Light Reading Podcasts
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This feed is Light Reading's main podcast feed for "The Light Reading Podcast," "The Divide," "The Notebook Dump," and "What's the Story?"
Light Reading provides daily news, analysis and insight for the global communications networking and services industry. The publication was founded in 2000 and, since July 2016, has been a part of Informa Tech, a division of Informa PLC. We're part of a big team providing specialist research, media, events and training for businesses and professionals working in technology.
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Available episodes
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Oldest first
3 days ago
What's the Story? The Leading Lights Awards
Light Reading's Leading Lights Awards program is entering its 19th year, and the awards are now open for entries. In this podcast, Editors Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss new categories and their advice for submitting a solid entry.
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3 days ago
The Notebook Dump: Banks, broadband, Big 5G
Light Reading editors Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss big topics from last week's Big 5G Event in Austin, including generative AI.
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6 days ago
Harmonic's Richard Rommes: How to Maximize Cable's PON Prospects
Richard Rommes, Harmonic's VP of Access Networks Solutions and Strategy, discusses the future of EPON and XGS-PON and how Harmonic's "Open ONU" solution can help cable operators mix and match DOCSIS and PON technologies in their HFC networks. #sponsored
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May 23, 2023
The Divide: Gigi Sohn on the FCC, dark money in politics and why public broadband matters
Gigi Sohn, President Biden's former nominee for FCC Commissioner, joins the podcast to discuss her nomination process, and what it says about dark money in politics and the industry at large. We also discuss what her most urgent goals would have been as FCC Commissioner, the state of the FCC's broadband map as it relates to the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, her concerns about the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) running dry, how she hopes to reframe the public broadband debate and much more.
*This conversation was recorded before President Biden nominated Anna Gomez to serve as FCC Commissioner on May 22.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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May 22, 2023
ISPs, including cable ops, want to plug into Gigapower
Bill Hogg, the CEO of Gigapower, joins the Light Reading Podcast to expand on the company's open access model. He discusses plans to build to 1.5 million locations by 2025, exploration beyond that initial target and how Gigapower is sizing up opportunities to participate in the $42.45 Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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May 19, 2023
The Notebook Dump: 5G monetization, MVNOs and scooter racing
AUSTIN – Big 5G Event – Light Reading editors Phil Harvey, Kelsey Ziser, Iain Morris and Mike Dano gathered on the show floor to discuss their top takeaways from the Big 5G Event, including the state of 5G monetization, open RAN, MVNOs and more. Hear all about it in The Notebook Dump for the week ending May 19.
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May 17, 2023
Navigating the Fiber Landscape: A Strategic View on Infrastructure Monetization
In this podcast episode Paul Barowsky, the Chief Growth Officer at Comviva joins Light Reading contributing editor Sue Marek as they discuss the role of BSS technology in enabling fiber companies to monetize their networks and create sustainable businesses.
Paul emphasizes the importance of automation and simplification of the operators' ability to monetize their networks through BSS solutions. He also talks about the benefits of implementing BSS solutions, including creating pricing and bundling strategies, leveraging AI and machine learning campaigns to promote bundles in real time, and creating creative pricing and bundling models that differentiate the offer.
This podcast is sponsored by Comviva
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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May 17, 2023
Accelerate the path to digital transformation and revenue growth through modern BSS
In this episode, Ken Wieland, a contributing editor for Light Reading based in London, speaks with Sachin Saraf, Chief Operating Officer for Digitech business at Comviva, about how modern business support systems can accelerate digital transformation for operators and help them grow profitable revenue.
They discuss the current mood of the industry, trends seen in discussions with customers, and the challenges of meeting increased demand for bandwidth while maintaining current revenue models. Sachin explains how 5G is strategic for many customers, how it will help define new use cases, and the investment required for it. They also cover the cost and revenue curves that will dominate the industry in the coming years.
This podcast is sponsored by Comviva.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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May 17, 2023
IBM's Ray Harishankar on security for quantum computing
Ray Harishankar, IBM fellow for IBM Quantum Safe, joined the podcast at IBM's Think event in Orlando, Florida, to discuss the company's efforts to improve quantum computing security. Harishankar explained progress on standards development for quantum cryptography and IBM's role in GSMA's Post-Quantum Telco Network Taskforce.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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May 16, 2023
Heavy Reading's Gabriel Brown on 5G momentum from the RAN to the cloud
Gabriel Brown, senior principal analyst of mobile networks for Heavy Reading, joins the podcast to discuss trends around 5G Advanced, the radio access network, standalone 5G and more topics that will be explored at Light Reading's BIG 5G Event in Austin, Texas, this week.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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May 16, 2023
The Divide: DZS' Geoff Burke on what the new federal broadband programs get right
This episode features Geoff Burke, senior vice president of government affairs and product marketing at DZS, a supplier of access networking and cloud software solutions. We discuss the federal government's forthcoming $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program and what DZS is hearing from state broadband leaders on how they're planning to award their share of those funds.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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May 15, 2023
Omdia's Jaimie Lenderman on fiber's foundation for 5G
Jaimie Lenderman, principal analyst and research manager at Omdia, joins the podcast to discuss the physical convergence of fixed and 5G networks, how fiber deployments are backing 5G networks and more topics that will be explored at Light Reading's BIG 5G Event in Austin, Texas, this week.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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May 10, 2023
What's the Story? Airlines drag feet on fixing C-band spectrum interference
Light Reading's Mike Dano joins the podcast to discuss what the airline industry and service providers are doing to address 5G transmissions in the C-band spectrum that affect aircraft altimeters.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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May 9, 2023
The Divide: Mayor of Chattanooga on gigabit broadband, quantum networks and digital equity
Welcome to the 100th episode of The Divide! This episode features Tim Kelly, Mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
We discuss Chattanooga's broadband evolution over the years, how gigabit-speed broadband has transformed the local economy – particularly in the wake of the pandemic and remote work. Hear about where Chattanooga still faces problems in getting residents connected, and how the city hopes to leverage federal funding to address digital equity issues.
We are also joined by Dr. Duncan Earl, president and CTO of Qubitekk, to discuss a recently announced partnership with Chattanooga's EPB to launch a quantum network in the city and what that means for Chattanooga's digital future.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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May 5, 2023
The Notebook Dump: Stuck in a trunk with satellite connectivity
In this podcast, Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, the ghost of Nicole Ferraro, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss Arelion's take on SMS security, Altice USA's growth and pay-TV struggles, Qualcomm's drop in stock and satellite connectivity. Hear about all this and more in The Notebook Dump for the week ending May 5.
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May 4, 2023
Arelion on thwarting SMS fraud
Fabio Bottan, senior messaging specialist for Arelion (formerly Telia Carrier), joins the podcast to discuss SMS text security. Bottan explains how fraudsters leveraged the public's interest in COVID-19 pandemic-related information to deliver security threats via SMS.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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May 3, 2023
The Divide: BroadbandNow's Tyler Cooper on what research reveals about US broadband barriers
Tyler Cooper, editor-in-chief of the consumer advocacy group BroadbandNow, joins the podcast to discuss the group's research into the digital divide in the US, including where things have and have not improved, what they've learned about Internet affordability, and the group's warnings on potential hurdles with the federal government's Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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May 2, 2023
What's the Story? The tumultuous eSIM market
Light Reading's Tereza Krasova joins the podcast to discuss adoption of eSIMs (embedded subscriber identity modules), challenges in the eSIM market and why service providers have been hesitant to make consumers aware of the technology.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Apr 28, 2023
The Notebook Dump: Earnings season fueled by Red Bull
In this podcast, Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss Middle Mile grant funding, Juniper's efforts to diminish a backlog of orders, cable earnings updates and Commscope's ransomware debacle.
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Apr 27, 2023
The Divide: Nate Denny on the 'billion-dollar mission' to close North Carolina's broadband gaps
This episode features Nate Denny, deputy secretary for broadband and digital equity with the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT). The department first kicked off a broadband grant program as a $10 million pilot in 2018. Today, NCDIT has a "billion-dollar mission ... likely to be a $2 billion mission in the near future" to close the digital divide through federal funding, says Denny.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Apr 26, 2023
Infinera's Rob Shore: Driving Coherent Optical Evolution
On Light Reading's Executive Spotlight Q&A podcast, Editor Phil Harvey is joined by Infinera Senior Vice President of Marketing Robert Shore to discuss innovation in pluggable coherent optics, Infinera's technology demonstrations at OFC, what is driving the market, Infinera's entry into the subsystems business, and much more.
This podcast is sponsored by Infinera.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Apr 26, 2023
Dr. Richard Green, CableLabs' first CEO, reflects on the dawn of DOCSIS
September 12, 1995, was a historic day for cable technology. It was then, during a CableLabs board meeting in New York, that a group of leaders heard from industry pioneer John Malone about the coming, critical importance of developing interoperable equipment for the delivery of high-speed data services over the cable network – a concept that later became DOCSIS.
Among the 21 people in attendance that day was Dr. Richard Green, the first CEO of CableLabs. That meeting led to the development of DOCSIS, a "bedrock platform for manufacturers to build modems" and to do so at scale, Green recalls in this episode of the Light Reading Podcast.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Apr 25, 2023
What's the Story? Africa's mobile money market grows nearly 20%
Connecting Africa's Paula Gilbert joins the podcast to discuss growth in the mobile money market in Africa. Mobile money apps have provided millions of unbanked and underserved individuals with access to digital financial services, according to Max Cuvellier, head of mobile for development at GSMA. However, some taxation policies and gender gaps remain challenges to growth in the mobile money market.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Apr 24, 2023
Xumo exec on smart TV deals – there's more to come
Xumo, the national streaming joint venture of Comcast and Charter Communications, is gearing up to launch its first standalone device, the Xumo Stream Box, later this year.
The Stream Box rollout is "a big priority for us this year," Colin Petrie-Norris, Xumo's chief revenue and platform officer, said on the Light Reading Podcast at this week's NAB Show in Las Vegas.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Apr 21, 2023
The Notebook Dump: BaneCat and broadband budget busters
In this episode of The Notebook Dump for the week ending April 21, Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss the war on white papers, Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program challenges, updates from the NAB show, Lumen's 400G expansion and ChatGPT.
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Apr 20, 2023
ETSI on AI, standards and business opportunities for autonomous networks
ETSI's Luigi Licciardi joins the podcast to discuss the group's efforts to develop standards for autonomous networks. Licciardi, who spent many years at Telecom Italia, explains key features of autonomous networks, such as AI, and how service providers and enterprises can benefit from improved service assurance, self-monitoring and self-assurance capabilities.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Apr 19, 2023
What's the Story? Three/Vodafone merger could rattle UK market
Iain Morris joins the podcast to discuss a potential merger between Three UK and Vodafone. We discuss what the merger could mean for the broader market, what regulators and analysts think of the deal and how it could impact consumers.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Apr 18, 2023
The Divide: TIA CEO David Stehlin on how to succeed with BEAD
This episode features David Stehlin, CEO of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). TIA will host a BEAD Success Summit in Arlington, Virginia, this week – gathering industry and government stakeholders – focused on resolving and clarifying certain rules related to the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Apr 14, 2023
What's the Story? T-Mobile's uphill battle with FWA
Jeff Baumgartner joins the podcast to discuss T-Mobile's fixed wireless access (FWA) strategy and why the company is focusing mainly on rural markets.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Apr 12, 2023
UChicago's Nick Feamster: Internet equity begins with quality data
University of Chicago Professor Nick Feamster returns to the podcast to discuss data collection and analysis challenges to addressing the digital divide. Feamster provides an update on his team's work on the Internet Equity Initiative and explains how podcast listeners can participate in contributing to data collection.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Apr 12, 2023
The Divide: How the rural US could solve its middle mile problem
On this episode we hear from Sachin Gupta, director of government business and economic development at Centranet, a fiber broadband provider and wholly owned subsidiary of Central Rural Electric Cooperative in Stillwater, Oklahoma. We discuss the lack of adequate middle mile fiber networks in the rural US, and why he's advocating for a model that would see telco and electric cooperatives partner to solve that challenge.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Apr 10, 2023
Cable training evolves to cover 'connectivity' amid rise of fiber and wireless tech
In addition to enhancing and upgrading existing hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks, cable operators are now tied to a much broader "connectivity" business that also includes fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) and wireless/mobile technologies.
So it only follows that NCTI, a company that's been providing training education programs for frontline employees, including field techs, and engineers for more than 50 years, should evolve as well. Stacey Slaughter, CEO of Colorado-based NCTI, joins the Light Reading Podcast.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Apr 7, 2023
The Notebook Dump: T-Mobile attempts to make baseball less boring
In this podcast, Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss a new bill that could stall BEAD funding, and how Aira Technologies is attempting to improve energy efficiency in the RAN. In addition, we discuss Charter's latest public statements about broadband data caps, and T-Mobile's partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB) in The Notebook Dump for the week ending April 7.
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Apr 7, 2023
New innovation report extends beyond cable's echo chamber
The Cable Center and its new operational brand, the Syndeo Institute, recently released its second annual Intrapreneurship & Innovation Report.
This edition features contributions and insights from almost two dozen execs and innovators spanning several industry segments, including network operators, entertainment/media and technology. Examples of individual contributors include: Teresa Elder, CEO, WideOpenWest; Frannie Matthews, president and CEO, Colorado Technology Association; Mark Greatrex, president, Cox Communications; Yvette Kanouff, partner, JC2 Ventures; Christopher Winfrey, CEO, Charter Communications; Patricia Jo Boyers, president and CEO of Boycom; and Mike Fries, CEO and vice chairman, Liberty Global.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Apr 7, 2023
Aira CEO on a smarter, more energy efficient RAN
Anand Chandrasekher, CEO of Aira Technologies, joined the podcast to discuss how his company is working to add machine learning and improve energy efficiency in the radio access network (RAN). Chandrasekher also explained how Aira's technologies balance throughput demands while improving energy efficiency.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Apr 6, 2023
What's the Story? M&A eyes on DigitalBridge, SES and Intelsat
Mike Dano joins the podcast to discuss DigitalBridge's acquisitions in the digital infrastructure space and why a larger private equity firm might scoop up DigitalBridge. In addition, we discuss mergers and acquisitions within the satellite space such as the potential merger of SES and Intelsat.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Apr 5, 2023
AtlasEdge CEO on application and data demands at the edge
AtlasEdge CEO Giuliano Di Vitantonio joins the podcast to discuss the edge data center company's approach to edge computing in Europe. Di Vitantonio explains that augmented reality, IoT and 5G are among the technologies pushing more compute processing to the edge of the network.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Apr 5, 2023
The Divide: How Loveland, Colorado, is solving its broadband gaps with Pulse
This episode features Brieana Reed-Harmel, director of broadband for the City of Loveland, Colorado, which runs a municipal broadband network called Pulse.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Mar 31, 2023
The Notebook Dump: Fiber manufacturing in America
In this podcast, Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss court proceedings around the Universal Service Fund (USF) and Graphiant's new $62 million in funding. The editors also examine Roku's layoffs, new fiber manufacturing projects in the US and why wireless providers are pushing more device inventory online in The Notebook Dump for the week ending March 31.
