The Connectivity Podcast

Mattias Fridström continues the conversation with Rob Merhej, VP EMEA at AVANT, exploring how advisory‑led partners create long‑term value for customers – and why connectivity remains central to everything from AI to customer experience. In this episode, they discuss: How AVANT supports partners beyond the initial deal through ongoing advisory, cross‑sell, and up‑sell engagement What separates top...

What’s reshaping the future of the technology channel? Rob Merhej, VP EMEA at AVANT, joins Mattias Fridström to discuss: How AVANT evolved from a small startup to a global advisory‑led technology services distributor The shift from traditional reselling to a modern trusted‑advisor model across cloud, connectivity, co‑location, cybersecurity, and AI Why recurring‑revenue, as‑a‑service solutions are...

What does the future of telecom look like? Kent Lidström, CTO of Smartoptics returns to the podcast for a discussion with Mattias Fridström on: The increased importance of where components are manufactured How the convergence of IP and optical layers has impacted suppliers Hyperscalers building their own gear Hollow-core fiber Where quantum networking research stands today Sustainability challenge...

How has optical networking evolved over the past 25 years – and what’s next? In this episode, Kent Lidström, CTO at Smartoptics, joins Mattias Fridström to explore: The biggest shifts in optical networking and what still needs to change Openness and disaggregation in the telecom industry Shannon’s limit How mergers and acquisitions are reshaping the industry Why enterprises are moving toward simpl...

Markus Viitamäki, Senior Infrastructure Architect at Embark Studios is back on the podcast. In this episode, he and Mattias Fridström discuss Markus’ previous engagement in the world’s largest gaming festival DreamHack, when to establish local gaming sites to meet customer needs (and what the requirements are), DDoS attacks in the gaming industry, and whether gamers really understand how the Inter...

In this episode, Markus Viitamäki, Senior Infrastructure Architect at Embark Studios joins the podcast to discuss trends in the gaming industry, main drivers to creating a new game, and how much latency and bandwidth are affecting the gaming experience. 

Misha Kuperman, Chief Reliability Officer at Zscaler is back on the podcast. In this episode he and Mattias Fridström discuss if the recent trade tariffs will impact services from Zscaler, whether people in general understand cloud connectivity, if security in the cloud is just a waste of bandwidth resources, what customers know about the public internet, if security standards in telecoms are impo...

In this episode, Misha Kuperman, Chief Reliability Officer at Zscaler joins the podcast to discuss the past and recent developments in enterprise networking, whether the current geopolitical situation has had any impact on the way enterprises think about security, what’s behind the ‘zero trust’ concept and how this works in real life.

Eric Löwgren, Head of Network at data center provider GleSYS, is back on the podcast. This time, he and Mattias Fridström discuss physical and cyber security in data centers, optimizing sustainability through measures such as heat recovery (and getting customers to pay a premium for sustainability), increasing the understanding of network architecture among customers, and what the future data cent...

Eric Löwgren, Head of Network at data center provider GleSYS, joins the podcast for a discussion on what impacts the selection of where to put a data center, the trend of moving things out of the cloud, AI driving power density and connectivity demands, and attracting ‘lead guitar’ talent to the data center industry. 

Robert Maher, CTO of Infinera, is back on the podcast. This time, he and Mattias Fridström discuss quantum physics in optical networks, the development of hollow-core fiber, optimizing power consumption in the AI data center era, and more. 

Robert Maher, CTO of Infinera, joins the podcast to talk about how the optical business has developed during the last 20 years, the strive for constant innovation, openness and disaggregation in the telecoms space, the impact of AI in areas such as self-provisioning, and hyperscalers building their own gear.

Anders Vestergren, Vice President, Head of Solution Area Network Management at Ericsson is back on the podcast. In this episode, the discussion centers around differentiation of mobile networks, component shortages, development and use cases of AI in mobile networks, finding and training talent with the right skill set, the road to 6G and 7G, the future for quantum computing in mobile services, an...

Anders Vestergren, Vice President, Head of Solution Area Network Management at Ericsson joins the podcast to talk about where we are with the global roll-out of 5G, fixed wireless vs mobile access, edge computing, and the softwareization of mobile networks. A great discussion with high-end use cases from the PGA Tour and Taylor Swift concerts.

Ryan Lafler, CTO of Quantum Corridor is back on the podcast to discuss the gender split in the quantum industry, funding of quantum development,  sustainability trends, and why quantum entanglement – which Ryan believes is 3-5 years out – is the holy grail of quantum communications. 

In this episode, Ryan Lafler, CTO of Quantum Corridor joins the podcast to talk about quantum network transmissions, the impact of AI on quantum computing, and real use cases like generative AI, graphics applications, climate modelling, and vaccine development. 

David Tomalin, Group CTO at CityFibre is back on the podcast to talk about preventing accidental fiber cuts, transparency vs. openness when it comes to network routes, the trend towards multi-network resiliency, sustainability in the networking industry, and more. 

In this episode, David Tomalin, Group CTO at CityFibre joins the podcast to discuss what sorts of fiber are used for broadband services, how to choose the best locations and routes when expanding a network, and the need for more intelligent data in the business. 

Javad Shabani is Assistant Professor of Physics and Director of the Center of Quantum Information Physics at New York University. He joins the podcast to share his expertise on the quantum development: The next big thing in quantum computing Breakthroughs in quantum communication Sustainability aspects  Funding quantum research Quantum computing in mobile networks

Javad Shabani is Assistant Professor of Physics and Director of the Center of Quantum Information Physics at New York University. He joins the podcast to share his expertise on the quantum development: How close are we to some really cool stuff in this area – in the lab and in the real world? Quantum computing use cases Infrastructure limitations Quantum Key Distribution Competing for skills with...

Marina Otero Verzier is an architect and researcher who in 2022 received Harvard’s Wheelwright Prize for a project on the future of data storage. She aims to publish the first open-source manual for global data center architecture design, featuring examples of ecological, sustainable, and egalitarian data storage models used in data centers across the world. Marina Otero Verzier’s work is especial...

Marina Otero Verzier is an architect and researcher who in 2022 received Harvard’s Wheelwright Prize for a project on the future of data storage. She aims to publish the first open-source manual for global data center architecture design, featuring examples of ecological, sustainable, and egalitarian data storage models used in data centers across the world. Marina Otero Verzier’s work is especial...

Michael Potter is an entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker, author, and social enterprise investor. In this episode, he and Mattias Fridström discuss: Obstacles to overcome in developing countries and how Geeks without Frontiers , an NGO co-founded by Michael, can support this work. His involvement in Intel’s N50 initiative, striving for digital adoption for the next 50% of the planet. Michael'...

Michael Potter is an entrepreneur, documentary filmmaker, author, and social enterprise investor. In this episode, he and Mattias Fridström discuss: Michael’s professional background in the 80’s, working as a nuclear arms controller, with international telecoms at the United Nations, and joining the very first class of students at the International Space University. The story of Esprit Telecom, a...

Chris Stott is a renowned space entrepreneur with a passion for the economics and commerce of space. He is the founder and CEO of Lonestar , a company about to send the first in a series of data centers to the moon for disaster recovery and edge processing. In this episode, he and Mattias Fridström discuss: Edge computing: where is the edge and what developments are happening in this area? Where i...