Light Reading Podcasts

Light Reading editors Jeff Baumgartner, Nicole Ferraro, Phil Harvey and Kelsey Ziser discuss the week New York turned orange, the future of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), takeaways from Ciena's Vectors event and Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, and the implications of CableLabs kicking off its DOCSIS 4.0 modem certification program. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode features IEEE Senior Member David Witkowski, who serves as co-chair of the Deployment Working Group at IEEE Future Networks. We discuss the evolution of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity and what the current state of the industry says about the role LEOs can play in closing connectivity gaps. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Vetter, president of Bell Labs Core Research at Nokia, joins the podcast to discuss challenges to deploying and reaping the benefits of 6G. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Light Reading's Tereza Krásová joins the podcast to discuss TXO System's role in the "circular economy." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrice McAree, VP of innovation for American Tower, joins the podcast to discuss partnering with IBM to address artificial intelligence and sustainability goals. Briana Frank, VP of product & design for IBM Cloud, also joins to share IBM's new AI and cloud technologies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fernando Montenegro, senior principal analyst with Omdia, joins the podcast to discuss recent security trends such as the increased use of AI for cybersecurity. Plus, he explains how the popularity of generative AI such as ChatGPT has led to the "democratization of the information that's locked inside those large language models into a broader population." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode features Jonathan Spalter, president and CEO of USTelecom. We discuss the Biden administration's goal of universal broadband connectivity and how the telecommunications industry is working to meet it witha mix of public and private funding, including the forthcoming $42.5 billion Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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.

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.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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.

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.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.