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Mar 31, 2023
Omdia's Jaimie Lenderman on how cable is speeding ahead on network upgrades
Speaking before a packed house at last week's Cable Next-Gen Technologies and Strategies event in Denver, Omdia analyst Jaimie Lenderman presented fresh data on how cable operators are pushing ahead with access network upgrades.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Mar 30, 2023
Comcast's Elad Nafshi on network scale, DAA, 10G, PON and what's next for FDX
Following his keynote address at last week's Cable Next-Gen Technologies and Strategies event in Denver, Elad Nafshi, Comcast's EVP and chief network officer, stayed for a fireside chat to dig a bit deeper into the company's plan to evolve and upgrade its widely deployed hybrid-fiber coax (HFC) network.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 29, 2023
What's the Story? Frontier bundles in YouTube TV
Jeff Baumgartner joins the podcast to discuss Frontier Communications' YouTube TV bundle and billing integration and what the competitive implications are of that decision.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 29, 2023
The Divide: How ACA Connects sees BEAD funds rolling out nationwide
Brian Hurley, chief regulatory counsel for ACA Connects, joins the podcast to discuss the trade group's BEAD funding framework: a report offering a national analysis of how far funding from the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program will go, and a state-by-state breakdown of how that money can be used to deploy fiber broadband. We discuss takeaways from that report, and what it reveals for certain states. We also talk about policy priorities for ACA Connects in the lead up to BEAD funds being allocated this summer.
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Mar 29, 2023
Ciena's Steve Alexander: A terabit in the hand
Ciena CTO Steve Alexander recently joined the podcast to discuss the company's announcement of WaveLogic 6, a 1.6 Tbit/s coherent optical technology that will power long-haul, metro and data center connections starting around the middle of next year.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 28, 2023
Corning's new twist on hyperscaler cabling
At OFC earlier this month, Mike Bell, Corning's SVP and GM for optical communications, joined the podcast to discuss the company's newest data center solution that shortens installation times for cables and connectors.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 24, 2023
The Notebook Dump: T-Mobile to scrap 5G reliability ads
Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro and Phil Harvey discuss cable versus fiber, consumer broadband labels and potential roadblocks to BEAD program rollouts. The editors also discuss why T-Mobile will need to re-think its 5G advertising strategy and whether TikTok is now cooler than ever in The Notebook Dump for the week ending March 24.
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Mar 24, 2023
SES' JP Hemingway on satellites' role in the digital divide, D2D and disasters
SES' chief strategy officer spoke with Light Reading at Satellite 2023 about D2D, how SES is helping bridge the digital divide using MEO and GEO, how modern satellite capabilities compare to fiber and more.
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Mar 24, 2023
Viasat's John Janka on the future of satellite and need for LEO-GEO harmony
John Janka, chief officer of global government affairs and regulatory at Viasat, spoke with Light Reading at Satellite 2023 last week about the changing communications landscape and how satellite players and policies must evolve. We also discussed the operator's upcoming launch of its Viasat-3 satellite, which Janka said "should be four-times better performing than the best satellite in orbit today."
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Mar 22, 2023
The Divide: How Cisco and El Paso, Texas, are bringing digital services to at-risk communities
This episode features Nicole Ferrini, climate and sustainability officer for the city of El Paso, Texas, and Gary DePreta, vice president for state, local government and education at Cisco. We discuss a partnership between Cisco and the city of El Paso to launch a portal called El Paso Helps, which connects unhoused individuals and other at-risk community members to essential services, including shelter and housing, addiction and mental health support, and beyond.
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Mar 22, 2023
EchoStar's Paul Gaske on how HughesNet is adding capacity and lowering latency
At last week's Satellite 2023 show, Light Reading caught up with Paul Gaske, chief operating officer at EchoStar, parent company to Hughes, to get an update on the company's forthcoming launch of its new satellite Jupiter-3 and how it will improve broadband connectivity. Gaske also discussed direct-to-device communications and the implications for the future of the industry, key regulatory issues for satellite players and more.
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Mar 17, 2023
The Notebook Dump: Amazon's $10B satellite project, Casa Systems' CEO exit
Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro and Kelsey Ziser discuss Amazon's plan to spend $10 billion on a satellite constellation, an update on Light Reading's Cable Next-Gen event and why Casa Systems' CEO is stepping down today.
We also discuss Ciena's plan to launch 1.6 Tbit/s optical services, the possible sale of Infinera and Airspan's offloading of its fixed-wireless access (FWA) business for $60 million in The Notebook Dump for the week ending March 17.
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Mar 17, 2023
Cable Next-Gen 2023 recap: Operators choose their own adventure
DENVER – CABLE NEXT-GEN 2023 – As cable operators begin to zero in on the evolution of the access network, it's become clear that the future is not one size fits all. Some operators are enhancing their DOCSIS 3.1 networks, planting the seeds for DOCSIS 4.0, using fixed wireless access (FWA) to extend the reach of wireline networks or even overlaying their existing hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) plant with fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) technologies.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Mar 17, 2023
Dell'Oro's Sameh Boujelbene: AI is changing data center hardware
Just like every other part of the communications landscape, data center networking is changing fast. Sameh Boujelbene, vice president at Dell’Oro Group, projects that we'll see most data center switch sales coming at 400 Gbit/s and higher speeds in the next few years and AI is a huge catalyst for that capacity push.
In this episode, we discuss how AI workloads will influence hardware design and data center topologies in the future.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Mar 16, 2023
The Cable Center CEO on the launch of the 'Syndeo Institute'
DENVER – CABLE NEXT GEN 2023 – Light Reading caught up with Diane Christman, the president and CEO of The Cable Center, here this week to discuss the launch of the Syndeo Institute, a new "operational brand" that's being billed as a "modern hub for discovery, education and collaboration" spanning the connectivity, media, entertainment and technology industries.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Mar 16, 2023
GCI starts doing the high splits while preparing for convergence
DENVER – CABLE NEXT GEN 2023 – GCI's Erik Kuhlmann said the company has begun upgrading its DOCSIS 3.1 cable network to a high-split architecture with equipment from vendors including ATX and CommScope. Kuhlmann, the senior director of engineering and architecture for the Alaskan telecom operator, said the move is designed to help the company provide faster speeds to stay abreast of its rivals and slake customer demand.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 14, 2023
What's the Story? African tech startups score $3.3B in funding
African tech startups brought in $3.3 billion in funding for the first time in 2022.
Connecting Africa's Paula Gilbert joins the podcast to explain why the fintech sector is bringing in the most funding, which countries are leading the way for most funding and what these trends mean for the continent as a whole.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 14, 2023
Omdia's Julie Kunstler: PON growth isn't slowing down anytime soon
We caught up with Julie Kunstler, chief analyst for Omdia's broadband access intelligence service, one of this week's #CableNextGen speakers at OFC earlier this month. During our podcast, Kunstler gave us a preview of Omdia's PON forecast and some perspective from meeting with technology vendors who are making strides in energy efficiency and bandwidth increases allow the way down to the chip level.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 14, 2023
The Divide: Doug Maglothin on Diamond State Networks' plans for Arkansas and beyond
This episode features Doug Maglothin, who was recently appointed CEO of Diamond State Networks (DSN), a group of 13 electric co-ops in Arkansas working to unite fiber networks and provide wholesale broadband statewide.
We discuss Diamond State Networks in detail, including its progress in Arkansas so far, the role state and federal funding are playing in its buildout, how Diamond State is working to expand its model beyond the state of Arkansas and more.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 10, 2023
The Notebook Dump: Gigi Sohn exits FCC race, Verizon's leadership shakedown
Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss data center and optical network updates from OFC, Gigi Sohn's withdrawal of her nomination for FCC commissioner and Nokia's plans for a 4G/LTE network on the moon.
In addition, we discuss Charter and Comcast's stance on fixed wireless access, whether there are upgrades beyond DOCSIS 4.0, top executive turnover at Verizon, and 5G strategies in 2023 for AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon... all in the Notebook Dump for the week ending March 10.
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Mar 10, 2023
DZS CEO Charlie Vogt: Backlogs and 'Buy American'
OFC23 – San Diego – DZS CEO Charlie Vogt said his company is one of the few that can help service providers of all sizes upgrade their fiber access networks while saving them operating costs in their middle-mile transport networks.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 10, 2023
Cable's dance with DAA, PON, wireless, DOCSIS 4.0… and more
Entering its 16th year and having obtained its driver's license, Light Reading's Cable Next Gen Technologies & Strategies event will be held March 14 and 15 in downtown Denver. After going all-digital due to the pandemic, this will be the first time the event will be live and in person since 2019.
A lot has happened in the cable tech world since then. Many operators back-burnered their hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) upgrades in 2020 to deal with the near-term surge in network traffic. Three years later, that's all on the front burner again as operators push ahead with upstream enhancements to their DOCSIS 3.1 networks and start to plant the seeds for DOCSIS 4.0.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 9, 2023
Verizon SVP on safer, more sustainable connected vehicles
MWC23 – While electric vehicles are reducing reliance on gas, EVs plus the transition to more renewable energy sources put "tremendous pressure on the grid," said TJ Fox, SVP of industrial IoT and automotive for Verizon.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 8, 2023
Cignal AI's Scott Wilkinson: 100ZR pluggable at the network's edge
OFC23 – San Diego – As the conference kicked off we sat down with Scott Wilkinson, lead analyst for optical components at Cignal AI. Wilkinson explained why Cignal AI's forecast for 100ZR module shipments was doubled for 2025 and how pluggable optics are being used in a wider range of applications.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 8, 2023
SES CPO: Deploying private 5G networks via MEO satellites
MWC23 – The medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellite space just got a little busier with SES' launch of its O3b mPower satellites.
John-Paul Hemingway, chief strategy and product officer for SES, said the initial launch of two satellites last December went as planned and the satellites are "all performing well." SES plans on two more launches in Q2 of this year for a total of six satellites in the constellation.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 8, 2023
Omdia's Ian Redpath: Optical networking momentum at OFC23
OFC23 – San Diego – As OFC kicks off this week, Omdia's research director for transport networks and components, Ian Redpath, gives us an overview of the slew of coherent pluggable optics announced in the past few weeks. The approaches vary, but vendors are stepping up with new offerings as network operators look to pluggables – once purely the domain of data center applications – for metro networking applications.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 8, 2023
The Divide: Connected Nation's Brent Legg on the need to build more carrier-neutral IXPs
Brent Legg, executive vice president of government affairs at Connected Nation (CN), joins the podcast to discuss the organization's partnership with entrepreneur and investor Hunter Newby to build and operate 125 new carrier-neutral Internet exchange points (IXPs), and its application for an NTIA Middle Mile grant to fund five of those projects.
Learn more at connectednation.org/ixp.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 7, 2023
AT&T VP: Gearing up software-defined, edge-connected vehicles
MWC23 – As the connected vehicle market relies more on edge computing resources, cars can benefit from lower latency connections, avoid traffic congestion and access roadside assistance faster.
These are just a few of the capabilities AT&T is working on for connected vehicles, explains Cameron Coursey, VP of AT&T connected solutions, in the podcast.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 7, 2023
Boingo CEO: Monetizing private 5G networks in stadiums
MWC23 – One new area where private 5G networks are gaining traction is within stadiums to support the fan experience.
Boingo Wireless CEO Mike Finley provides an update on the company's private wireless deployments, such as its partnership with the San Diego Padres last fall.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 6, 2023
Fortinet converges SASE security policies for mobile workforce
MWC23 – As many enterprise employees continue to split their time between the home office and on-premises locations, service providers are tasked with delivering managed SD-WAN and SASE services that secure enterprise applications anywhere.
Anne-Gaelle Santos, business development manager for Fortinet, explained that Fortinet works closely with service provider customers to develop managed SASE and SD-WAN services to secure the mobile workforce.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 3, 2023
ACA Connects Summit recap: Cablecos fret about funding for BEAD and ACP
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Before execs and reps of small and midsized cable ops headed to Capitol Hill to raise concerns with government officials here on Thursday, many offered a preview of sorts of those discussions the day before at the ACA Connects Summit.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 3, 2023
MWC recap: Google, Microsoft and Oracle diverge on network functions
MWC23 – As MWC wraps up, Iain Morris, Mike Dano and Kelsey Ziser ruminate on T-Mobile's 5G voice service plans, how hyperscalers are trying to differentiate themselves and investment plans for future 5G and 6G deployments.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 2, 2023
The Divide: US Treasury's Joey Wender on awarding the first $5B in capital funds for broadband
Joey Wender, director of the capital projects fund at the US Treasury Department, joined the podcast at the ACA Connects Summit this week in Washington, DC, to talk about his department's progress awarding roughly $5 billion in broadband funding for states.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 2, 2023
The Divide: Blair Levin on why the US is at risk of increasing the digital divide
New Street Research analyst and former FCC official Blair Levin joined the podcast live at the ACA Connects Summit this week to talk about the state of broadband in the US, and the urgency around re-funding the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 1, 2023
ETSI CTO: Moving the needle on 5G standalone and open RAN
MWC23 – ETSI CTO Adrian Scrase appreciates that the telecom industry is planning ahead for 6G but said there's still much work to be done in supporting 5G deployments and moving the needle on 5G standalone networks.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 1, 2023
How, and why, T-Mobile partnered with AWS for private wireless
MWC23 – T-Mobile in the US recently announced a teaming with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to sell its private wireless networking offerings through AWS' new "Integrated Private Wireless" program.
