, director at RadioTrade, feels that the radio market continued to grow in 2017 for a number of reasons: “First, end-users are being made aware of the additional features offered by digital two-way radio and this has led to new users as well as more sales to existing users. Secondly, integration skills are strengthening within the channel and this has led to the supply of some very sophisticated solutions to UK industry.”

He adds there is the opportunity for it to grow further in 2018: “Onsite communications plays such a major part in efficiencies, both operationally and commercially, while wide-area opportunities may open up with PoC and end-users may feel that a ‘business-only’ radio device allowing private and group calling is more advantageous than traditional mobile phone devices.”