JT is pleased to announce the appointment of a senior representative in Silicon Valley, marking the next phase in its Jersey Lab project. Responsible for the marketing of the JT Lab concept in the USA, JT will further evolve its commitment to market Jersey and utilise JT’s gigabit infrastructure by positioning an opportunity for companies to use Jersey as a centre for innovation, technology and testing. This next development will help firmly establish JT’s presence in America as a leading hub for high-tech innovation and development.
Rick Pierson, a technology expert with 24 year’s experience working for major Tier 1 telecommunications companies in the United States, joins JT as Innovation and Strategy Consultant.As JT’s representative in Silicon Valley he will forge links with the world’s leading high-tech organisations using his extensive network of contacts and present JT Lab as an opportunity for them to research and test their products in a commercially live ecosystem.
Tim Ringsdore, JT’s MD of Global Enterprise, said: “We are delighted to introduce Rick as our man on the ground in Silicon Valley to build on our efforts to partner with the world’s leading technology companies. He is an expert in the field of telecommunications with extensive experience in the innovation arena and demonstrates a strong track record of success. He shares our vision and believes that JT Lab offers a genuinely unique opportunity for the companies that he has direct links into.
“JT Lab was officially launched in December last year when global telecoms company UTStarcom relocated its European research facility to Jersey to take advantage of the full-fibre network we are introducing. Through our membership of the Telecom Council of Silicon Valley we have already been promoting JT Lab to the American audience over the past year and by appointing Rick, we are now in a position to build on these foundations and generate more interest in what Jersey can offer to the world’s leading tech companies, such as Google and Apple.”
Talking of his appointment at JT, Rick Pierson said: “It is my belief that JT Lab represents the first revolutionary and unique opportunity for global technology business to access a commercially live ecosystem for research and development (R&D), and live marketing feedback. I am pleased to be involved in taking JT’s Lab initiative to the next level by promoting it to the world’s leading tech companies in the Americas. Being able to take advantage of a full-fibre network is very appealing and to test and launch products and services on a real infrastructure, with real customers and in real time is pushing the boundaries. There has already been a lot of enthusiasm among my contacts to find out more about the opportunity. No other Tier 1 operator in the world has opened up their infrastructure or allowed access to their customer base, this is truly a first in our industry.”
Mr Pierson has held a variety of roles in the global telecommunications industry, including new business development, product development, telecom infrastructure design/build-out, mobile applications, application framework, and system software. ‘Silicon Valley’ refers to the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California and is America’s leading hub for high-tech innovation and development. Thousands of high technology companies are headquartered in Silicon Valley including, Apple, Google, Oracle, Facebook, ebay, Cisco, Intel and HP.