T-Mobile's Mishka Dehghan, SVP of the operator's strategy, product and solutions engineering, told Light Reading that the partnership is an expansion of T-Mobile's previously announced Advanced Network Solutions (ANS) business division.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 1, 2023
BT's Howard Watson addresses net neutrality and 5G during MWC
MWC23 – BT's chief security and networks officer, Howard Watson, spoke to Light Reading about ongoing conversations around net neutrality and fair contribution, as well as 5G.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 1, 2023
Orange confident about open RAN's role in network transformation
Orange's executive vice president for technology and innovation, Michaël Trabbia, said the telco remains confident about open radio access network (RAN) technology, which it sees as part of the company's broader network cloud transformation.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Mar 1, 2023
What's the Story? Net Insight's overlay fix for 5G transport
MWC23 – Video transport company Net Insight has launched an overlay network service to solve the timing and synchronization problem plaguing 5G transport, according to Heavy Reading.
Senior Principal Analyst Sterling Perrin explained that Net Insight is using virtual private network (VPN) tunnels to address the timing and synchronization issue – a solution the broadcast industry is bringing to telecom.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Feb 27, 2023
The Divide: WBA's Tiago Rodrigues on Wi-Fi spectrum and the goal of OpenRoaming
In this episode, we hear from Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), a nonprofit organization working to improve Wi-Fi technologies and services worldwide.
We discuss the importance of Wi-Fi access and harmonizing standards, as well as the relevance of emerging technologies like WBA's OpenRoaming to closing the digital divide, and why WBA is pushing governments to open more Wi-Fi spectrum or risk widening the global connectivity gap.
The unedited audio transcript is available in the media player of this episode page.
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Feb 27, 2023
Omdia's Pablo Tomasi: Private 5G networks slow to match hype at MWC
Service providers jump at any chance to tout the revenue potential of private 5G networks, but there's a ways to go before they permeate most enterprise verticals.
Omdia Principal Analyst Pablo Tomasi said that while private 5G networks are being deployed for mining applications and ports, verticals such as manufacturing are slower to get on board.
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Feb 24, 2023
The Notebook Dump: FCC on ending digital discrimination, MWC kicks off
Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro and Kelsey Ziser discuss the FCC's efforts to end digital discrimination, data center sustainability, Altice USA's efforts to get back on track and how to survive Mobile World Congress in the Notebook Dump for the week ending February 24.
If you want to skip around and listen, here are a few more things covered in this interview:
* FCC is required by infrastructure law to include broadband labels, prohibit digital discrimination and more. (00:43)
* Analyzing the impact of data center sustainability efforts is no small task. (05:31)
* Altice USA CEO implements new fiber and mobile strategies. (07:32)
* Mike has stickers of 80s action stars in his notebook. (11:10)
* The Light Reading editors prepare to descend on Barcelona, Spain, for Mobile World Congress… along with 80,000 other attendees. (12:20)
* Nicole wants everyone on their best behavior during Broadway shows. (17:13)
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Feb 24, 2023
What's the Story? Roku, TiVo trade punches over smart TVs
Jeff Baumgartner joins the podcast to discuss Roku and Xperi/TiVo's recent earnings results and where they stand in the smart TV market. We also discuss some rivalries emerging among the smart TV players.
Here are a few topics we covered:
* TiVo to enter European smart TV market (00:51)
* TiVo's evolution from DVR to smart TVs (04:26)
* Roku's decision to design and build its own smart TVs could put it in competition with its TV OEM (original equipment manufacturing) partners (07:41)
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Feb 23, 2023
Exploring the AT&T-BlackRock deal, open access and cable upgrades
AT&T's new "Gigapower" fiber joint venture with BlackRock Alternatives initially will focus on 1 million to 1.5 million locations outside AT&T's wireline footprint. Meanwhile, Charter Communications and Comcast are embarking on major hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) upgrades. And fixed wireless access (FWA) remains a tool of interest in the broadband investment community.
Those were some of the topics covered on this Light Reading Podcast with Jack Burton and Jay Rolls, two cable and broadband vets at Broadband Success Partners, a telecom consulting firm primarily focused on providing tech due diligence to investors exploring opportunities in broadband. It's an active segment, as the firm worked on 32 deals last year and recently held 35 meetings at the recent Metro Connect show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
As for that AT&T-BlackRock deal, it was treated like a "completely new entity," said Burton, a principal at Broadband Success Partners who is late of Cablevision Systems and Altice USA.…
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Feb 22, 2023
Ting's take on BEAD and fiber investments for economic development
Amol S. Naik, SVP of public policy and community engagement for Ting Internet at Tucows, joins the podcast to discuss how fiber infrastructure is shaping economic development in Ting's service areas. Naik also provides an update on Ting's role as the anchor tenant for an open access broadband network in Colorado Springs and shares his forecast for how the rollout of BEAD funding will go.
Here are a few topics we covered:
* Background on Ting and the areas the Internet service provider serves (00:42)
* Economic impact of fiber broadband deployments (2:59)
* Broadband is becoming a key amenity in communities nationwide in the US (4:44)
* Update on Ting's involvement as the anchor tenant in an open access broadband network in Colorado Springs (6:47)
* Impact of fiber investments on smart cities and carbon emissions (8:38)
* Opportunities and challenges states face in applying for BEAD funding (11:07)
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Feb 22, 2023
The Divide: How broadband barriers are impacting civil society orgs
On this episode: Connect Humanity's Christopher Worman and Makaia's Catalina Escobar join the podcast to discuss how global broadband barriers are making it harder for civil society organizations to reach impacted communities.
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Feb 17, 2023
The Notebook Dump: Gigi Sohn stuck in FCC purgatory, NC banks $23M on broadband
Phil Harvey, Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro and Kelsey Ziser discuss Gigi Sohn's third round at a FCC chairman hearing, North Carolina's broadband initiatives, Comcast's new Xfinity 10G campaign and new opportunities in private wireless in the Notebook Dump for the week ending February 17.
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Feb 17, 2023
What's the Story? Qualcomm's speedy 5G chips
Qualcomm launched a new 5G chip for smartphones, which Light Reading's Mike Dano says will likely be commercially available this fall. We discuss why this chip is faster, what it means for service provider customers and when it will be included in new smart phones.
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Feb 16, 2023
EPB earmarks $70M for 25-Gig services and fiber upgrades
Over the past year, electric power distributor EPB has deployed 25-Gig services in Chattanooga, Tennessee as part of a $70 million fiber upgrade plan.
EPB VP Katie Espeseth joins the podcast to explain what the 25-Gig services and fiber deployments mean for economic development in the region. She also touches on potential opportunities for Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding, and why EPB is leading a testbed for quantum computing applications.
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Feb 15, 2023
Extreme CEO: Leading with software to win retail, stadium deals
From FedEx to the NFL, Extreme Networks is working with a range of customers on cloud adoption and monetizing data analytics. CEO Ed Meyercord joins the podcast to explain why Extreme is focused on becoming more software-centric, how the company works with customers to better utilize their data and why digital twins can speed up network transformations.
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Feb 15, 2023
The Divide: Calix CEO Michael Weening on enabling the broadband disruptors
This episode features Michael Weening, CEO of Calix. We discuss the company's perspective on the digital divide and Calix's role as "enablers of the disruptors" in the broadband market.
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Feb 10, 2023
Verizon invests to keep first responders connected at the Super Bowl
Verizon Frontline's Maggie Hallbach said her team has spent two years and more than $100 million to ensure public safety agencies are connected during Super Bowl 57 and beyond.
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Feb 10, 2023
5G COWS: AT&T's sprawling Super Bowl network prep
Inside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, AT&T has boosted the network's capacity by deploying more than 2,000 wireless network antennas, supported by more than 12 miles of fiber and power cables, according to Dave Carroll, a network planning AVP at AT&T.
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Feb 8, 2023
The Divide: How BDT is increasing enrollments in the FCC's ACP
This episode features Trooper Sanders, CEO of Benefits Data Trust (BDT), on the importance of the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and how BDT is helping more people access the monthly broadband subsidy.
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Feb 7, 2023
IBM's Andrew Coward on managing MEC and multi-cloud madness
Former CEO of Lumina Networks Andrew Coward joins the podcast to discuss his new role as general manager of software defined networking at IBM and how the company is addressing enterprise needs for multi-cloud management.
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Feb 6, 2023
POWDER: Open for 5G and whatever's next
In Salt Lake City, a city-sized 5G network is humming along with hundreds of devices connected to dozens of endpoints, measuring every imaginable thing you can in a modern cellular network. The latest developments in the POWDER testbed have made the resource all the more valuable.
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Feb 3, 2023
The Notebook Dump: Juniper's software shift, Sohn saga, Oregon Trail treachery
Phil Harvey, Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro and Kelsey Ziser discuss Juniper's software-centric strategy and 400G expansions, the continued pay-TV subscription decline and Netflix's crackdown on password sharing.
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Feb 3, 2023
What's the Story? Telcos trudging slowly ahead with automation
Iain Morris joins the podcast to discuss how automated telcos really are and what's actually contributing to job cuts in the telecom industry over the past few years.
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Feb 1, 2023
The Divide: Study examines service providers' plans and priorities for bridging broadband gaps
This episode features Alan Breznick, senior analyst with Heavy Reading. He joins the show to discuss the results of a recent survey about the global broadband industry's plans for closing the digital divide, including which technologies providers are prioritizing for their buildouts, what they're looking for from vendors, the role of government subsidies – and more.
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Jan 27, 2023
The Notebook Dump: BEAD battles, 5G wins and woes, robot dog uprising
Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro and Kelsey Ziser discuss Q4 earnings results for cable operators such as Comcast, which lost broadband subscribers but gained mobile subs.
Nicole provides an update on $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program funding debates, and Mike shares why AT&T is doing better than Verizon in the 5G game.
We close out with AT&T's launch of robotic dogs for emergency services and "Phil Harvey" makes a surprise appearance in an unexpected form in The Notebook Dump for the week ending January 27.
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Jan 27, 2023
What's the Story? Mediacom mum on mobile service details
Jeff Baumgartner joins the podcast with updates on Mediacom's mobile service and discusses how the cable industry at large is doing in the mobile space. We also discuss his predictions for how Comcast and Charter may fare in their Q4 earnings reports.
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Jan 26, 2023
Blockgraph CEO on how data is fueling the future of targeted TV advertising
Blockgraph CEO Jason Manningham joins the podcast to discuss how the company is keeping data safe and secure amid the rising tide of targeted TV advertising.
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Jan 24, 2023
The Divide: Ciena's Steve Alexander on closing the connectivity and digital education gap
This episode features Steve Alexander, CTO at Ciena. He joins the show to discuss the historic levels of funding we're seeing in broadband networks, and what else it will take to close the digital divide. We also discuss how Ciena is preparing for federal funding opportunities, what all of this planned connectivity will mean for service providers and society – and more.
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Jan 23, 2023
What's the Story? Apple scraps AR glasses… for now
Mike Dano joins the podcast to explain why Apple paused development on its augmented reality (AR) glasses and shifted focus to mixed reality headsets for now. We discuss the challenges of developing AR glasses and the implications for service providers who will need to provide the network connectivity to support them.
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Jan 20, 2023
The Notebook Dump: DeWi pushes forward, ACP needs funds, Netflix with ads is 'meh'
Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss the state of decentralized wireless deployments, and why some industry groups are worried about the future of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Jeff also provides a preview of Netflix's potential Q4 earnings results, and Kelsey shares some 800G upgrades by Infinera, in The Notebook Dump for the week ending January 20.
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Jan 18, 2023
Wave7 Research's Jeff Moore on the keys to cable's mobile success
Jeff Moore, principal of Wave7 Research, keeps close tabs on all things mobile, including cable's activities in the market. He attributes cable's success so far in part to scale, simplicity, affordability and a solid local retail presence.
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Jan 18, 2023
The Divide: How Kwikbit is bringing broadband to mobile homes
This episode features Joe Costello, CEO of Kwikbit Internet, a wireless ISP delivering broadband service to mobile home park communities in several states across the US, including Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
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Jan 13, 2023
The Notebook Dump: DirecTV layoffs, T-Mobile wants Mint Mobile, FCC map challenges
Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss DirecTV's layoffs, more problems emerging for the pay TV market and why Nicole Ferraro gets a kick out of watching football. In addition, we cover a few cloud and data center updates, T-Mobile's plans to acquire Mint Mobile and an update on the FCC's Broadband Map in the Notebook Dump for the week ending January 13.
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Jan 12, 2023
Advertising on the big screen is a big deal in the streaming era
Pay-TV may be in decline, but the TV screen remains a valuable piece of real estate for advertisers as more and more premium content gets pulled into various ad-supported streaming apps and direct-to-consumer (DTC) services. It's a trend not lost on FreeWheel, the ad-tech specialist that Comcast acquired in 2014.
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Jan 12, 2023
What's the Story? CES Recapped – Robot dogs, 5G phones and a sheep named Annie
Jeff Baumgartner and Mike Dano are back from last week's CES event in Las Vegas with a recap on new technologies and trends from the show.
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Jan 11, 2023
Airties CEO makes the case for managed, monitored Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 add capacity and improve the data speeds delivered on home networks, but the broader experience – down to the application level – is poised to take on more prominence, according to Airties CEO and CTO Metin Taskin
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Jan 10, 2023
Quickplay explores the intersection between sports and streaming
There's no doubt that streaming and live sports have become a tandem, and it's a combo that will only continue to grow more prominent.
On the technology end, companies such as Quickplay are keying on that trend. Quickplay, which connected with Canada's Rogers Communications on a regamped version of Sportsnet's SN Now app, believes the flexibility of cloud-powered streaming services will open up a wide range of new models and packaging potential for regional sports networks, sports leagues and teams.
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Jan 4, 2023
More than 100K expected to attend CES 2023
CES returns to Las Vegas this week, and organizers expect that on-site attendance will cross the six-figure mark as the annual event continues to inch back to pre-pandemic levels.
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Dec 28, 2022
Palo Alto Networks SVP: Injecting zero trust into IoT device security
Cybersecurity threats are a huge concern for any organization, but the results of threats to healthcare facilities can result in patient data being compromised and halting vital hospital operations.
Cyberattacks on healthcare organizations increased 200% from 2020 to 2021, according to a 2021 NTT threat report.
At Palo Alto Networks' Ignite 22 event last week, Anand Oswal, SVP of products, network security for Palo Alto, explained why a zero trust approach to securing medical IoT devices can provide more visibility into the network and reduce the attack surface.
