We’re back in the studio and reunited with Iain this week. Seeing as they weren’t able to pod together at the show, the lads start with a recap of Mobile World Congress. They move on to talk about the awkward situation Ericsson has found itself in over its historical activities in Iraq before concluding with a look at the implications for the telecoms industry in the Ukraine conflict. 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 special episode of the pod was recorded on the Orange stand at Mobile World Congress 2022 so, technically, it’s not ‘live’ but you know what we mean. Scott decides to tag-team three guests and starts by chatting to Phillipe Lucas of Orange to get his impressions of this first full version of the show for three years. That line of conversation is carried over to friend of the Pod Mary Clark and then Telecoms.com Deputy Editor Andrew Wooden, with Iain Morris of Light Reading apparently having better things to do than turn 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

After being blown off course by hurricane Dave last week, the lads return for a special episode devoted to anticipating the major themes of Mobile World Congress next week. Inevitably 5G will dominate, with the pandemic-induced three-year gap between shows offering the opportunity to reflect on progress made over that time. Not many people were talking about OpenRAN and public cloud at MWC 19, but those technologies will be prominent this year, so they anticipate those chats too. 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 start this week’s pod by looking forward to the full return of Mobile World Congress, while lamenting the amount of Covid-related aggro they will have to endure in order to attend. The main item for discussion is consolidation in the telecoms industry, its probability and desirability. They move on to ask whether 6G is even necessary and conclude with a look at the UK government’s desire to police online 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 middle of quarterlies season gives the lads plenty of corporate arcana to bang on about in this week’s pod. They start by reviewing Nokia’s numbers and what they say about the progress the Finnish kit vendor is making in its strategic turnaround. Iain then takes things even deeper into the weeds by introducing a technology Scott had never heard of that could have a major impact on the OpenRAN movement, before they conclude with a look at the fortunes of US Big Tech companies and what they mean for the broader economy. 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 but a new studio for this week’s pod as the lads move down the road. Pausing only for customary reflections on the state of the rona, they start by dissecting Ericsson’s latest numbers and what they tell us about the company’s direction of travel. They move on to reflect on the apparent demise of IoT company Sigfox before concluding with a look at the latest attempt to censor podcaster Joe Rogan by attacking Spotify, which publishes him. 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’re delighted to welcome our first guest of the year in John Baker of Mavenir. His company is a major player in the OpenRAN scene so we spend the majority of the pod chatting about that, in which Scott and Iain challenge John to justify the hype around it. They eventually move on to look at the silliness going on in the US to do with the C-band spectrum and conclude with the latest on the metaverse, which threatens to take over our lives. 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 an extended break due to Christmas and Omicron, the lads are back in the studio. They start with an assessment of the Rona situation as we start the year and what that means for MWC. The main segments have a forward-looking feel, starting with a look at the prospects for OpenRAN and specifically Rakuten’s role in it. They move on to discuss the dilemma UK operators face regarding the reintroduction of roaming charges before concluding with a look at Huawei’s prospects. 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

As the shadow of Omicron lockdowns looms, only a midday G&T can save the day. Unapologetically, Iain and Scott start by discussing OpenRAN once more, this time because the UK government has been banging on about it. They move on to another favourite in the form of the public cloud, after AWS suffered an outage in the US, and conclude by drinking to Virgin Media O2’s latest achievement. 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 reflect on the latest rona drama and a top night out with Huawei, the lads revert back to the hot topic of OpenRAN to kick off this week’s pod. They then move on to the semiconductor sector, which grows more central to the global economy with every passing day, before concluding with a look at the latest moan from operators for big tech to contribute to the cost of networks. 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