Electronics Weekly puts its questions to an industry figure: Ronald Black is CEO at Wavecom, the French developer and supplier of embedded industrial wireless communications systems.

How would you describe the M2M business and its potential for growth?

The potential for growth in wireless M2M (machine to machine) communication is staggering, but it hinges on a complete ecosystem. We feel that it is players like Anyware Technologies, with their superior ability to offer "complete solutions" that will revolutionize these markets. Our recent acquisition of Anywhere Technologies was made with precisely this in mind.

Are the number of different wireless standards in the market a threat or an opportunity for suppliers?

Our technology is based on the cellular wireless networks which are the most widely developed and readily available worldwide especially for long-distance communication. We see other wireless technologies such as Zigbee, WiFi and Bluetooth as complementary to ours. Marrying short-range wireless functionality with long-range will make for the most efficient systems.

If you had to choose one, which wireless technology is the most important, has the most potential?

Clearly, HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access), with large bandwidth and high data rate communication is something that will open the door to future M2M technologies.

Which would be the top three most important wireless applications for 2008/9?

I would say embedded wireless in automobiles is top of the list. It meets both safety and entertainment needs. I think that metering and security systems are close contenders for the next most important sectors to develop with wireless capability.

Do you expect software-defined radio to change wireless design in the next two years?

In the future, software technologies will come on different wireless systems. We expect that it will stimulate market growth in a five-year timeframe. But I think that the time to really develop it is now.

See also: Q5 - Interviews with electronics industry leaders
Read all the Electronics Weekly Q5 interviews. From ARM's chairman, Sir Robin Saxby, to touchscreen technology firm Zytronic's MD, Mark Cambridge, the business leaders share their particular insights on the UK electronics industry.