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Dec 23, 2022
PLDT grapples with fallout of missing millions
One telco that could use a Christmas miracle this season is Philippine service provider PLDT. The company's stock dropped dramatically - around 19% on Monday - after news that there's $866 million in unaccounted capital spending.
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Dec 22, 2022
The Divide: How Wave 7 is connecting Enfield, North Carolina, with community broadband
This episode features LaShawn Williamson, founder and CEO at Wave 7 Communications, and Brian Vo, chief investment officer at Connect Humanity, a nonprofit working with communities to advance digital equity.
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Dec 21, 2022
Unit 42 tackles threat intelligence on a global scale
Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 team is tasked with investigating threat data is critical to preventing future cybersecurity attacks.
Wendi Whitmore, SVP of cyber consulting and threat intelligence, Palo Alto Networks said the Unit 42 team analyzes over 1,000 threat investigations each year.
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Dec 20, 2022
Synacor might split out its Cloud ID and Zimbra businesses, CEO says
Synacor, once a public company, went private last year after getting acquired by private equity firm Centre Lane Partners – a deal that came together roughly eight months after Synacor and Qumu scrubbed their proposed merger.
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Dec 19, 2022
Edgewater Wireless CEO on how 'spectrum slicing' can beef up Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi continues to make progress with respect to speed, capacity and lower latencies with Wi-Fi 6E today and, soon, Wi-Fi 7.
One company that's looking beyond the baseline standards to get even more out of Wi-Fi is Edgewater Wireless, a startup that has developed a patented technique called "spectrum slicing" to further improve the efficiency and performance of Wi-Fi.
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Dec 16, 2022
The Notebook Dump: We're freezing up in here
Light Reading editors Jeff Baumgartner, Nicole Ferraro, Mike Dano, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser all connected for one last episode of The Notebook Dump for 2022. Just about everyone's video froze at some point, but the audio and the jokes are as crystal clear (and cringy) as ever while we recap a weird week in telecom news.
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Dec 14, 2022
The Divide: Internet Society's Dan York on the state of LEO satellite broadband
This episode features Dan York, director of online content at the Internet Society. He joins the show to discuss the details of a new report called Perspectives on LEO Satellites.
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Dec 13, 2022
AT&T banks on public policy to propel open RAN deployments
At last week's Open RAN North America event in New York, AT&T's Chris Boyer sat down with Light Reading to explain how the service provider is working with the government, academia and other organizations to support progress in open RAN deployments.
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Dec 9, 2022
The Notebook Dump: 5G transport, open RAN and NYC subways
Mike Dano, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser attended Light Reading's 5G Transport & Networking Strategies event, held in conjunction with the Open RAN North America trade show in New York City this week. They discussed the hot topics in 5G transport, including backhaul and fronthaul.
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Dec 9, 2022
Heavy Reading's Gabriel Brown: 5G's long road ahead
At Light Reading's 5G Transport & Networking Strategies event, analyst Gabriel Brown discusses the reality of the 5G market – standalone 5G is still on the horizon and making all those systems work together is the industry's next big challenge.
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Dec 9, 2022
Heavy Reading's Sterling Perrin: Lowering latency in 5G networks
At Light Reading's one-day optical networking event, analyst Sterling Perrin recaps the highlights and discusses how transport networks are evolving to accommodate 5G latency demands.
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Dec 7, 2022
The Divide: NDIA's Amy Huffman on how to build a state digital equity plan
On this episode we hear from Amy Huffman, policy director at the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA): a nonprofit organization working to close the digital divide in the US.
She joins the show to discuss the federal government's $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act (DEA) – passed as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) – and NDIA's new toolkit to help states develop their digital equity plans.
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Dec 2, 2022
The Notebook Dump: 6G and broadband and bears – oh my!
Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss SES and Boeing's medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite launch planned for later this month, Dish Wireless plans to rule 6G and the FCC releases its national broadband map. In addition, the editors chat about an unplanned potential decommissioning of 20 million cable set-top boxes, and why bears should avoid illicit substances in the Notebook Dump for the week ending December 2.
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Nov 30, 2022
The Divide: How Bluepeak is bringing broadband competition to overlooked cities
This episode features Jeff Seidenfaden, chief commercial and customer experience officer at fiber broadband provider Bluepeak; and Mike Podoll, a resident of Altus, Oklahoma, and a subscriber to Bluepeak since the ISP started connecting customers there in late August.
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Nov 30, 2022
Boeing brings 5G and terrestrial tech to MEO satellites
While 5G is a relatively nascent technology, it's already playing an important role in the satellite space race. Ryan Reid, president of Boeing Commercial Satellite Systems, International, recently joined the Light Reading podcast to explain how terrestrial telecom technologies are being utilized in the new O3b mPower satellites, which Boeing is manufacturing in partnership with satellite operator SES.
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Nov 23, 2022
SES CTO on launching software-defined satellites
Satellite operator SES has a busy year-end planned with the scheduled launch of two MEO satellites in mid-December. CTO Ruy Pinto met up with Light Reading on site at Boeing Satellite in El Segundo, Calif. earlier this month with an update on the scheduled launch.
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Nov 22, 2022
ATX CEO on bridging the labor gap and what's next in cable tech
Whether it's upgrading existing hybrid fiber/coax (HFC), extending service to adjacent areas or bringing fiber and gigabit speeds to rural locations, the pace of network building has picked up among many US cable operators.
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Nov 18, 2022
The Notebook Dump: CTIA unimpressed with CBRS, Comcast unleashes HFC, shrinking MEO satellites
Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano and Kelsey Ziser discuss whether anything interesting is going on in the CBRS spectrum band, updates on Comcast's hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network, and Kelsey's tour of Boeing's satellite facility in the Notebook Dump for the week ending November 18.
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Nov 18, 2022
The Divide: Flume's CEO on what happened with NYC's Internet Master Plan
This episode features Prashanth Vijay, co-founder and CEO of Flume Internet. He returns to the podcast to discuss Flume's progress leveraging dark fiber to help close the digital divide in New York City over the past year, as well as the company's recently announced expansion to Los Angeles, California, and Hartford, Connecticut.
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Nov 17, 2022
What's the Story? All SES wants for Christmas are MEO satellites
Just in time for the Holidays, satellite operator SES plans to launch about a half dozen new MEO satellites in mid-December. A second launch is scheduled for January of next year, together with launch partner SpaceX.
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Nov 16, 2022
What's the Story? Edge computing ain't easy
Light Reading's Mike Dano and Phil Harvey review the Leading Lights Awards categories they judged, ranging from 5G to optical transport.
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Nov 15, 2022
What's the Story? Leading Lights entries double down on cloud native
Light Reading's Iain Morris and Kelsey Ziser review the Leading Lights Awards categories they judged and examine emerging trends that appeared in the submissions.
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Nov 11, 2022
The Notebook Dump: Broadband prevails, satellites are cool and Twitter's a mess
Light Reading editors Nicole Ferraro, Mike Dano and Phil Harvey gather around the microphones for an informal discussion of what happened during the work week ended November 11, 2022. This week's big issues include the state of statewide broadband ballot initiatives, broadband mapping timelines, satellite-to-phone communications, space commercialization and how the social media landscape is changing after a wave of layoffs in the tech sector.
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Nov 11, 2022
The Divide: Sharayah Lane on the need for Indigenous-led broadband solutions
The Internet Society's Sharayah Lane joins the podcast to discuss the digital divide in indigenous communities across North America, where progress has and hasn't been made and broadband policy recommendations from the recent Indigenous Connectivity Summit.
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Nov 11, 2022
How RDK is branching out to cover smart TVs and FWA
Now spanning video and broadband devices and a subset of the IoT arena, the Reference Design Kit (RDK) has come a long way since humble beginnings that, as far as we can tell, extend back to circa 2010.
RDK, an open-source software stack managed by a joint venture of Comcast, Charter Communications and Liberty Global, has been deployed to more than 100 million devices worldwide, up from about the 80 million reported in May 2021.
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Nov 11, 2022
Software-as-a-Service: The new way telco core networks are delivered and operated
Nokia core networks SVP Fran Heeran answers Light Reading’s questions on how customers and the whole industry perceives Core Networks delivered and operated in a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. #sponsored
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Nov 10, 2022
US Cable has a strong hand in mobile, Recon Analytics' Roger Entner says
Comcast and Charter Communications just came off a third quarter in which they added a record 729,000 mobile lines, extending their grand total to 9.61 million. As home broadband subscriber growth slows, mobile has clearly become their new success story.
Altice USA's mobile service, coming way of a new MVNO deal with T-Mobile, has had more limited success, but the operator is still adding mobile lines. Meanwhile, Cox Communications and WideOpenWest have just entered the game, and the National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC) is crafting MVNO deals that will enable its membership of 700-plus independent cable operators and telcos to enter the mobile mix as well.
Roger Entner, the founder and lead analyst of Recon Analytics and all-around mobile industry expert, believes cable is well-positioned to keep growing the mobile side of its business.
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Nov 10, 2022
Telcos must pivot to app quality of experience focus as OTT traffic floods networks – Sandvine
Service providers can move toward sustainable, profitable business models if they optimize and monetize the quality of experience they deliver to consumers and enterprises on behalf of OTT players. #sponsored
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Nov 4, 2022
The Notebook Dump: Broadband and magic mushrooms on the ballot
Earnings season is in full force and Light Reading Editors Jeff Baumgartner, Mike Dano, Nicole Ferraro and Kelsey Ziser discuss which companies had a banner Q3 and others that hit some speed bumps in this Notebook Dump for the week ending November 4.
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Nov 4, 2022
The Divide: How SiFi Networks tackles digital inequity with open access 'FiberCities'
This episode features Shawn Parker, vice president of government affairs at SiFi Networks: which has been building and operating open access fiber networks for about a decade, with 32 "FiberCities" currently in development across the US.
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Nov 3, 2022
What's the Story? Fixed wireless swamps Leading Lights Awards
Light Reading's Alan Breznick reviews the Leading Lights Awards categories he judged and examines surprising trends that appeared in the submissions.
In particular, Alan said there was a significant number of fixed wireless submissions this year.
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Nov 2, 2022
Telstra Americas' Noah Drake dives into subsea cable network planning
Telstra Americas' President Noah Drake joins the podcast with an update on the service provider's market focus in the Americas, where Telstra operates subsea cable networks and which regions it has pegged for growth.
You can download a lightly edited transcript of the podcast here.
Here are a few topics we covered:
* Contrast between Drake's time at Zayo versus now at Telstra (00:39)
* Telstra Americas' customers and focus in the Americas' market (02:34)
* New technologies for subsea cable networks (04:11)
* Building subsea cable networks that last decades while provisioning for future bandwidth demands (06:19)
* Balancing network planning and subsea cable maintenance (09:25)
* Telstra Octagon and the service provider's work with the financial services community (12:01)
* Telco talent acquisition and the challenge of filling roles with the right people (15:37)
Related stories and links:
* The Notebook Dump: 800G milestones, AT&T adds fiber subs, and Netflix bucks…
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Nov 1, 2022
Velocix CEO on pay-TV's streaming shift and how to get more out of the cloud DVR
Jim Brickmeier has seen the pay-TV industry evolve from its early foray into the worlds of video-on-demand (VoD) and digital ad insertion, the advent of the cloud DVR and into today's streaming era.
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Oct 31, 2022
The Notebook Dump: Ghosts, ghouls and zombies of telecom
In the Halloween edition of The Notebook Dump, Light Reading editors walk through the digital cemetery looking for gadget zombies and technologies that still haunt us.
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Oct 29, 2022
Enabling new 5G network services
Shekar Ayyar, chairman and CEO of Arrcus, sees a lot of upside for telcos wanting to create new network services. His optimism is rooted in the changes he sees in network infrastructure and a new kind of convergence between enterprise and service provider networks.
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Oct 28, 2022
What's the Story? Leading Lights finalist trends in streaming video and broadband
Light Reading's Jeff Baumgartner and Nicole Ferraro discuss the 2022 Leading Lights Awards categories they judged, the finalists they selected and trends they noticed in the submissions.
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Oct 26, 2022
Evolving telecommunications BSS to enable CSPs for future revenue growth
One of the recent surveys by Comviva Research, across 75 C-level telecom executives globally, suggests that 60% believe their BSS is not ready for future needs. #sponsored
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Oct 25, 2022
Interactive TV and living in the FAST lane
Weber, who once headed up video product for AT&T and its U-verse services, shifted gears years ago to take the CEO slot at Zone TV. These days, he's focused on an older TV idea – interactive television – that has found new interest thanks to IP connectivity and optimism about the category from both operators and programmers.
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Oct 25, 2022
Omdia: SASE has barely left the starting block
While vendors and service providers have made much ado about secure access service edge (SASE), the technology framework is still in its nascent phase, according to Omdia Analysts Adeline Phua and Fernando Montenegro.
"I think everybody's really excited about SASE because enterprises keep asking about it," said Phua. "It's got so much buzz in the market. And we're thinking that maybe adoption is really hitting that tipping point, only to find out when we talk to service providers and to enterprises that the adoption is really not there yet."
Phua and Montenegro explain why there's still a learning curve about SASE, how service providers can better approach enterprises interested in adopting SASE and their forecasts for the market moving forward.
You can download a lightly edited transcript of the podcast here.
Here are a few topics we covered:
* Omdia's definition of SASE (00:32)
* Service provider adoption of SASE (02:58)
* Why SD-WAN adoption is still light (04:39)
* Ho…
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Oct 24, 2022
What's the Story? AT&T from the edge to the cloud
Light Reading's Phil Harvey discusses his recent tour of AT&T's central office. Phil also examines AT&T's edge strategy, public cloud partnership with Microsoft and provides an update on AT&T's FirstNet emergency response service.
You can download a lightly edited transcript of the podcast here.
Here are a few topics we covered:
* Overview of Phil's tour of AT&T's central office. (01:00)
* An inside look at AT&T's 5G and fiber focus. (02:42)
* AT&T's approach to the public cloud. (06:32)
* Why utilizing the public cloud could be more cost-efficient for service providers. (10:52)
* Update on FirstNet emergency response service. (13:05)
Related stories and links:
* An inside look at AT&T's 5G and fiber focus
* What's behind AT&T's midband momentum?
* AT&T's fiber sub base surpasses its 'non-fiber' base
* AT&T quietly cuts another 2,500 jobs
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Oct 23, 2022
Rakuten Mobile's Tareq Amin: Symware celebration
LAS VEGAS – #MWC22 – Tareq Amin, CEO of Rakuten Mobile and Rakuten Symphony, discusses how he got Symware from being a reference architecture to a shipping product, with plans to deploy 30,000 units in Rakuten Mobile's network in Japan.
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Oct 22, 2022
Pivotal Commware: Speeding up FWA
Pivotal Commware CEO Brian Deutsch discusses his company's new as-a-service offering, Pivotal Turnkey Services. The service, offered to Pivotal's network operator customers, aims to speed up deployments of fixed wireless access (FWA) networks that use mmWave technology.
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Oct 21, 2022
The Notebook Dump: 800G milestones, AT&T adds fiber subs, and Netflix bucks streaming struggles
Light Reading editors Jeff Baumgartner, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss subsea cable updates and Ciena and Alitbox's 800G deployment from Amsterdam to Copenhagen. The editors also discuss Phil's takeaways from his recent tour of AT&T's central office, AT&T's fiber subscriber base surpassing its non-fiber base, and Netflix's banner Q3 results in this recap of the work week ended October 21.
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Oct 20, 2022
Reach Mobile CEO on 'Shopifying' mobile, broadband and IoT
Shopify has been using its e-commerce platform to provide an easy path for partners to sell products online for more than 15 years. Reach Mobile believes its platform offers something similar for the worlds of mobile, home broadband, the Internet of Things (IoT) and, more recently, connectivity for enterprises.
"Reach is doing to the telecom networking industry what Shopify did to e-commerce," Reach Mobile founder and CEO Harjot Saluja asserted on the Light Reading Podcast. "We built a digital stack that allows companies, any client, to leverage the network and monetize it in many different ways, but in a very, very simple manner."
An example he points to is WideOpenWest (WOW), a competitive cable/fiber service provider that recently launched a mobile service in partnership with Reach Mobile.
"They [WOW] can just focus on marketing and distribution, and our platform does everything else," Saluja explained, noting that his company is pursuing similar types of mobile service partn…
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Oct 20, 2022
The Divide: How Presidio collaborates with the public sector on connectivity
This episode features Cyndi Barrera, the sales vice president of SLED West at digital services and solutions provider Presidio. She and her team work with and advise public sector clients on technology solutions to meet their specific needs. We discuss a project called CFW Neighborhood that Presidio worked on with Cisco and the city of Fort Worth, Texas, to help build out the city's digital infrastructure and bring Wi-Fi to all residents.
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Oct 19, 2022
Ciena and Altibox: Amsterdam bound with 800G
Ciena and Altibox discuss their recent 800G deployment over 1,100 KM between Amsterdam and Copenhagen.
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Oct 18, 2022
Global Cloud Xchange battles global latency with subsea connectivity
Subsea cable operators face the unique challenge of balancing future capacity demands while deploying and maintaining cable systems meant to last 25 to 30 years. Jim Fagan, chief strategy and revenue officer for Global Cloud Xchange, joins the podcast to discuss new technologies for future-proofing subsea cables, and examines which regions are exhibiting the most growth in bandwidth demands.
You can download a lightly edited transcript of the podcast here.
Here are a few topics we covered:
* Background on Jim Fagan and Global Cloud Xchange. (00:25)
* GCX's managed services business. (04:01)
* Impact of the pandemic on GCX's business. (06:12)
* Regions where GCX is experiencing growth and partnership with Equinix. (09:03)
* Subsea cable management across international waters. (11:50)
* New and emerging subsea cable technologies. (15:01)
* Logistical and equipment management challenges to operating and managing subsea cables. (17:55)
Related stories and links:
* Cie…
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Oct 17, 2022
Omdia's Roz Roseboro: The complexities of public clouds for telcos
Roz Roseboro, principal analyst for Omdia, joins the podcast to discuss her research on service provider use of the public cloud and whether SPs should try to be more like the hyperscalers.
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Oct 14, 2022
The Notebook Dump: DOCSIS ain't cheap, edge computing is 'meh' and Starry bet and lost on RDOF
Light Reading editors Kelsey Ziser, Mike Dano, Jeff Baumgartner, Nicole Ferraro and Phil Harvey discuss DOCSIS 4.0 network upgrade costs, edge computing sites, and RDOF and SD-WAN updates in this recap of the work week ended October 14.
The stories covered include:
* Analysts peg DOCSIS 4.0 network upgrade costs at $180 per home passed
* Airlines start asking for permanent changes to C-band 5G
* After two-year delay, Verizon begins move to standalone 5G
* Dish Network in talks to sell Boost to Ergen's SPAC
* Starry to default on all RDOF bids – FCC
* SpaceX to FCC: Starlink 'not required to show' it meets RDOF speed needs yet
* SD-WAN roundup: Cisco and Azure team up; Orange adds 'vroom' to SD-WAN
If you want to skip around and listen, here are a few more things covered in this interview:
* Network upgrade costs for DOCSIS 4.0. (01:09)
* FCC's rip-and-replace program, Verizon standalone 5G and Dish Network's plans to sell Boost Mobile brand to Charlie Ergen. Mic…
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Oct 14, 2022
FiberLight CEO's vision extends beyond core connectivity
Connectivity is core to FiberLight's business, but the company, under CEO Chris Rabii, is pursuing a path to be much more.
FiberLight is in the midst of a plan to evolve from "a "largely construction-focused company, to one that's trying to be more compelling in the services arena," says Rabii, a former exec with Cablevision Lightpath and Altice Business who joined FiberLight roughly two years ago.
While there are other examples of companies that have successfully made that transition, "there's work we need to do to be good at those things," Rabii said on the Light Reading Podcast.
But infrastructure and connectivity are certainly at FiberLight's core. FiberLight operates about 17,000 route miles of fiber around 78,000 pre-qualified or near-net buildings across 30 US metro areas, with a principal presence in Texas and Northern Virginia. Tied into that infrastructure play, FiberLight's business spans both wholesale and channel relationships, including activity with enterprise…
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Oct 13, 2022
What's the story? South Africa to sunset 2G and 3G
Connecting Africa's Paula Gilbert provides an update on Safaricom's new network in Ethiopia, which will be the country's first private telecoms operator and end the country's decades-long telecoms monopoly.
We also discuss why South Africa's government wants to turn off 2G and 3G by 2024 and 2025, respectively, but operators say it's too soon as about 60% of mobile traffic in South Africa still runs on 3G.
You can download a lightly edited transcript of the podcast here.
Here are a few topics we covered:
* Safaricom launches new network in Ethiopia. (01:18)
* Role of Ethiopia's government in Safaricom's launch in the region. (04:30)
* Government in South Africa wants service providers to sunset 2G and 3G. (05:38)
* Potential impact of turning off 2G and 3G on mobile phone users. (09:17)
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Oct 13, 2022
The Divide: Where and why local voices are missing from FCC broadband policymaking
On this episode, we hear from Ryan Johnston, senior policy counsel for federal programs at Next Century Cities. Ryan recently authored a report entitled Resounding Silence: The Need For Local Insights In Federal Policymaking. The report takes a look at two FCC dockets – the 2018 small cell proceeding and the 2022 docket on ISPs in multi-tenant environments (MTEs) – to explore the FCC's general rulemaking process and its impact on local communities. We discuss the difficulty municipalities had participating in both of those proceedings and what happened as a result. We also discuss how to improve the process, and why local governments should get a jumpstart on data collection as states prepare to distribute more federal funds.
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Oct 6, 2022
Verizon Frontline's response to Hurricane Ian
The destruction of Category 4 Hurricane Ian in Florida is far reaching, with over 491,000 homes and businesses still left without power. Verizon Frontline's team headed down to Florida with networking equipment and services in tow to ensure first responders have connectivity.
Cory Davis, AVP for Verizon Frontline, returns to the podcast with an update on how the service provider is coordinating with emergency services and local municipalities to provide network access and other emergency resources in the wake of the hurricane.
You can download a lightly edited transcript of the podcast here.
Here are a few topics we covered:
* Update on the impact of Hurricane Ian on Florida (00:24)
* Impact of the hurricane on Verizon's network (02:11)
* Verizon Frontline equipment that's been deployed in Florida such as THOR (Tactical Humanitarian Operations Response) vehicle, drones and MEO (medium-Earth orbit) satellite technology (04:46)
* What a successful emergency response system…
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Oct 6, 2022
The Divide: LiveOak's Steve Smith on getting fiber-ready in Florida and Georgia
This episode features Steve Smith, chief revenue officer at LiveOak Fiber, a service provider formed in July 2022 with plans to bring fiber broadband to Glynn County, Georgia and Okaloosa County, Florida. We talk about LiveOak's background story and buildout plans, which are funded with $150 million from InfraRed Capital Partners, and we discuss what a new fiber network will mean for the communities on Florida's Emerald Coast and Georgia's Golden Isles.
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Sep 30, 2022
The Notebook Dump: Chips and salsa for the win
Light Reading editors Kelsey Ziser, Mike Dano and Phil Harvey sign off from MWC with a 10-minute informal recap of the work week ended September 30.
The rest of the show notes and story links can be found at https://www.lightreading.com/lr-podcast.
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Sep 29, 2022
The Divide: How FirstLight is connecting communities with middle-mile fiber
This episode features Maura Mahoney, chief marketing officer, and Patrick Coughlin, chief development officer, with FirstLight Fiber, a digital infrastructure provider servicing enterprise and carrier customers on a 25,000 route mile fiber network. We discuss how the company's middle-mile fiber network is helping bridge the digital divide "from Bangor to Buffalo," how the company factors network stability into its buildout, the process of applying for NTIA infrastructure grants and more.
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Sep 27, 2022
What's the story? Helium Mobile's high hopes for MVNO
Mike Dano returns to the podcast to discuss Helium Mobile, which recently signed an MVNO agreement with T-Mobile. Helium Mobile customers will be able to access T-Mobile's existing 5G network and the do-it-yourself, Helium-branded 4G network in exchange for cryptocurrency rewards. Mike explains how the MVNO will work and which new and noteworthy elements Helium Mobile will bring into the US wireless industry.
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Sep 23, 2022
The Notebook Dump: Ericsson acquires Vonage, national spectrum strategy, eSIM startup and Elvis impersonators
Light Reading editors Mike "can't be bothered" Dano, Phil "the higher the hair the closer to heaven" Harvey and Kelsey "finger guns" Ziser get together for an informal recap of what's happened during the work week ended September 23, 2022.
The stories covered include:
* 10G, PON and pandemic PR: Light Reading's super-official SCTE Cable-Tec Expo wrap™
* Ericsson gets US clearance for Vonage take-off
* Ericsson's $6.2B Vonage deal has befuddled investors – no wonder
* The iPhone satellite service looks desperately niche
* 5G may expand into 12.7GHz-13.25GHz next
* RiPSIM promises to show carriers the bright side of eSIMs
If you want to skip around and listen, here are a few more things covered in this interview:
* SCTE Cable-Tec Expo show recap (00:50)
* Kelsey finally gets a new iPhone after hanging onto the XR for four years... but the satellite service on her iPhone 14 isn't available just yet (02:30)
* Ericsson hints at an update to the Vonage acquisition…
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Sep 22, 2022
The Divide: Ziply VP chats rural fiber builds, permit reforms and micro-trenching
Jessica Epley, vice president of regulatory and external affairs at Ziply Fiber joins the podcast to discuss the company's fiber buildout strategy in the northwest US, how it's preparing for the opportunities and competition presented by Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding, and why permitting reform would help accelerate broadband delivery where it's needed most.
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Sep 21, 2022
Executive Spotlight Q&A: Flexible, Cloud Native Networking is Here
Enterprises have fully moved their IT stack into the cloud, and network infrastructure is next. Dave Ward, PacketFabric’s CEO, joins Light Reading to discuss the need for serious positive disruption in telecom, the flexibility of a cloud-native network, and how PacketFabric delivers real-time connectivity anywhere you want to go. #sponsored
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Sep 19, 2022
Reminiscing with Bob Gold about cable milestones, Dan Aykroyd and media screwups
If you've been in the cable tech industry for more than five minutes, there's a good chance you know Bob Gold, the super-energetic PR/marketing guy and Cable TV Pioneer who's been representing cable tech companies and startups since the late 1990s. Gold got his agency start representing a video remultiplexing company (sexy, right?) called Imedia.
Since then, off the top of this hack's head, he's flacked for is currently flacking for companies such as Canal Plus, Pioneer (back when it was making cable boxes and interactive guides), Media One, Incanta and ClearBand (we'll get to that those in more detail), Plume, the recently rechristened National Content & Technology Association (NCTC) and Vidgo, a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD) that competes in the market with the likes of YouTube TV, Hulu, Philo and Sling TV.
Full disclosure – he and the crew at Bob Gold & Associates have pitched a ton of stories to me about many of them over the years. Bob and I don'…
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Sep 19, 2022
Omdia on the rocky road to private 5G for manufacturing
Service providers have been banging on about the benefits of private 5G networks for the manufacturing industry, but that vertical has been reluctant to move forward with 5G technologies.
In this podcast interview, Omdia analysts Pablo Tomasi and Anna Ahrens explain why the manufacturing industry, oft-cited as fertile ground for 5G, hasn't been that excited about private 5G network adoption.
"[5G] has a large promise of ultra-reliable, low-latency communications, which is actually a basic requirement of industrial communication," said Ahrens. "But what no one counted on or what no one expected is that it is not ready to go technology, it is a technology which still needs to be evolved."
In addition, Ahrens and Tomasi dive into their joint research report, Demystifying Private 5G in Manufacturing: How to Seize a New Opportunity, and explain what can be done about the mismatch of expectations for 5G between the telcos and manufacturing sector.
You can download a lightly edited tran…
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Sep 16, 2022
The Notebook Dump: Broadband proliferation, chicanery and hotel soap
Light Reading editors Kelsey Ziser, Nicole Ferraro and Jedi Padawan Mike Dano join sentient vanilla latte Phil Harvey for an informal recap of what's happened during the work week ended September 16, 2022.
The show notes and video for this episode are available right here.
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Sep 16, 2022
Light Reading's super-official SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2022 Preview
SCTE Cable-Tec Expo is in Philadelphia September 19-22, a triumphant return to an in-person cable-fest since the 2019 show in New Orleans – just mere months before the whole world went to hell.
But the show is back. Booths will be erected. Real, live people will be milling around schmoozing. Technology and products will be on display that can be seen and (gasp!) touched.
Prediction: Someone might get drunk!
And Light Reading will be there to cover it all! Or at least as much as we can get to before our brains melt under the white hot pressure of engineering diagrams, mathematical equations and enough slide decks to make a product manager weep with joy.
But what will this year's show be about? Feel free to check the event schedule to get a sense of what's what. You'll see sessions on DOCSIS 4.0, rural broadband, AI, an update on cable's power efficiency efforts, something about how cable's combating video piracy, and an announcement on who is going to take home the big money…
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Sep 15, 2022
Brightcove CEO braces for the next big shift in streaming
Marc DeBevoise has had a front seat during the video market's streaming revolution.
He was a top exec at CBS when the broadcaster surprised the media world in 2014 with the launch of CBS All Access, a service that has since evolved to become Paramount+ following the merger with Viacom and the eventual formation of what's known as Paramount Global today.
"In 2013, we started to pitch internally that we needed to go over-the-top and disrupt ourselves," he recalls.
He's also been front and center to witness the shift to streaming on mobile devices, the surge of direct-to-consumer streaming services and, more recently, the rise in streaming deals for live sporting events.
DeBevoise joins the Light Reading Podcast about five month after becoming CEO of Brightcove to discuss his vision for the streaming tech specialist and to dig into some key trends that are impacting the broader industry.
In addition to setting a goal to become "most trusted streaming technology company in t…
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Sep 15, 2022
What's the story? '2022 is the year of T-Mobile'
Light Reading's Mike Dano explains why T-Mobile now claims to be the biggest wireless network operator in the world. He also discusses T-Mobile's strategies around spectrum acquisition, it's fixed wireless access service and more. In addition, Mike weighs in on the new iPhone 14 and it's satellite connectivity feature.
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Sep 14, 2022
QOS Networks CEO brings AIOps to Zayo Group
Former CEO of QOS Networks Frank Cittadino, now SVP of edge services for Zayo Group, joins the podcast to discuss why Zayo acquired managed service provider QOS Networks. In addition, Cittadino explains Zayo's edge and multi-cloud strategies and the difference between network monitoring and network observability. Cittadino also describes the five key components of artificial intelligence (AI) and shares why Zayo has its sights set on more software acquisitions in the future.
You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here. If you want to skip around and listen, here are a few more things covered in this interview:
* Background on Zayo Group's acquisition of QOS Networks (00:27)
* Zayo's approach to AI in the network (01:43)
* QOS Networks' AIOps service and what it means for IT operations (03:45)
* Shift from network monitoring to network observability (06:31)
* Zayo's shift from fiber provider to addressing more of the software layer (07:43)
* Zayo's edge an…
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Sep 12, 2022
What's the story? German telcos face geopolitical troubles
In this episode, Light Reading's Iain Morris explains why German service providers could be in hot water. Germany's reliance on Russian energy sources, plus the use of networking technology from Huawei, could present some serious problems now and in the long term for German service providers.
You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here. If you want to skip around and listen, here are some highlights in this interview:
* Why Germany's relationships with Russia and China could present problems for German service providers (00:46)
* How Deutsche Telekom's customers could be impacted by energy shortages, and the consequences of tricky trade relations (03:06)
* Long-term impacts of German telcos' collaboration with Huawei (07:48)
* Privacy concerns for mobile customers traveling through Germany (09:28)
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Sep 9, 2022
The Notebook Dump: New iPhones, data center alleys and Comcast's big gigs
Light Reading editors Kelsey Ziser, Jeff Baumgartner and Phil Harvey gather around for an informal (let's be honest, downright silly) discussion of what's happened during the work week ended September 9, 2022. For the full show notes, please visit www.lightreading.com.
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Sep 8, 2022
What's the story? The rise of independent OS suppliers for smart TVs
Light Reading's Jeff Baumgartner discusses the rise of independent suppliers of operating systems for Smart TVs, and what their entry into the market could mean for incumbent suppliers. In addition, we take a look at Comcast and Charter's mobile strategies.
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Sep 8, 2022
The Divide: TruConnect's Danielle Perry on the role of MVNOs in keeping people online
Danielle Perry, chief compliance officer at TruConnect – a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) – joins the podcast to talk about how the company is keeping customers connected through the federal government's Lifeline program and now the Affordable Connectivity Programs (ACP). We also discuss her recent appointment to the board of directors at the National Lifeline Association, and more.
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Sep 6, 2022
OSS/BSS market avoids pandemic slowdown
By 2027, analysts at Omdia expect the telco IT market to exceed $40 billion, up from $31 billion in 2021. James Crawshaw, practice leader for Omdia, joins the podcast to explain how the OSS/BSS market thrived during the pandemic, and why service providers are investing in improving automation and customer experience for their OSS/BSS platforms.
"It's not historically been a particularly high growth market, this OSS and BSS space is fairly mature," said Crawshaw. However, he explained that despite the pandemic forcing many to work from home, IT teams "had no trouble" implementing IT projects remotely.
"The other positive thing for the market has been that operators have really wanted to up their game in terms of making the customer experience more digital and more streamlined," he added.
The result of this market momentum still hasn't resulted in "hypergrowth," said Crawshaw. But, many OSS/BSS suppliers are now "looking at 8% growth in their business. And for many years, it was tru…
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Sep 2, 2022
The Divide: Tarana's CEO on why FWA isn't a 'stopgap to fiber'
This episode features Basil Alwan, CEO of Tarana. We discuss what sets Tarana apart as a provider of what it calls "next-generation" fixed wireless access, or ngFWA, and how it's deploying its technology to help WISPs close the digital divide. We also get into broadband policy and why he wants legislators to reconsider unlicensed spectrum as a tool and see FWA as more than just a "stopgap" to fiber.
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Sep 1, 2022
Glidr aims to help consumers navigate a sea of streaming options
What are you watching? It's a question that tends to pop up among family, friends and coworkers. The water cooler may be a corporate relic, but thanks to the rise and popularity of free and paid streaming services, the video landscape is certainly rife with water cooler-worthy TV shows, series and movies. Perhaps too many.
A startup called Glidr Inc. wants to help consumers cut through the clutter and zero in on content that their social media circles enjoy and recommend. It's trying to tackle that challenge with a free app that, following several months of testing, recently launched on Android and iOS devices.
The general idea is to help consumers discover content they might be interested in watching and to help them manage the various streaming services they use and pay for. But rather than relying heavily on AI and machine learning techniques to surface and recommend content, Glidr's platform is powered in part by what a user's family and friends are watching and recommending.…
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Sep 1, 2022
DriveNets co-founder on the white box way to lower TCO
With a fresh cash flow of $262 million, DriveNets plans to expand sales to service provider customers and grow its employee base by 30% to 450 employees.
Hillel Kobrinsky, chief strategy officer and co-founder of DriveNets, joined the podcast with an update on how the networking company plans to invest its new Series C round of funding, and how the company's focus on virtualization software is impacting innovation and sales cycles with its service provider customers.
In addition, Kobrinsky explained how virtualizing network infrastructure pairs well with the new work-from-home culture, and reduces total cost of ownership and operational costs for customers.
You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here. If you want to skip around and listen, here are a few more things covered in this interview:
* Update on DriveNets' latest funding round of $262 million (00:32)
* DriveNet's plans to expand with support from latest funding (02:17)
* Changes to software innovati…
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Aug 30, 2022
What's the story? T-Mobile, SpaceX plan to forge satellite-cellular connection
T-Mobile and SpaceX have teamed up on a plan to connect mobile phones to SpaceX's new Starlink satellites. According to the two companies, this could eliminate all cellular dead zones around the US. However, the new satellites won't be launched until next year. In the meantime, Verizon and AT&T are working on their own satellite plans.
"Verizon plans to use Amazon's planned Project Kuiper satellites to connect its rural cell towers to the Internet, and AT&T is planning a similar setup with OneWeb's own growing constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites," wrote Light Reading's Mike Dano in a recent Light Reading article.
During this podcast, Dano also provides an update on the iPhone 14 launch. The new iPhone, which should be available next month, is expected to be able to directly connect to satellites.
You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here. If you want to skip around and listen, here are a few more things covered in this interview:
* Update on T-Mo…
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Aug 29, 2022
Juniper COO on a sustainable approach to cloud metro management
Manoj Leelanivas, COO of Juniper, joins the podcast with an update on Juniper's Cloud Metro platform. Leelanivas explains how a number of factors are contributing to driving network traffic through the metro network and how Juniper is taking on new approaches to managing cloud infrastructure. He also shares why increasing automation in the management of cloud infrastructure is beneficial to service provider and enterprise customers.
"The AI and cloud-delivered automation actually simplifies this mundane work stream, so people can actually focus on actually more satisfying work, like service creation," he said.
Leelanivas also provides insight into Juniper's sustainability strategy, the importance of reducing e-waste and total cost of ownership (TCO).
You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here. If you want to skip around and listen, here are a few more things covered in this interview:
* Background on Leelanivas' roles at Juniper (00:39)
* Juniper's Cloud Metro…
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Aug 24, 2022
The Divide: How private wireless can help close connectivity gaps
This episode features David Broecker, chief innovation officer at Purdue Research Foundation (PRF), and Özer Dondurmacıoğlu, vice president of strategic accounts at enterprise networking company Celona. We discuss the digital divide in the state of Indiana where Purdue Research Foundation (part of Purdue University) is based, why PRF worked with Celona to deploy a private 5G network on CBRS spectrum at PRF's Discovery Park District, and how private wireless technology can help organizations and institutions close digital skills and literacy gaps.
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Aug 22, 2022
Investor interest in fiber hot as 'open access networks' come into focus
There's no shortage of topics in the world of broadband these days. Fiber network M&A activity and upgrades have not slowed down. Billions of dollars are flowing into rural broadband. Cable operators are considering multiple paths forward on their access network upgrades amid flagging broadband subscriber growth. Meanwhile, fixed wireless access (FWA) seems to be all the rage.
To cover that ground and help analyze those various-but-related-topics, two cable industry vets, David Strauss and Jay Rolls, now execs at Broadband Success Partners, recently joined the Light Reading Podcast. Broadband Success Partners, a company founded in 2017, has completed more than 40 technical due diligence engagements from about 25 clients, including a growing number of them outside the US. Heading into 2023, the company is also exploring how it might bring its expertise to the public sector.
"When you consider the $65 billion of infrastructure funding – broadband funding – that's coming down t…
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Aug 17, 2022
How the CHIPS and Sciences Act could boost US optical networking
Infinera CEO David Heard is optimistic about what the CHIPS and Sciences Act can do for US optical networking vendors, especially those endeavoring to be less dependent on foreign suppliers.
You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here.
Here are just a few things covered in this podcast episode:
* What the CHIPS and Sciences Act does for companies like Infinera (01:38)
* How it benefits the optical networking industry overall (06:33)
* Infinera's reorganization and market acceptance (09:47)
* The road to 800Gbit/s and the upcoming growth cycle. (13:39)
Check our post about this episode on www.lightreading.com for more.
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Aug 17, 2022
Cable industry invests in a smarter power grid
The utility grid is undergoing a massive change, transforming in a similar way to the cable network 30 years ago, according to Dr. Robert Cruickshank, managing member of Power Networks.
"Now with distributed solar, and storage, you know, battery storage in people's homes, we actually have content creation and storage at the edge," said Cruickshank on the podcast.
The "unprecedented change" to the grid isn't without growing pains, explained Cruickshank. Extreme weather conditions, increased electricity usage and a reduction in traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels have all placed a strain on the utility grid.
On the bright side, the US is moving toward a smarter grid, supported by efforts such as the SCTE 267 standard, explained Cruickshank.
"And we actually, in the Society of Cable Telecom Engineers, we created a standard called SCTE 267. And in that standard, we define how you can communicate with devices, and tell them exactly what you were saying," said Cruickshank.
Y…
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Aug 16, 2022
Comcast on the surge of botnets and how businesses can properly defend themselves
With the range, scope and variety of damaging botnet attacks on the rise, businesses large and small need to prioritize cybersecurity and ensure they are taking proactive and iterative measures to protect against potentially devastating attacks.
"Cyber[security], like many things in life, is a journey. It's not a destination," said Ivan Shefrin, executive director for managed security services at Comcast Business, who joined the Light Reading Podcast to discuss the rising threat of botnets. "Even the largest companies in the world are not fully mature. You can always improve continuously and get better."
Shefrin said adopting such an approach is critical for businesses as cybersecurity threats increase. The 2021 Comcast Business DDoS Threat Report found that distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) botnet attacks have risen 14% since 2019, and 41% since 2021.
"We're in an arms race now," Shefrin said. "Machine learning and automation are the leading edge of that arms race … It u…
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Aug 15, 2022
What's the story? HBO Max and Discovery+ to merge next year
There's a new collaboration on the horizon for the streaming video world. Earlier this month, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced that HBO Max and Discovery+ will be combined next year.
"One of the big things that kind of came out of the call, the recent earnings call, is a plan to launch HBO Max and Discovery+ as a single service and kind of a global brand, initially in the US next summer, and then a bunch of international markets in the following couple of years," said Light Reading's Jeff Baumgartner.
Baumgartner said the name of the combined service is yet to be announced. It's going to be a bit of a waiting game to see if the combined video service of HBO Max and Discovery+ will be able to scale, and if it'll bring in a bigger and broader audience.
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You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here.
Related stories and links:
* Record number of streamers cut the pay-TV cord – study
* Amazon, HBO Max on path t…
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Aug 12, 2022
NCTC CEO recaps annual show, offers update on MVNO plan
Lou Borrelli, CEO of the National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC), joins the Light Reading Podcast to reflect on the recently concluded The Independent Show in Florida, and reactions to the new name of the organization, which kept the NCTC designation but dropped the "cable" and "television" labels.
Borrelli, who joined the podcast from his boat moored in Martha's Vineyard, also provided a few updates on the organization's major, new initiatives, including a "Connectivity Exchange" and a plan to offer mobile options to the NCTC membership by the fourth quarter of 2022.
This year's show, which returned as an in-person event after 2021's all-digital confab, was marked by "pent up energy, for wanting to reconnect," Borrelli recalled. "The Independent Show is really the last standing old school cable show. It's the only one that combines programming and technology, just like the good ol' days. And it had that feel to it."
And what about that name change? "I think a lot of…
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Aug 11, 2022
Orange VP on automating the API ecosystem
DENVER – MEF Annual Members Event – Orange Business Services VP Franck Morales returns to the podcast to share how the service provider is utilizing MEF's Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) APIs.
In addition to working to further automate transactions with other service providers and enterprise customers via the APIs, Morales said his role as a member of MEF's board provides him with the opportunity to help develop SD-WAN and SASE standards.
You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here. If you want to skip around and listen, here are a few more things covered in this interview:
* Orange's use of the MEF LSO APIs (00:23)
* Development of SD-WAN and SASE standards (03:17)
* New Integrated Trust Network (ITN) and blockchain groups (04:25)
* How use of APIs improves automation of business functions (11:00)
* New MEF security standard (16:27)
* Standardized definition of SASE (17:20)
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Aug 11, 2022
The Divide: How a co-op is solving 'the broadband problem' in rural Georgia
On this episode, we're joined by Jonathan Chambers, a partner with Conexon; and Herschel Arant, senior vice president of energy supply and external services at Central Georgia EMC, a rural electric cooperative serving parts of 14 counties in central Georgia. We discuss their partnership to build out a fiber broadband network to an unserved region of the state and how their collaboration led to the creation of Conexon's ISP arm, Connect. We also get into why electric cooperatives are especially well placed to close the digital divide in the rural US and Chambers' view that they should receive the bulk of federal broadband funding.
Read an unedited episode transcript here.
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Aug 10, 2022
Verizon Frontline demos connectivity and emergency response to chemical spill drill
In this podcast, Verizon's Mark Paff described in detail the service provider's role in emergency response scenarios and explained that Verizon's efforts are "all done in close coordination with the local responders that are setting up that incident command center after the event."
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Aug 9, 2022
What’s the story? Open RAN, semiconductor markets marred by supply chain, geopolitical dustups
Many industries are feeling the squeeze of supply chain challenges, and the open RAN and semiconductor businesses are no exception.
Despite the flexibility that open RAN promises from an equipment and technology standpoint, supply chain speed bumps plus geopolitical factors are presenting new challenges to that market, Light Reading's Iain Morris explained on the podcast.
"Open RAN for people who aren't that familiar with it is really just a set of interfaces that allow you to mix and match components and software from different companies," said Morris. "But the idea is that because you don't need an end-to-end portfolio, it's a lot easier then for smaller companies and specialists to come into the mix and kind of compete."
Morris recently reported on one of the most prominent players in the open RAN game, Parallel Wireless, which had to lay off employees.
"They've had to let go of a lot of their staff," he said. "It depends on what reports you read how many have gone, but there a…
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Aug 4, 2022
Lumen CTO on automating and standardizing network infrastructure
DENVER – MEF Annual Members Event – Lumen's sights are set on developing a customer experience where connectivity service orders are placed through a portal or API for a more digital, automated experience, Andrew Dugan, CTO of Lumen Technologies, told Light Reading.
Accomplishing that goal requires automation of Lumen's infrastructure via the use of APIs, said Dugan. He added that the service provider is currently partnering with an enterprise customer on testing and deploying MEF's Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) APIs.
In addition to explaining how Lumen is utilizing the LSO APIs, Dugan shared updates on developments of MEF's standards for SD-WAN and SASE.
You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here. If you want to skip around and listen, here are a few more things covered in this interview:
* Lumen's experience implementing LSO APIs for automation of business functions (00:34)
* Impact of MEF's efforts to standardize SD-WAN and SASE on how operator…
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Aug 4, 2022
The Divide: WISPs are the digital divide's 'first responders,' says new WISPA CEO
In this episode, we're joined by David Zumwalt, president and CEO of the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA), a trade organization that represents the fixed wireless industry. Zumwalt assumed his role roughly two months ago, in June 2022, after former CEO Claude Aiken stepped down from his post at the organization in April. We discuss what he learned about the digital divide from his prior role at an ISP in the US Virgin Islands, and his vision for WISPA as the federal government prepares to hand down tens of billions in grants for states to eradicate their broadband gaps. We also get into the important role that WISPs play in closing the digital divide, and why he likens them to "first responders."
Read a full transcript of this episode here.
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Aug 3, 2022
Interpret's Brett Sappington on the streaming evolution and its impact on pay-TV
There's no shortage of change and disruption being meted out by the streaming market.
Netflix, which benefits from a sizable chunk of TV viewing time, is pursuing an ad-supported option to help restoke customer growth. Meanwhile, sports rights are rapidly gravitating to deep-pocketed streaming platforms and the world of Big Tech.
Even the NFL is getting into that act with a new "NFL+" premium streaming service for superfans as the league negotiates a new deal for its coveted Sunday Ticket package, with Apple rumored to be in the lead to land it.
Beneath all of that, the traditional pay-TV bundle continues to struggle as customers flee from fat bundles paired with high prices and continue to see the best shows and TV series get funneled to direct-to-consumer (DTC) services that aren't inherently part of those bundles.
Brett Sappington, a long-time industry analyst who leads the video and entertainment research practice at Interpret, recently joined the Light Reading Podcast…
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Aug 2, 2022
MEF's Stan Hubbard on accelerating automation with APIs
DENVER – MEF Annual Members Event – Service providers have long been working toward automated networks. One way service providers are reducing manual processes is by adopting MEF's Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) Sonata APIs. Currently, 22 service providers are in production with the APIs, which automate inter-carrier transactions of connectivity services such as Carrier Ethernet.
Stan Hubbard, principal analyst for MEF, said an additional 90 service providers are now tracked in the LSO Sonata adoption lifecycle – from interest through to implementation. Of those 90 operators, 41 are committed to using the APIs.
"We launched our LSO framework about five or six years ago," said Hubbard. Service providers that utilize the LSO APIs can improve their service delivery, accelerate time to revenue and improve the customer experience, he added.
"Service providers had to deal with lots of manual processes up until now," said Hubbard. " … We're saying, 'Invest in the APIs, stand…
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Jul 28, 2022
Dell's CTO on building broadband and private 5G networks
John Roese, the global CTO at Dell Technologies, said the influx of federal funding to help alleviate the digital divide should be used to solve broadband coverage gaps as efficiently as possible. He said that those efforts could be hampered if federal and state agencies let legacy networking requirements limit the number of potential technology suppliers.
For new broadband builds, Roese said, a new 5G standalone network is a great solution and could be provided by a wide range of companies: Dell (of course), Amazon, Microsoft and Google, plus the traditional telecom providers.
"There's no reason to have 4G, 3G, 2G – there's no reason to have a voice service on it," Roese said. "And yet, our general tendency is, every time we talk about broadband, we talk about all generations of broadband, all the legacy, all possible permutations," Roese said.
There are plenty of cases where 3G or 4G or fiber would be required, but some new unserved or underserved areas "might actually look…
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Jul 27, 2022
Comcast's Broderick Johnson on Internet access and the pursuit of 'digital equity'
The concept of "digital equity" has been a hot topic as the FCC and private entities attempt to resolve the issue of accurate broadband mapping and uncover where resources need to be applied to get people connected in underserved and unserved rural areas. That work also extends into cities, where broadband might be available but factors like affordability or access to devices and digital training can limit the rate of adoption.
Broderick Johnson, who joined Comcast just over a year ago, has a history of focusing on the pursuit of digital equity. In fact, it's right there in his title: EVP for public policy and EVP for digital equity.
"This goes back … really decades," he explained, noting that the digital divide was part of the discussion during his time at the Clinton White House, where he served as deputy assistant to the president for legislative affairs. "Back then, it was more about access," recalled Johnson, who recently was in Denver to meet with community leaders and rep…
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Jul 22, 2022
What's the story? Cox undeterred by false starts into mobile biz
Light Reading's Mike Dano joins the podcast to discuss Cox Communications' new mobile service. He explains why it was a long time coming, why T-Mobile tried to slow Cox's deployment with a lawsuit, which service provider Cox ultimately chose to partner with on the mobile service, and more.
Sign up today for the Light Reading newsletter.
Related stories and links:
* Cox to enter US wireless industry this fall
* New ruling reopens door for Cox's mobile launch
* Here's how Cox blew its mobile launch
* Cox readies a re-entry into mobile
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Jul 21, 2022
What's the story? How to enter the Leading Lights Awards
Phil Harvey joins the podcast to discuss Light Reading's Leading Lights Awards and how to enter a submission. In addition, we share advice for how to craft a solid entry, tell you when the deadline to enter is, how much it costs and more.
Here are just a few things covered in this podcast:
* Background on the Leading Lights Awards (01:10)
* How the award winners will be announced (03:50)
* How the judging process works (06:20)
* Advice for how to craft a solid entry and tips on what to avoid (09:15)
* What we mean by "innovative," and the importance of supporting documentation (14:27)
* How to enter, deadlines and early bird discounts (21:10)
Related stories and links:
* Enter now: The 2022 Light Reading Leading Lights awards
* Awards Categories
* General Information and FAQs
* Leading Lights Awards entry system
Sign up today for the Light Reading newsletter.
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Jul 21, 2022
The Divide: Measuring Internet equity, with Nick Feamster (bonus episode)
This week we're resharing an episode of the Light Reading Podcast featuring Nick Feamster, director of research for the Data Science Institute at the University of Chicago. He joined Light Reading's Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser last month to discuss his team's research based on the Internet Equity Initiative data portal, which uses Ookla Speedtest data to map out Internet inequities.
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Jul 18, 2022
What's the story? Ericsson's market momentum haunted by mismanagement
Light Reading's Iain Morris joins the podcast with insight into why Ericsson's stock price took a hit despite a solid second quarter.
"I was a bit surprised to see the share price, they opened at about 11% down, which is a big drop ... and normally that's the kind of thing that happens when they have a bad news item like the investigation for some of their activities in Iraq where there were various wrongdoings going on," said Morris.
Morris provides background on Ericsson's missteps in Iraq, but explains that this is an example of poor choices from previous management. While current management's efforts have righted the ship in some ways, the sins of Ericsson's past continue to make investors skeptical.
Related stories and links:
* Ericsson's market share has rocketed, yet investors are unhappy
* Ericsson gets US clearance for Vonage take-off
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Jul 18, 2022
Plume CTO on why Amazon has the inside track on IoT brand loyalty
With the pace of broadband subscriber growth showing signs of slowing after big surges during the early days of the pandemic, some service providers are expanding their influence into the management and security of IoT devices that are proliferating on the home network. While not all of those strategies have aligned perfectly among ISPs, an analysis of the data on the home Wi-Fi network can provide lots of insight about which brands and device types consumers are gravitating to.
Plume, a data and cloud services specialist that manages Wi-Fi in more than 40 million homes worldwide, recently issued its latest Plume IQ report, with this one focused on the IoT brands driving the most consumer loyalty. The report found that Amazon is seemingly in the cat bird's seat, atop of Apple and Google. Notably, Amazon's position in the IoT market runs relatively independent of the smart phone being used while Apple's position is largely determined by whether the consumer is an iPhone user.
Bi…
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Jul 14, 2022
Virtual and traditional pay-TV players take a hit on subs
Light Reading's Jeff Baumgartner joins the podcast to provide an update on some of the major players in the streaming video market. He also delivers insight into a recent report on the pay-TV market and why both traditional providers and OTT-TV players are struggling to keep their subscribers. We wrap up with our predictions on which shows win Emmys this year.
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Jul 14, 2022
The Divide: Ji Soo Song on the Department of Education's role in achieving digital equity
Ji Soo Song, broadband advisor at the US Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology (OET), joins the show to discuss the impact of the digital divide on students and the role his department plays in expanding access and affordability. We also discuss what he's learned through the Department of Education's Digital Equity Education Roundtables (DEER) initiative and how states and schools can use infrastructure funding and the Digital Equity Act to help close the digital divide for students.
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Jul 11, 2022
What's the story? Mike Dano on WCO, wireless wins and woes
In this episode, Light Reading's Mike Dano discusses growth predictions for the wireless industry in 2022 and why Verizon's forecast might be a little bleaker than those of AT&T and T-Mobile. He also explains the battle between WCO Spectrum and T-Mobile over the purchase of 2.5GHz spectrum licenses from academic institutions.
Here are just a few things covered in this podcast:
* Update on wireless industry and growth predictions for 2022 (01:10)
* Why postpaid customers are more valuable to wireless providers (03:00)
* AT&T and T-Mobile pull ahead of Verizon in growth of postpaid customers (04:37)
* Impact of inflation on the wireless market (06:18)
* WCO Spectrum and T-Mobile battle over 2.5GHz spectrum licenses (08:29)
* Benefits of leasing versus owning spectrum (12:04)
* Impact of T-Mobile's right of first refusal to purchase the licenses (13:30)
Related stories and links:
* US wireless bubble to deflate a little, but it hasn't popped yet
* WCO's Winnick takes…
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Jul 7, 2022
The Divide: Vistabeam's Matt Larsen on the reliability of wireless and pitfalls of federal funding
This episode features Matt Larsen, CEO of Vistabeam, a fixed wireless provider covering underserved areas of Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming. He joins the podcast to discuss the important role of fixed wireless and unlicensed spectrum in reaching underserved and unserved US populations. We also get into the role of federal funding in closing the digital divide, and why Larsen thinks more funding could negatively impact broadband expansion in the US.
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Jul 5, 2022
Juniper CTO on a more efficient 5G future
Juniper CTO Raj Yavatkar joins the podcast to discuss how the telecom industry can improve energy efficiency and service expectations for 5G deployments while also reducing the cost of running 5G networks. He also shares new use cases for private 5G and explains how Juniper is partnering with Rakuten Symphony on developing RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs).
Here are just a few things covered in this podcast:
* Opportunities for Juniper and its customers with 5G (01:00)
* Growing interest in private 5G and new use cases (03:20)
* Partnership with Rakuten Symphony on 5G deployments (06:30)
* How to reduce the cost of running a 5G network for service providers (09:20)
* Dynamic network capacity management and improving the energy efficiency of the network (12:00)
* New approaches to data analytics and updates on Mist AI (13:07)
* Automated service assurance (17:50)
Related stories and links:
* BIG 5G Event news
* Juniper CEO: The new networking – experience, speed…
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Jul 1, 2022
'NextGenTV' goes for a ride
ATSC 3.0, the new IP-based broadcast signaling standard branded as "NextGen TV," targets the TV with a blend of enhanced capabilities such as 4K, high dynamic range (HDR), on-demand video, immersive audio and advanced advertising. But the standard is also being touted as a downstream broadband distribution pipe that can support a much wider range of use cases, including mobile applications.
