Carrier 2.0

As AI becomes embedded into critical infrastructure, the debate around sovereignty is rapidly moving from policy discussion to business necessity. In this episode of Carrier 2.0, Steve Saunders explores one of the defining questions facing telecom operators, governments, and enterprises: who should control the infrastructure powering the AI economy? For decades, digital transformation has been bui...

Carrier 2.0 returns for Season 2 with a defining question for the telecom industry: what kind of service provider survives the next decade? Hosted by Steve Saunders, this opening episode explores the strategic crossroads facing carriers as AI, cloud platforms, enterprise transformation, and hyperscaler influence reshape the industry. The traditional telecom model - built on connectivity, reliabili...

Episode Summary In this episode of Carrier 2.0 , host Steve Saunders argues that the real competitive advantage in the AI era isn’t hype, scale, or autonomy, it’s execution. As hyperscalers dominate headlines, carriers face a more grounded challenge: how to modernise live networks without breaking trust. Drawing on conversations with operators and technology leaders, the episode explores why there...

Episode Summary In this episode of Carrier 2.0, host Steve Saunders reframes artificial intelligence not as a product or application, but as a full-stack systems problem spanning power, cooling, water, networking, operations, security, governance, and strategy. Drawing on interviews with operators, utilities, and technology leaders, the episode explores how AI is stress-testing telecom networks, e...

Episode Summary In this episode of Carrier 2.0 , host Steve Saunders looks at how carriers are moving beyond AI hype and into execution. Drawing on new research from Fierce Network and interviews with operators and technology leaders, the episode explores what real Carrier 2.0 transformation looks like in practice—culturally, operationally, and economically. From Brightspeed’s use of AI to improve...

Episode Summary In this episode of Carrier 2.0 , host Steve Saunders examines how AI is reshaping security for carriers and widening the threat surface. Cisco’s Tom Gillis and Martin Lund explain why nation-states are increasingly targeting network infrastructure and how security is being embedded into the network fabric itself. Hawaiian Telcom’s Jason Thune highlights how regional carriers can ou...

Episode Summary In this episode of Carrier 2.0, host Steve Saunders explores what it really takes to build an AI driven network. In a rapid expert montage, Cisco’s Guru Shenoy, Rana El Desouky Kazamel and Masum Mir explain how AI agents will reshape traffic patterns, why the edge becomes critical, and the architectural pillars carriers need to put in place. Verizon’s Yago Tenorio offers a clear-ey...

Episode Summary In this episode of Carrier 2.0 , host Steve Saunders talks with Masum Mir , Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Provider Mobility Business, about the next wave of transformation for carriers. Masum explains how AI’s “data gravity” is reshaping the network, why IT and OT convergence is accelerating, and how service providers can claim a central role in the new AI-dr...

Episode Summary In this episode of Carrier 2.0 , host Steve Saunders talks with Santiago ‘Yago’ Tenorio, CTO of Verizon, about the defining forces shaping the next generation of carriers. From how telecoms can truly monetize AI for customers to the realities of Open RAN and the coming 6G era, Yago shares a clear-eyed perspective on where innovation meets practicality—and what the industry must do...

In this first episode of Carrier 2.0, host Steve Saunders sits down with Ryan Asdourian, EVP and Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at Lumen, to discuss how Lumen is reinventing itself as a technology infrastructure company. From preparing networks for the demands of AI to breaking down silos and building a culture of trust, Ryan shares what will define the next era of telecom. Key Talking Point...

Carrier 2.0 is the podcast where Fierce Network’s Steve Saunders sits down with the people shaping the future of telecom. From AI and 5G to culture, strategy, and bold predictions, each episode cuts through the noise to uncover what will define the next era of connectivity.