The Whiskey and Wireless Podcast

In Episode 19 of Whiskey & Wireless, Ron Willett sits down with Bart Goethals, Sales Engineering Lead at TMT ID, to discuss one of the most important developments in telecom today: Network APIs. Bart shares his journey from Belgium's telecom industry to the United States, his work with international carriers, and how mobile operators are becoming a critical part of the fight against fraud...

In Episode 18 of Whiskey & Wireless, Ron Willett records live from CCA and sits down with three longtime leaders from the regional wireless ecosystem: • Kim Caronchi, Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) • Ron Whaley, IDI Billing Solutions • Slayton Stewart, CEO of Carolina West Wireless The conversations cover the evolution of RCA into today’s CCA, the relationships that have shaped the reg...

In Episode 17 of Whiskey & Wireless, Ron Willett sits down with Bill Basquin, VP of Sales, Americas at AppLogic, for a deep dive into how carriers manage the growing complexity of modern data networks. Bill shares his journey from startup setbacks to leading sales across the Americas, along with a behind-the-scenes look at how network traffic has evolved from early file-sharing days to today’s...

Description: In Episode 16 of Whiskey & Wireless, Ron Willett sits down with Alan Lewis, CEO and Co-Founder of Hydeco, to talk about the newly announced partnership between ClearSky and Hydeco and why affordable, dependable SMS infrastructure still matters for regional and rural carriers. Alan shares the origin story behind Hydeco, from the paging software days to building one of the industry’...

In Episode 15 of Whiskey & Wireless, Ron Willett sits down with Tim Donovan, President and CEO of the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), for a conversation about the forces shaping the future of rural wireless. Tim shares how CCA represents regional and rural carriers on Capitol Hill, advocating for policies that ensure smaller operators can compete, invest, and continue delivering connec...

In Episode 14 of Whiskey and Wireless, Ron Willett sits down with Miriam Liszewski, RCS Commercial Product Manager at Sinch, to talk about what’s changed in the last 18 months and why RCS is finally moving from “someday” to real adoption. Miriam shares her path from Google (starting in RCS back in 2018) to Sinch, how RCS for Business is reshaping brand-to-consumer engagement, and why Apple support...

In this episode, Ron Willett sits down with Allen Bennion, Director of RINA Operations, to talk about 20 years of powering rural wireless through partnership, persistence, and plenty of tower climbs. Allen shares how RINA helps regional carriers survive and thrive in a changing industry, what’s next for rural 5G, and why consolidation, shared infrastructure, and new revenue streams like RCS are th...

In Episode 12 of Whiskey and Wireless, Ron Willett sits down with Stephanie Lashley, VP of Messaging Strategic Alliances & Infrastructure at Bandwidth -  widely known in the industry as the Queen of Messaging. Stephanie shares her journey from growing up in Kansas City to building her career at Sprint and Bandwidth, her perspective on the evolution of A2P messaging and 10DLC, and why she belie...

In Episode 11 of Whiskey and Wireless, Ron Willett sits down with Erik Levitt, CEO of Viper Networks, for a fast-moving, story-filled conversation about the wild road from rural Dominica to building a full-scale wireless carrier. Erik shares how growing up in the Caribbean shaped his mindset, what it took to launch his first company at 21, and how he’s evolved across three decades of entrepreneurs...

In Episode 10 of The Whiskey and Wireless Podcast, Ron Willett sits down with industry veteran Paul Ruppert, President of Global Point View Ltd., for one of our most wide-ranging conversations yet. From launching one of the first GSM networks in North America to negotiating 100+ international roaming agreements, Paul has shaped global telecom policy, messaging interoperability, and carrier strateg...

In this episode, Ron Willett sits down with Meredith Wiegman, Senior Product Manager, Fraud at Vonage, to talk about her remarkable journey; from joining ClearSky Technologies with no telecom background to becoming one of the most respected voices in business messaging and fraud prevention. Meredith opens up about balancing career and motherhood, her transition through ClearSky, Sinch, and Vonage,...

In Episode 9, Ron Willett sits down with Brian Stafford, CEO of nativeMsg, for a deep dive into the future of business messaging, and why RCS is finally having its moment. Brian shares his 7+ year journey building an RCS-first company, how nativeMsg is transforming messaging into rich, interactive experiences, and why timing, AI integration, and user education are everything. They also discuss: •...

In this episode of Whiskey & Wireless, host Ron Willett sits down with Randall Peterson, a telecom veteran with over 20 years of experience in roaming and regional wireless. From his early career at Union Wireless in Wyoming to his current role at Comfone, Randall shares unique insights into the challenges and opportunities facing regional carriers, the evolution of roaming, and the future of...

In this episode, Ron Willett sits down with Chip Damato, Director of Business Development at ClearSky Technologies and former COO of Inland Cellular, to talk about the evolution of the wireless industry over the last 25+ years. From the days of ringtones and flip phones to today’s RCS campaigns and network authentication, Chip shares real stories, industry insights, and a few laughs, including the...

In this episode, we sit down with Steve Legge, CEO of Netnumber, to talk telecom, leadership, and what Mission Impossible has to do with...well, anything. From his love of auto racing to the real-world challenges of modern networks, Steve shares stories, lessons, and laughs you won’t hear anywhere else. Subscribe for weekly conversations with telecom leaders!

In Episode 4 of The Whiskey and Wireless Podcast, host Ron Willett sits down with another industry voice for a no-fluff conversation about what’s really happening in telecom. They dig into the wins, the growing pains, and why wives think yachts are more dangerous than fishing boats - over a pour of great whiskey.  🎧 Subscribe for future episodes and follow us on LinkedIn to join the conversation....

In this episode of The Whiskey and Wireless Podcast, host Ron Willett sits down with ClearSky’s Head of Sales, Tony Tagliareni. The two talk about their decades-long friendship, how the wireless industry has evolved, and what’s next for messaging, from A2P to RCS and beyond. It’s an honest, laid-back conversation between two people who’ve seen the industry grow from the inside.

In this episode of The Whiskey and Wireless Podcast, Ron Willett sits down with Marcelo Frizzo, VP of Strategic Accounts North America at Infobip. They talk about where messaging is heading, what brands really want from carriers, and how the ecosystem is evolving beyond SMS. It’s a candid, forward-looking conversation with someone who’s been in the room where big messaging decisions get made. #Whi...

Grab your favorite drink and join Ron Willett for a laid-back conversation with Eddie DeCurtis from Shush—ClearSky’s partner for Silent Network Authentication. They swap stories about starting a company from scratch, share behind-the-scenes industry insights, and dive into their own friendship. It’s an honest, fun look at what it really takes to build innovative security solutions in telecom.