Alistair Fulton | Digital Thread Podcast | Momenta

Written by Ken Forster | March 29, 2023

Connecting the Future: The Evolution of Wireless Technology

In this week's episode, Ken Forster interviews Alistair Fulton, former SVP and General Manager of LoRa Wireless and Consumer Sensing at Semtech.

Semtech Corporation is a leading supplier of high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms for a wide range of applications, including IoT, data centers, and wireless infrastructure. Their products are used in various industries, such as telecommunications, consumer electronics, and industrial equipment.

Alistair is a distinguished leader in the field of Internet of Things and Industrial Internet of Things, with more than 20 years of experience. He has expertise in developing vertical solutions, platforms, tools, and ecosystems. Alistair began his career at O2 in the UK, where he led strategy and business transformation after the company's demerger from British Telecom. He later worked for Deloitte Consulting's telco practice in New York, where he developed vertical IoT solutions for clients in the US. Alistair then joined Microsoft, where he played key roles in Microsoft’s early IoT strategy, driving the company's IoT developer tools and open-source software strategy and M&A for cloud capabilities and tools. Alistair then joined Hitachi, where he led product management and technology as part of the founding team that developed the Lumada Industrial IoT platform, which used digital twins to reduce customers' time to value. Most recently, Alistair served as the leader of Semtech's wireless IoT business in 2018, leading the development of LoRa and LoRaWAN to become the leading global Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technology for the Internet of Things. Alistair is widely recognized as a thought leader, public speaker, and visionary in the field of IoT.

Discussion Points:

What would you consider your digital thread (the one or more thematic threads that define your digital industry journey)?
I was impressed with your background, having already led business transformation at O2, working in the telco practice at Deloitte, and your time at Microsoft. If you had to summarize that time into three learnings relative to IoT, what would they be?
You joined Hitachi Vantara in 2016 as the global leader for their Industrial IoT product management. What attracted you to the Industrial IoT space and Hitachi in particular?
Let’s fast forward to your time at Semtech, joining in early 2018 as Senior Vice President & General Manager, Wireless (LoRa) & Consumer Sensing Business. Can you tell us a bit about your remit in this role and what you are most proud of?
This was a formative time for LoRa, competing with SIGFOX for non-licensed spectrum and for the emerging 5G for licensed spectrum. What makes LoRa so special?
You culminated your time at Semtech with the acquisition of Sierra Wireless for $1.2B, which was completed in January of this year. What was the strategic rationale for Semtech acquiring this business?
Where do you see the largest opportunities for LoRa going forward, and in what sectors and use cases?
What can we learn from the recent reboot of SIGFOX?
So, what's next for you?
In closing, where do you find your personal inspiration? (i.e., book recommendations, articles, podcasts, people, etc.)

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