After an early career on Wall Street and Madison Avenue, Jon Pelson spent nearly twenty-five years working as an executive at some of the world’s largest telecom equipment makers and service providers, helping create and market wireless products and solutions. His roles included serving as Vice President of Marketing and Strategy for Lucent Technologies and Chief Convergence Officer for British Telecom, where he created and drove the company’s global wireless strategy. During this time, Pelson traveled to China and watched that country’s fledgling telecommunications companies grow and eventually seize the world lead. His observations on China’s use of home-grown business giants to advance geopolitical goals form the basis for his book, Wireless Wars, China’s Dangerous Domination of 5G and How We’re Fighting Back.
A frequent public speaker at industry events and advisor to government and private organizations, Pelson has lectured at Duke University, William & Mary, and other colleges and associations. He has a degree in economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. Pelson lives with his family in Great Falls, Virginia.