Walk the idea

"We talked to each other, exchanged ideas,” says Erdal Arıkan, the information scientist whose research provided a theoretical breakthrough in 5G technology. “This is the best mode of collaboration for me. I remain independent, and they do whatever they want". At first he presented his idea to US technology firms to see if they had interest in implementing the idea. “I did prepare some slides and sent them, but none of the US companies were really interested in it,” he says. Arıkan takes the blame for failing to ignite their interest. “I was an academic who did not know how to promote an idea. Perhaps I did not believe in the idea that strongly myself." However, Chinese Huawei saw the commercial opportunity in Arıkan's idea and, with large investments, government support and engineering talent, turned it into the basic 5G technology now being rolled out around the world. Source: https://www.wired.com/story/huawei-5g-polar-codes-data-breakthrough/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB