Telecoms.com Podcast

The lads are back in the studio for this guest-less pod. Ian and Scott start by reflecting on a Vodafone dinner they both attended last week where the wine flowed, so their recollections are a bit murky. They move on to the enduring topic of the public cloud, featuring some news from a recent podcast guest, and conclude with the latest drama concerning China’s role in the telecoms world. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

In this special episode, recorded on-site at Broadband World Forum 2021, the pod welcomes special guest Dario Talmesio, an Analyst at Omdia. They start by reflecting on the key talking points at the show, including an accelerated move towards fibre and digital transformation apparently catalysed by the pandemic, before moving on to Nokia’s claimed millimetre wave breakthrough and Google’s recent cloud announcements. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

We’ve run out of guests for the time being so you’re just stuck with boring old Scott and Iain. They start by reviewing the latest 5G tender from China Mobile and what it might mean for the future of the global telecoms industry. Orange had a strategy day earlier in the week, which they both attended, so them move on to review that before concluded with the latest dramas around Facebook. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

We are delighted to welcome another special guest this week – public cloud evangelist Danielle Royston. She heard us slagging off the public cloud in previous pods and was keen to offer a more benign perspective. That chat took up nearly all of the pod but we did eventually get around to quickly covering the latest developments concerning China vs the US and internet companies getting into consumer devices. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The pod is delighted to welcome a guest this week – Elena Davidson, CEO of Liberty Communications. Accordingly they start by talking about PR and comms, including the apparent evaporation of entertainment budgets, before analysing a recent attempt by Facebook to communicate with the outside world. They move on to reflect on recent conversations with Vodafone UK’s head of networks before concluding with a look at the radio weight arms race. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

No guest this week which just means more stream-of-consciousness dribble from the regulars. They start by discussing Huawei’s decision to publish a book on 6G and what the underlying message may be. They move on to discuss the difficulties faced by the O-RAN Alliance when some of its members aren’t allowed to hang out with each other and conclude with a look at the increasing overlap between big tech and big politics. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The pod welcomes returning special guest Mary Clark, a telecoms industry exec currently between gigs, this week. She starts by telling us what she’s been up to, including work with a ‘proper’ satellite-to-handset company and the Thames Estuary Growth Board. They move on to reflect on Three UK’s decision to start charging for roaming, which is especially bad news for producer Pierre, before concluding with a quick look at recent device launches by internet giants. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

After taking the whole of August off in classic Gallic style, Iain, Scott and Pierre roar back into the studio. They start by reflecting on the physical event they’ve attended since the start of the pandemic, at which beers were provided by Vodafone. They move on to examine the increasing prospect of the 6G standard being split due to the US and China’s inability to stop messing with each other and conclude with the latest concerns about relinquishing control to the public cloud. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Cherish this one because it will be the last pod for a few weeks, as the lads attempt to holiday in the time of Covid. They start with a review of China Mobile’s recent tender process for a bunch of 5G work, which resulted in non-Chinese vendors getting just a 6% share. They move on to the eternal topic of telcos as dumb pipes, examining what hope there is for them ever to be otherwise, and conclude with Scott and Iain having a rant about some of their current bugbears. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The guys sacrifice an afternoon in the sun to sit in a dark studio and pod just for you, dear listener. They start by reflecting on a virtual press event held by BT/EE and try to work out what the point of it was. They move on to review Ericsson’s latest quarterly earnings, which took a hit from a downturn in China, and conclude with another go at the eternal debate around net neutrality. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Ahead of a massive weekend for sport and Scott’s marriage, the guys brave central London once more. They start by discussing JEDI – a US government public cloud project that has been complicated by having hardly any choice of vendor. They move on to the ongoing US attempt to extradite Huawei’s CFO from Canada and conclude with the unique circumstances in Myanmar that have forced Telenor to flee. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The guys reflect on what it was like to not attend the recent attenuated Mobile World Congress, which took place last week despite having all the odds stacked against it. One of the apparent highlights was a special zone dedicated to the public cloud, so they move onto discuss the latest development in that scene, before concluding with recent OpenRAN news. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The guys are giving Mobile World Congress 2021 a miss due to all the associated Covid hassle, so they try to assuage their FOMO with some vaguely Spanish refreshments from Tesco. They start by reviewing the recent reboot of Nokia’s 5G portfolio, which Iain reckons is a big deal. They move on to EE’s contentious decision to start charging its customers for data roaming in Europe and conclude with a look at a new UK law that would allow Ofcom to censor digital speech. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The lads cunningly record this one the day before the UK was struck by a monsoon. They start by reviewing a big week for Vodafone, which brought them into contact with a former podcast regular. They move on to discuss Ericsson’s conclusion that Europe is dropping the ball on 5G before concluding with a look at recent moves by western countries to gang up on China over the tech industry. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The guys battle through a self-imposed beer shortage to bring you this week’s pod. They start with Iain’s deep dive into the OpenRAN vendor environment, which is looking less open by the day. They move on to the decision by Altice to buy a big chunk of BT before concluding by contemplating what a global internet outage says about our reliance on the public cloud. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The lads lament the late spring weather but resolve to go out after recording the pod regardless. They start by looking at automation, specifically as it affects headcount among major operators. They move on to the launch of Huawei’s HarmonyOS Android alternative and discuss how likely it is to succeed, before concluding with a critique of America’s increasingly heavy handed approach to trade. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The guys are reduced to drinking water this week as adulthood finally catches up with them. They start by discussing a leaked Huawei internal memo that seemed to indicate a more belligerent stance. They move on to Scott’s pet topic of censorship, with social media companies competing with governments to see who can restrict speech more, before concluding with Iain’s critique of regulators poking their nose into OpenRAN. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Our intrepid podders brave the rubbish London spring to bring you their distinctive brand of half-cut telecoms banter. They start by mulling the pros and cons of the delayed Mobile World Congress 2011, which is due to take place in a month. They move on to reflect on AT&T’s very expensive and ultimately failed foray into content before concluding by asking whether we should stop expecting telos to make much profit. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The guys start this episode of the pod by addressing some public criticism of their work, before getting on with the main event. They start by reviewing Rakuten’s recent earnings, which were sobering for investors, before moving on to the latest potential escalation of the China-versus-the West tension. They conclude with a look at a report that reveals consumers aren’t too impressed so far. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The podders were on a hard cut-off this week as Scott had a booking at their local. In a globalisation-themed episode they start by revisiting the semiconductor shortage and its knock-on effects. They move on to examine yet another example of a telco turning to a public cloud giant to sort its life out before concluding with a look at Italy’s faltering attempts to consolidate its fixed-line market. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Scott shrugged off the side-effects of the Rona vaccine to stagger into the studio this week. He and Iain start by reviewing more quarterly numbers, especially Nokia’s. They move on to look at the pros and cons of operators dabbling in the content world, before concluding with a review of the booming Low Earth Orbit satellite market. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Iain and Scott retreat from springtime London to bring you another dose of telecoms chit-chat. They start with the latest on the hot topic of OpenRAN, including Dish going all-in with AWS. Quarterlies season is in full flow, so they move on to look at Ericsson’s before concluding with a review of the latest thinking around the regulation of artificial intelligence. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The boys are back in town as they record the first pod from the studio this year. They celebrate by discussing the UK telecoms diversity taskforce, which has called for more diversity. Some things never change and they follow that with the inevitable Huawei segment before concluding with a look at the UK merger between Virgin Media and O2, which has just been approved. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

On what could possibly be the last ever remote pod, Ian and Scott start by mulling whether the partial restoration of our civil liberties will be enough to rescue the Mobile World Congress event. They move on to look at the viability of Open RAN, especially from a Huawei perspective, and conclude with a review of some recent developments in the regulation of Big Tech. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

There’s a longer gap between recording and publication this week coz of Easter. Iain and Scott start by reviewing Huawei’s 2020 annual report and what that tells us about the health of the company. They move on to RCS (Rich Communication Service), to mull whether it will ever be a thing, and conclude with another look at the chip industry, which grows in importance by the day. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

It’s all about geopolitics this week as Iain and Scott enjoy their good fortune at the telecoms industry being such a strategic focus these days. They start with an update on the global semiconductor industry, which is feeling the strain from the trade war between the US and China. The nascent 6G standard is then discussed in the context of similar Balkanising pressures before they conclude with a review of US political posturing over social media censorship. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Scott and Iain kick off this week with a look at Nokia, which recently announced a cunning plan to out-grow the market by cutting thousands of jobs. They move on to wonder why Huawei recently decided to bang on about patents and intellectual property before concluding with a review of the recent UK spectrum auction and a bonus chat about net neutrality. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

It was déjà vu all over again this week as Ericsson and Nokia pulled out of the rescheduled Mobile World Congress 2021, to Iain and Scott start by looking at what this means for the show. They move on to an update on the legal and regulatory circus that surrounds Chinese kit vendor Huawei before concluding by discussing the pros and cons of throwing public money at private enterprise. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

This week’s pod features an unprecedented remote guest. Paul Nolan from CC Group joins Iain and Scott to talk about a new study his company has done that concluded telecoms trade press is great. They move on to examine the broader economic trends in the industry, with a focus on a wave of redundancies, before concluding with a look at the growing antitrust pressure faced by Apple. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Pausing only to fantasise about what they’ll get up to once the lockdown lifts, Scott and Iain quickly get out of their depth discussing the technical pros and cons of mid-band 5G spectrum. Continuing to throw caution to the wind they wade into the murky world of US politics before concluding with a look at whether it matters who holds the most patents. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The guys are delighted to a new Bribe of the Week to announce on this week’s pod, which helps the conversation flow. They start by reviewing the growing menace of US tech giants, who operate near monopolies in many markets. That leads them on to the state of the European tech industry, especially from a cloudy perspective, before a review of the latest shenanigans from Huawei. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Global geopolitics dominates this week’s pod, with Iain and Scott starting by discussing the overlooked fact that Chinese vendors are even more prominent in the fixed line telecoms market than they are in mobile. This topic wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Huawei, so they move on to a recent media briefing offered by its founder, before reviewing the global semiconductor drought and concluding, once more, with a Scott pet peeve. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

With earnings season still well underway Iain and Scott start by reviewing Nokia’s numbers, which point to another lean year for its long-suffering investors. UK Parliament increasingly fancies its own chances in the telecoms sector and the guys move on to dissect its latest round of top tips, before concluding with a look at how Vodafone is managing to muddle along despite having no MPs in its executive team. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Scott persuades Iain to end his dry January two days early on this pod, so the guys are nice and relaxed. They start by reflecting on Ericsson’s latest earnings and anticipate future challenges. One of those is OpenRAN, which leads into another look at Rakuten and its increasingly defensive attitude to the nascent tech. They conclude tangentially by discussing the recent short-selling drama instigated by a bunch of amateur investors on Reddit. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Iain and Scott start this week by looking at how the increasingly politicised US telecoms regulator, the FCC, will be affected by the change in government. As if to show it’s no less inclined to politicise telecoms, European operators joined forces to plead for state assistance with OpenRAN, which the guys discuss next, before concluding with a look at recent mobile spectrum auctions. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Week 2 of Lockdown 3 sees Scott and Iain open with another look at the pros and cons of the public cloud after watching AWS throw its weight around. They move on to OpenRAN, which is increasingly becoming a political football and conclude with an analysis of consolidation in the telecoms towers sector. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The team is back after the Christmas break, but lockdown level 400 means they’re not allowed into the studio. They start with a recap of the latest aggro between the US and China, which has immediately picked up where it left off last year. Moving closer to home, they take a look at the political fuss being made over UK telecoms infrastructure, before concluding with an extended moan about starting the year in a state of lockdown. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