That mobility angle is starting to lead to apps and services for connected automobiles, including the distribution of info and entertainment services and the delivery of other large files. In the US, some of those use cases are starting to emerge at the Motown 3.0 Open Test Track in Detroit, Michigan, where a mix of technology demos are underway.
Pearl Television, a consortium of several US broadcasters, serves as the test manager at the test track.
"We always thought automotive was a natural extension to our television service," Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, said on the Ligh…
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Jun 30, 2022
The Divide: Connected Nation's Heather Gate on maps, grants and the 'future-proof' fallacy
On this episode, we're joined by Heather Gate, vice president of digital inclusion at Connected Nation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2001 that works with communities across the US to increase broadband access and adoption. We discuss the organization's work, including its broadband mapping projects and how states are using them. We also discuss the infrastructure law and how Connected Nation is helping states get and deploy the funding they need.
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Jun 29, 2022
Indiana's Hoosier Net takes a crack at beefing up the middle-mile
Amid all the hoopla about the deployment of fiber-fueled access networks, it's sometimes easy to forget the critical importance of middle-mile networks that feed and interconnect them. Middle-mile networks take on even higher standing when trying to deliver high-quality connections to unserved or underserved parts of rural America. Without a solid middle-mile, the last-mile network will suffer.
A consortium of telco cooperatives and Rural Electric Membership Cooperatives (REMCs) are looking to remedy that situation in Indiana with Hoosier Net, a newly formed entity that aims to develop (and build, where necessary) a statewide middle-mile network. Accord Telecommunications Collaborative, a group of 21 Rural Electric Membership Cooperatives (REMCs) and telephone cooperatives, recently announced an investment in Hoosier Net.
Drawing a bead on BEAD
Hoosier Net is taking form as federal and state authorities prepare to mete out billions of dollars in broadband grants under the Infrastr…
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Jun 28, 2022
CableLabs takes aim at network and service convergence
Now that many cable operators around the globe are also wireless network operators in some form or fashion, CableLabs has embarked on several projects and initiatives focused on network and service convergence.
Following the formation of two groups – The Convergence Council and the Mobile Convergence Committee – CableLabs is taking aim at multitenancy at the edge and the convergence of both hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) and 5G networks. The initial focus is on the melding of network stacks into a common, collocated platform.
"Because more than half of the CableLabs members are both mobile and cable system operators, we think this unique insight into operations of both network types will be a catalyst for driving convergence requirements," Carmela Stuart, director of the future infrastructure group at CableLabs, explained on the Light Reading podcast.
Much of that work is detailed in a new white paper (PDF): Best Practices for Deploying 5G into a Shared Environment. And while th…
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Jun 27, 2022
Bringing fiber to Alaska's 'Deadliest Catch' region
GCI is doing more than going the extra mile to bring fiber to the Aleutian Chain in Alaska. In fact, it's going hundreds of extra miles below the surface of the ocean to accomplish the feat. Alaska's top service provider is making significant progress on the so-called GCI Alaska United Aleutians Fiber Project, an initiative that will soon start to deploy more than 800 miles of subsea fiber that will serve as the backbone for 2-Gig broadband and other services for communities in the remote, hard-to-reach region.
In this case, we're talking about a subsea fiber that will provide baseline connectivity for more than 7,000 people along the Aleutian Chain in the extreme Western end of the state, which includes the Unalaska region and Dutch Harbor of Deadliest Catch fame.
The $58 million project (funded by a $25 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture's ReConnect program and $33 million of direct investment by GCI) recently reached a key milestone, as more than 3.7 million…
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Jun 23, 2022
The Divide: Ready's Scott Woods on what NTIA got right and wrong with BEAD
Scott Woods, vice president of community engagement at Ready, and former director of the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives at the NTIA, joins the show to discuss the NTIA's notices of funding opportunity for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) and Digital Equity Act programs. He explains what the agency got right and where its rules "missed the mark." We also discuss his current role at Ready and how the software company is helping ISPs and other broadband stakeholders prepare for funding opportunities.
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Jun 20, 2022
Craighead Electric's Jeremiah Sloan on lighting up Arkansas with fiber
Craighead Electric Cooperative Corp. (CECC), an 85-year-old electrical co-op in rural Arkansas, first started delivering fiber in 2018. Initially, it was for internal purposes: "We needed to communicate with critical electrical infrastructure out on the grid," said Jeremiah Sloan, CEO of CECC.
But the realization that 44% of its membership lacked access to Internet service of 25/3 Mbit/s led CECC to start delivering fiber to customers as an ISP called Empower Broadband.
"Fast forward to today, we've got about 4,000 miles of fiber, and we have 13,000 subscribers and roughly 25,000 premises passed," said Sloan.
Sloan joined Light Reading at the Fiber Connect conference to discuss CECC's work in rural Arkansas and a new partnership between Craighead Electric and other electric co-ops across the state to deliver wholesale fiber.
"Our primary mission with that organization is to make Arkansas the most connected state in the country," he said.
Here are just a few topics discussed i…
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Jun 17, 2022
Musician Autumn Nicholas on defying genre and telling stories
Nashville-based singer/songwriter Autumn Nicholas, who performed this week at the Fiber Connect 2022 event, said that bold storytelling is what sets her songs and lyrics apart.
Related stories and links:
* Autumn Nicholas (Spotify, Linktree and Instagram)
* The Kentucky Gentlemen
* Troubadour Blue
* Black Opry (A resource for Black artists and fans of country, blues, folk and Americana music.)
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Jun 17, 2022
Cisco's Jonathan Davidson: Working globally to connect more people
Jonathan Davidson, EVP and GM of Cisco's Mass-Scale Infrastructure Group, discusses Cisco's desire to help close the digital divide.
"We're focused on powering an inclusive future for all. That's not just a tagline; that's what we believe we are here to do from a purpose perspective," he said.
Here's a list of topics that were covered in this podcast:
* The digital divide as an opportunity for networking projects (2:00)
* The status of Cisco's digital divide work (4:30)
* How Cisco works with service providers, agencies and partners to accelerate programs aimed at helping alleviate the digital divide (6:30)
* Being reactive versus proactive on connectivity projects (9:50)
* Which issues require the most attention (11:15)
* Where Cisco's private 5G-as-a-service fits in (12:50)
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Jun 16, 2022
Cisco's Masum Mir on the reality and hype of the metaverse
The story of what the so-called "metaverse" will be or should be is just getting started, and views differ widely between high expectations driven by hype and the realities of today's technologies and those on the viewable horizon.
Masum Mir, VP and GM of engineering at Cisco, recently joined the Light Reading podcast during the Cisco Live event in Las Vegas to offer some of his insights about the metaverse and its potential.
Here's a snapshot of topics discussed during this podcast:
* What's a realistic view of what the metaverse will be in the next three to five years? (1:10)
* How do the expected capabilities of the metaverse cross into the domain of 10G, the cable industry's program focusing on symmetrical 10-Gig speeds, low latency and strong security? (5:45)
* Why the Internet must evolve – rather than be "reconstructed" – to support the demands of the metaverse. (7:15)
* The expanding role of cybersecurity, from reactive one-offs to fully integrated ecosyste…
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Jun 13, 2022
5G Americas on mile markers for 5G and the digital divide
Chris Pearson, president of 5G Americas, joins the podcast to provide an update on global expansion of 5G, new revenue opportunities for private 5G networks and breakthroughs in addressing the digital divide. Pearson also provides a brief recap of his keynote at the Big 5G Event in May.
Here are just a few things covered in this podcast:
* Big 5G Event recap and global growth of 5G (02:24)
* Why "spectrum is the lifeblood of the industry" (04:40)
* New revenue opportunities for private 5G networks (07:30)
* Breakthroughs and mile markers for FWA and satellite in addressing the digital divide (12:50)
* Setting realistic expectations for 5G (18:50)
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Jun 10, 2022
What's the story? All roads lead to 10G
In this episode, Light Reading's Alan Breznick provides a preview of what to expect at the Cable Next-Gen Europe Digital Symposium, which will focus on how European cable operators and their American counterparts are taking different roads to reaching 10G.
During the event, executives from Liberty Global and Vodafone and experts from SCTE, CableLabs and Omdia will discuss the latest in Distributed Access Architecture (DAA) technology, DOCSIS and more. The online event takes place Tuesday, June 21 and is free to attend. To register, click here.
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Jun 9, 2022
Orange brings SD-WAN and AI to evolution of enterprise IT
Orange Business Services' John Isch, practice director of the network and voice center of excellence, and Franck Morales, VP for secure digital infrastructure, join the podcast with an update on the service provider's deployment of nearly 1,200 SD-WAN sites for customer Siemens.
"It's probably one of the most complex deployments as we've also been deploying during the evolution of [Siemen's] IT, their SD-WAN, and changing nearly 100% of the underlay because the decision was clear from Siemens to move away from MPLS and to go maximum to Internet," said Morales.
In addition, Isch and Morales explain Orange's new Service Manage-Watch feature that monitors network and application performance via data analytics and an AIOps tool.
Here are just a few things covered in this podcast:
* Orange Business Services' deployment of SD-WAN to nearly 1,200 Siemens sites (01:20)
* Bringing customers' network, IT and security teams together (15:34)
* Orange's Service Manage-Watch tool (20:16)…
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Jun 9, 2022
The Divide: Why Dryden, New York, chose municipal fiber
Jason Leifer, Dryden Town Supervisor; Ryan Garrison, director of technology at HUNT Engineers, Architects & Surveyors; and Gina Nienaber, director of portfolio marketing at Ciena, join the podcast to discuss Dryden Fiber: a new municipal fiber network being deployed in Tompkins County, New York. We discuss the digital divide in Dryden, how the decision to create a municipal broadband network came about, the timeline for this project and much more.
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Jun 8, 2022
The five keys to unlocking Internet equity
The five components of Internet equity include accessibility, infrastructure, affordability, adoption and performance/reliability, says the University of Chicago's Nick Feamster.
In his latest return to the podcast, Nick Feamster, director of research for the Data Science Institute at the University of Chicago, shares findings from his team's research that supports the Internet Equity Initiative data portal, which uses Ookla Speedtest data and other data sets to map out Internet inequities.
"This important work shows the disparity of Internet access and performance, as well as a variety of different demographic measures, including race, wealth and education by Census tract," said Ookla in a recent newsletter.
The Internet Equity Initiative deployed Internet measurement devices in over 100 households in Chicago to measure disparities in Internet performance and reliability between low-income and high-income neighborhoods, according to Ookla.
Here are just a few things covered in…
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Jun 7, 2022
Nextlink plugs the power of 6GHz for fixed wireless access
<p>
Nextlink Internet has been able to push gigabit-level speeds over fixed wireless access (FWA) in a limited fashion, but is now looking to scale up and expand that capability by tapping into fresh spectrum in the 6GHz band.
</p><p>
That band, already supported in the home in the Wi-Fi6E standard, is poised to become an important data conduit for FWA as the FCC works out some final details on how that band will accommodate both new and legacy users.
</p><p>
As the FCC irons out some of those details, Nextlink Internet has already <a href="https://www.lightreading.com/opticalip-networks/nextlink-sizes-up-gigabit-speeds-over-fixed-wireless/d/d-id/777759">conducted FWA tests in the 6GHz band</a> using an experimental license. Nextlink's test showed that throughputs in excess of 1Gbit/s downstream and 500Mbit/s upstream were achievable via a 160MHz channel at a distance of two miles using access points from Cambium Networks powered by Qualcomm silicon.
</p><p>…
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Jun 7, 2022
The evolution of the mentor/sponsor relationship
AUSTIN – Big 5G Event – In this fireside chat during the Women in Telecoms workshop, experts from T-Mobile and Verizon explain the difference between a mentor, sponsor and coach; how to develop relationships with career allies; and how to develop a personal board of directors.
Yasmin Karimli, senior director of device technology & development for T-Mobile; and Krys Grondorf, director of communications for Verizon also share how relationships with mentors, sponsors and coaches evolve over the course of a career.
"Over this 25-plus year career, you have built relationships that aren't one way, you don't just go to them when you need something, but they come to you when they need something," said Grondorf. "Now it's fulfilling on both sides and you're having those conversations both ways."
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* Here are just a few things covered in this fireside chat:
* The difference between a mentor, sponsor and coach (04:20)
* Evolution of re…
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Jun 7, 2022
IndyCar and NTT take predictive analytics to the speedway
Behind the wheel, NTT and IndyCar are using tools such as predictive data analytics and digital twins to improve the race experience for both IndyCar teams and fans of the sport.
"NTT is taking a lot of the unseen and we're working to make it more visible to the fans to help them understand what's going on in the race, what they should look for and where they should look for it to happen," said SJ Luedtke, VP of marketing for IndyCar.
Luedtke and Bennett Indart, VP of SMART world solutions for NTT, join the podcast to explain what it takes from a network standpoint to collect and analyze the data produced during the race.
"We're using predictive analytics in a lot of different places," said Indart. That includes analyzing pit strategies and anticipating which drivers will make a move during the race.
"We're trying to take and distill stories buried in billions and billions of messages coming off the cars during the day, and we're allowing artificial intelligence and predictive anal…
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Jun 3, 2022
Overcoming the credibility conundrum
AUSTIN – Big 5G Event – In this fireside chat during the Women in Telecoms workshop, experts from AT&T, Boingo and MetTel discuss the "credibility conundrum,”"and how women in the industry can better demonstrate their value and best utilize their skill sets to advance their careers.
Layli Amiri, lead member of technical staff: network infrastructure and services for AT&T; Lori Thomas, SVP of strategic engagement & transformation for MetTel; and Rachel Rea, SVP of operations for Boingo; discuss how to access leadership and continuing education programs, the importance of speaking up and taking credit for personal success, and how to identify allies and support in the workforce.
Attracting female talent to the telecom industry continues to be a challenge – "It does have to start young and you have to breed that interest. You also need women in roles and responsibility of influence," said MetTel’s Lori Thomas. "If you look across Fortune500 countries today, there’s 15% [fem…