The pod is delighted to welcome back special guest Neil McRae, Chief Network Strategist at Juniper Networks. The main theme of the chat was derived from recent quarterly earnings announcements by Ericsson and Nokia, which were very similar as they’re both suffering through what could be described as a telecoms recession. There also were plenty of networking tangents, including some DIY stories from Neil.

Iain and Scott are forced to do this pod over Zoom due to producer Pierre selfishly taking an Easter holiday. The main theme of their conversation is Huawei’s recently announced 2023 financials, which seem a lot more healthy than any of their Western equivalents. That leads naturally to an examination of how effective US sanctions against Huawei and China have been, before they conclude with a broader look at the geopolitical environment that is behind all these shenanigans.

Special guest Alex Lawrence, Editor of 6G World, joins in to discuss 6G technology, telecoms regulation, and Ericsson's recent news. They debate the need for 6G, regulatory environments, and European regulation's impact on the telecom industry.

The pod was delighted to welcome its first ever special guest from Microsoft – Shawn Hakl VP of 5G Strategy. They start by asking for an overview of what Microsoft’s interest is in the telecoms sector these days, which has increased significantly in recent years. That leads naturally to a review of the role the public cloud plays for operators, before they conclude by asking Shawn about the 5G part of his job title.

No guest this week so you get a looser version of the podders, including some extra fruity language.

The podcast explores Nokia's infrastructure business, the importance of fixed-line networks, and the impact of trade shows like MWC. They also touch on Apple's battle with the EU and discuss advancements in technology and AI, as well as regulatory challenges in the tech industry.

The traditional Mobile World Congress show floor recording of the pod is brought to you from the media centre this year. Once more they were delighted to welcome journalist George ‘available’ Malim as a special guest and start by reflecting on the dominant theme of the show – AI. They move on to share some of their other observations and experiences form MWC 24 until the video crew tell them to shut up because it has better things to do.

This special episode of the pod, recorded early to allow you to listen to it on the plane to Barcelona, features special returning guest – Analyst Dean Bubley. Most of the time is spent anticipating the key themes of discussion at the show, including 5G, AI, APIs and regulation, with an emphasis of cutting through the hype. Thery eventually move on to breaking news around European telecoms regulation before concluding with a quick look at Vodafone’s latest Open RAN announcements.

Special guest William Webb discusses UK regulation hindering strategic communications, Ofcom tangents, 5G vision at Ericsson event, Open RAN exploration, and 'enshitification' of internet platforms.

The pod was delighted to welcome super-sub Gabriel Brown, Analyst at Heavy Reading, who stepped in at the last minute after another guest pulled a sickie. They stated by reviewing a BT network update meeting all three attended that morning, with a lengthy tangent onto a TM Forum AI-themed gathering the day before. They move on to hear about Iain’s trip to Glasgow with Three, before concluding with a look at a deal between Disney and Epic and how it might revive the metaverse.