Light Reading Podcasts

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 c...

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 t...

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. ...

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 Connecte...

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.&nb...

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...

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 t...

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 d...

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 le...

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,...

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...

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 abo...

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 (02:2...

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...

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...

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 broa...

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 Initia...

<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 F...

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 commun...

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...

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...

AUSTIN – Big 5G Event – In this fireside chat during the Women in Telecoms workshop, Ericsson North America CMO Ciricia Proulx and Rogers Communications VP of Advanced Services Tess Van Thielen, share their perspectives and experiences about why diversity is important for business, how the industry can move in a more positive direction to support diversity, and why studies show it could take nearl...

In this episode, we hear from John Paul Farmer, chief innovation officer at  WeLink Cities , and the former chief technology officer of New York City. We discuss the fixed wireless technology WeLink is using to deploy broadband in cities, and the company's efforts to deliver affordable service. We also get into WeLink's new  Cities Challenge : a $100 million effort to partner with cities...

US Ignite's Mari Silbey discusses how public-private partnerships can help with some big 5G issues, like resolving the technical challenges in open RAN networks and feeding better network data sets to AI and machine learning engines. Sign up today for the Light Reading newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Kochan, a telecom veteran and former CEO of US Ignite, talks to Light Reading about his new role as the executive director at the National Spectrum Consortium (NSC), where he aims to promote stronger tech partnerships between government, academia and industry. Sign up today for the Light Reading newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.