In the final pod of a remarkable year the guys get straight into appropriately dystopian subject matter. They start by looking at plans for 6G to create a hive mind that anticipates your every need, before moving on to mulling how sensible it is to move all your technology into the public cloud and concluding with the US government’s absurd attempt to sue Facebook for being too successful. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Scott and Iain worry about being replaced by machines and algorithms as they kick off this week’s pod by discussing automation. They move on to review some of the telecoms industry numbers being published as we get towards the end of the year, before concluding with a look at why Western governments are suddenly so keen on OpenRAN. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Vows to avoid going off on too many tangents are soon broken when Ian and Scott discuss the digital economy and attempted state interventions in it. The move on to private networks and specifically whether that’s where the 5G ROI is to be found, before reflecting on China’s deteriorating relationship with the rest of the world. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Scott and Iain return to the studio with an extended rant about mergers and acquisitions, which encompasses Brexit, dodgy French accents and US media bias. They move onto IoT and its competing LPWAN technologies, having both attended a Zoom discussion on the matter, before concluding with the inevitable Huawei round-up. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Turns out the lockdown is a bit more chilled this time, so no Zoom pod, you’ll be pleased to hear. Iain and Scott start by looking at the state of 6G, such as it is, and the reasons it’s already being spoken about. That leads on to discussion of some of the antitrust heat being experienced by US tech giants before they conclude with the traditional update on the Huawei saga. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

On the eve of another UK lockdown, the lads rush into the office to get one last studio pod out. They can’t resist reflecting on the US general election that has just taken place but has yet to yield a clear winner. With just three days of news to draw from they retreat to the familiar ground of OpenRAN and Huawei, both of which are also heavily politicised matters. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

In what could be the last studio pod for a few weeks, Scott brings in a couple of bottles of wine to ensure the conversation with Iain flows nicely. They start with a review of Nokia’s quarterly earnings, which laid bare the challenge faced by its new CEO. They move on to a piece of US law called Section 230 that means internet platforms aren’t liable for the content they publish and conclude with a look at Ericsson’s first, tentative, foray into OpenRAN. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Iain and Scott laugh in the face of danger and crumbling sound-proofing to once more to bring you a studio pod. They start with a review of the latest quarterly earnings announcements from Ericsson and Huawei. This inevitably leads on to a discussion of the China situation, which continues to develop rapidly, and the guys conclude with an analysis of recent news concerning OpenRAN. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Scott and Iain show their selfless devotion to podcasting by donning their face masks and trekking into the studio once more. They start by looking at a couple of stories illustrating the increasing conflict between giant US tech companies and the state. Sticking with big tech, they move on to compare notes on the latest Apple iPhone launch and conclude by discussing Nokia’s decision to move its tech infrastructure into the Google public cloud. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Iain and Scott dodge the impending lockdown once more to pod in person. They start with a look at Nokia’s improved 5G fortunes and what that says about their competitors. One of the biggest is Huawei, but its days in Europe seem numbered, the evidence for which is what the guys move on to, before concluding with a look at how companies focusing on OpenRAN technology are being valued. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

Braving pre-lockdown London once more, Iain and Scott make it into the studio for the second week in a row. They start by reviewing all the geopolitical mucking about involving China and the US, as it affects the telecoms world. They move on to 5G, specifically the launch of Rakuten’s version and conclude with a look at the latest developments in the public cloud for telcos. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

After a long summer delay, the Telecoms.com podcast returns refreshed and ready for action, albeit minus one podder. Scott and Iain start as they left off a couple of months ago by looking at the latest drama around the hounding of Huawei by the US. They move on to chart the rapid progress being made by the OpenRAN movement, thanks largely to Rakuten and conclude by considering the prospects for Mobile World Congress 2021. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO

The usual team are together for probably the last time, but you’ll have to watch the pod to find out why. They start by talking about Huawei for a change, specifically its prospects in the rest of Europe. The move on to the surprisingly exciting world of towers and passive infrastructure, before concluding with the latest from the increasingly dysfunctional Indian telecoms market. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and direct to your inbox every day: http://ow.ly/XPA150KWZmO