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Homepage / Publications & Opinion / Archive / Interviews (pre 2002)![]() BT, TOWARDS 2050 As manager of BT's research laboratories, Peter Cochrane is already living in the year 2050. BT, he says, is no longer just a telecoms operator. Intelligent agents, virtual reality and artificial intelligence are all at the heart of BT's operations. Switching, transmission, multimedia, interactive services and ATM: these are the pi?ces de r?sistance on the menu of the research centres of all the major public operators. BT (the fifth largest service provider in the world) is no exception. In the labs, however, there are many other topics on British researchers' lips. "BT is no longer just a telecoms operator," explains Peter Cochrane, research manager at BT. "In fact, we are working towards the year 2050." Indeed, the scope of research at BT covers many other fields including, in particular, anything and everything related to Mankind, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Peter Cochrane's justification of this strategy is that "when the telephone system was wire-based, our universe was ordered. Today, with mobile communications, interactive technology and improved bandwidth, everything's in turmoil. The way we work and the tools we use are set to change." MACHINES WILL BE VOICE-OPERATED Nevertheless, though it may be a key link in the chain, research has to extend into the industrial sector. According to Peter Cochrane's line of thinking, "it is not enough for a few research centres across Europe to work in these fields. The governments of Great Britain, Germany, France and elsewhere should be taking stock of these developments and the issues at stake." And he went on to illustrate his argument with a very pertinent anecdote. "Today, when I buy a CD-ROM on the National Gallery, the money doesn't end up in the gallery's coffers, but in Bill Gates' pocket. It is time we reviewed our education system and instead of training our leaders for a disappearing world, they should be trained for the world of the future." JPS Since 1993, Peter Cochrane has been head of the research department at BTL (BT Laboratories), BT's research centre, which is located in Martlesham (eastern England). He joined the General Post Office in 1962 and moved to BTL in 1973. BT invests nearly FF 2.5 billion in research and development and employs 3?500 staff. |
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