Wise words and waggishness… February 2026

By Marc Ambasna Jones 13 Feb 26 Reading time: 2 mins

“It’s the definitive end of the ‘physics experiment’ era for quantum venture capital.”

Ion Hauer, principal at APEX Ventures, commenting in our article What’s the deep tech word for 2026? on why VCs are now looking at the interconnects and enablers and the critical middleware that make these systems work.

“Tremendous progress is being made in quantum sensors in biomedical, metrology, and geophysical applications. Quantum-based magnetometry is poised to totally redefine navigation in settings where GPS is denied, jammed, or spoofed.”

Christopher Bishop, a quantum industry evangelist and podcast host, on what to look out for in the coming year in quantum.

“The future is orbiting above us, and the rules are simple – plug in, play fast, monetise smarter.”

Prianca Ravichander, CMO & CCO at Tecnotree, writing about how 6G and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) networks are unlocking global economic opportunities in our article From Earth to orbit: how 6G will monetise the next connectivity frontier

“Semiconductors are fashionable in a way they have not been for 40 years. A lot of that comes from AI and AI-adjacent areas such as memory, networking, and interconnects, but also things like power electronics for automotive, net zero, and defence.”

Rupert Baines, serial entrepreneur and non-executive director at the Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult, on predictions for semiconductors in 2026.

“You cannot claim to be resilient today if the mathematical foundations protecting your data are set to crumble in the near future – and this is the threat that quantum computers pose.”

Lisa Matthews, CEO of KETS Quantum Security, in our article What does the UK’s Cyber Resilience Bill really mean for a quantum security future?

“It could be five years or 50 years before RSA and elliptic curve cryptography are broken, but every communication on the internet relies on these problems, and many encrypted communications are already being stored in the hope of later decryption.”

Chloe Martindale, a senior lecturer in cryptography at the University of Bristol, arguing that the UK Cyber Bill makes long-term resilience a present concern, even in the absence of a clear quantum deadline.

“In the case of real-time holographic communication, 5G Standalone allows a near real-time response to every action. Imagine having a 3D holographic call where the movement of your friend felt out of time with the conversation. That level of intimacy and high fidelity would be lost and the discussion would likely be much shorter.”

Peter Marshall, a former executive at Ericsson and the National Physical Laboratory, now an industry specialist with Federated Telecoms Hubs, commenting in our article Holograms: from sci-fi to reality? Not quite

Marc Ambasna Jones / Working as a technology journalist and writer since 1989, Marc has written for a wide range of titles on technology, business, education, politics and sustainability, with work appearing in The Guardian, The Register, New Statesman, Computer Weekly and many more.

Working as a technology journalist and writer since 1989, Marc has written for a wide range of titles on technology, business, education, politics and sustainability, with work appearing in The Guardian, The Register, New Statesman, Computer Weekly and many more.