Looking to the future with the 4G Club
A forward-thinking entrepreneur is using digital technology to help businesses work together and identify growth opportunities before anyone else.
John Beddard is fascinated by the impact of visual internet on people’s lives and the business world.
In response, he has set up the 4G Club – a Teesside-based forum which he hopes will act as an antenna for companies based in the University’s Institute of Digital Innovation.
John said: ‘I’m aware that lots of graduates tend to develop businesses in mature areas, where competition is already well established. The next generation of high-speed fixed and mobile internet combined with continuous connectivity presents tremendous opportunities for them to get ahead of the curve. Difference makes a difference - it’s much easier to run a business in an expanding market, so get in there first.
‘The 4G Club is about meeting up and fusing ideas across all business areas – sharing ideas about the technologies that are arriving. It’s critical to work together – socialising or ‘swarming’ to combine creative ideas and seizing new opportunities is the key to the internet economy. Opportunities missed are never recovered.’
Digital Fellowship Scheme
John was part of the University’s Digital Fellowship Scheme which enables digital media or technology specialists from the region to make their ideas a business reality through the use of world class facilities, mentoring support and funding.
John’s approach is influenced by the fact that he lived in Finland for 16 years.
He said: ‘The difference in Scandinavian attitudes permeates everything. Businesses are developed socially – everything is so well planned through technology policy. I find that this is sadly lacking here. A small business needs to become established, before it can truly compete.
‘I started my own company in 1990 and started working with Nokia and, in 1992, the mobile phone market exploded. It was total chaos, adapting to such a growth market. This is where I experienced first hand that a new model of business growth and opportunity had arrived.
‘Everyone was surprised by the ‘Nokia miracle’ that has now become a template for rapid market entry and business growth worldwide.
‘My experience with Nokia taught me the importance of information, and how it needs to be managed and communicated. One piece of scarce information can change the whole nature of the competitive arena. I also saw how the protection of data had become a growth area.
‘The first phase of the 4G Club is about getting people connected across the spectrum of ideas. And we’ll be looking at other convergences – nanotechnology, biotechnology, genetics, media and Web 2.0. When higher speeds arrive very soon, these areas will combine and overlap, becoming the driving force to create the demand for faster networks.
‘When the visual internet arrives, it will grow rapidly – the camera will become the symbol of the next ten years. Android, Google’s mobile operating system, and the iPhone 4 are already available, along with fast 4G networks being deployed in Scandinavia. Life is going to dramatically change from 2012 onwards. We’ll see how, at the 4G Club.’
- Two enterprising Teesside graduates are taking advantage of the support of the Graduate Business Unit by kick-starting businesses based on their degrees.
Find out more
