Light Reading Podcasts

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 this podcast:Opportunities for Juniper and its customers with 5G (01:00)Growing interest in private 5G and new use cases (03:20)Partnership with Rakuten Symphony on 5G deployments (06:30)How to reduce the cost of running a 5G network for service providers (09:20)Dynamic network capacity management and improving the energy efficiency of the network (12:00)New approaches to data analytics and updates on Mist AI (13:07)Automated service assurance (17:50)Related stories and links:BIG 5G Event newsJuniper CEO: The new networking – experience, speed and scaleJuniper jumps on O-RAN bandwagonSign up today for the Light Reading newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. That mobility angle is starting to lead to apps and services for connected automobiles, including the distribution of info and entertainment services and the delivery of other large files. In the US, some of those use cases are starting to emerge at the Motown 3.0 Open Test Track in Detroit, Michigan, where a mix of technology demos are underway. Pearl Television, a consortium of several US broadcasters, serves as the test manager at the test track. "We always thought automotive was a natural extension to our television service," Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, said on the Light Reading Podcast. "We've demonstrated in multiple markets that this is a really robust signal ... meaning it's easy to receive it in a car even when you're in a garage or underground." Schelle said Pearl TV and other broadcasters view ATSC 3.0 as a distribution pipe that can complement cellular and even satellite. "Automakers need every option," she said, noting that companies that run fleets of trucks or limousines are among the areas of the automotive market that could suit this use case. South Korea, a market that is about two years ahead of the US with the standard, is also exploring the connected car use case. There, Hyundai Mobis is developing a lineup of cars that will come equipped with ATSC 3.0 receivers starting in 2023. Here's a snapshot of topics covered in this podcast:The origins of the Pearl TV consortium and its involvement with the ATSC 3.0 standard (1:30)How the delivery of data to autos is a natural extension to the new IP-based signaling standard (8:50) Background on the Motown 3.0 Open Test Track and some details and findings from the recent trials conducted there (10:15)How ATSC 3.0 is expected to fit in with other wireless and mobile network types, including 5G and satellite (12:15)Potential other use cases for NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 (19:30) A brief overview of the regulatory environment on the new standard, including thoughts on the FCC's fresh inquiry into voluntary adoption of the new standard and what technical challenges might be faced by cable operators and other multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) in redistributing those signals (23:00) — Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light ReadingSign up today for the Light Reading newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Connected Nation is helping states get and deploy the funding they need.Sign up today for the Light Reading newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. A consortium of telco cooperatives and Rural Electric Membership Cooperatives (REMCs) are looking to remedy that situation in Indiana with Hoosier Net, a newly formed entity that aims to develop (and build, where necessary) a statewide middle-mile network. Accord Telecommunications Collaborative, a group of 21 Rural Electric Membership Cooperatives (REMCs) and telephone cooperatives, recently announced an investment in Hoosier Net.Drawing a bead on BEADHoosier Net is taking form as federal and state authorities prepare to mete out billions of dollars in broadband grants under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. The group came together after another statewide network in Indiana, called the Intelligence Fiber Network, was sold to Zayo in June 2021.That became an issue as "ISPs in Indiana lost control of their own destiny," Rob Shema, CEO of Hoosier Net, Independents Fiber Network in Ohio and Com Net Inc. (CNI), said on the Light Reading podcast. CNI, a company that provides backend services to ISPs, is also an owner of Hoosier Net and currently serves as the organization's managing partner."If [our] network has an outage, you'd better believe I have skin in the game, because at the end of the day, I'm owned by these companies. It's my job to get that Internet connection back up as quickly and as efficiently as possible," Shema said. "They want one throat to choke, and that throat's mine." Shema estimates that the current plan for Hoosier Net will cover about 90% of Indiana, enabling a cohesive unit that can be presented to the NTIA as a way to provide backbone connectivity for several ISPs in the state. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is tasked with implementing the $42.5 billion in BEAD funding and $1 billion tagged for middle-mile infrastructure funding. Here's a snapshot of topics covered in this podcast:An overview of Hoosier Net, including how it started (2:10) Why it's important that ILECs and REMCs are coming together on the project (6:50) Why the middle-mile is important, particularly in rural areas (8:30) An update and expected timeline on the Hoosier Net project (16:00)— Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light ReadingSign up today for the Light Reading newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 both hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) and 5G networks. The initial focus is on the melding of network stacks into a common, collocated platform. "Because more than half of the CableLabs members are both mobile and cable system operators, we think this unique insight into operations of both network types will be a catalyst for driving convergence requirements," Carmela Stuart, director of the future infrastructure group at CableLabs, explained on the Light Reading podcast. Much of that work is detailed in a new white paper (PDF): Best Practices for Deploying 5G into a Shared Environment. And while the initial focus involves 5G vendors, CableLabs expects to run a similar exercise with HFC component vendors, and particularly with suppliers of virtual CCAPs (converged cable access platforms), Stuart explained. Sign up today for the Light Reading newsletter.Here's a snapshot of topics covered in this podcast:How the role of CableLabs is evolving to focus on network and service convergence (1:12)How CableLabs is working specifically toward the convergence of 5G and HFC at the edge of the network (3:00)What security issues need to be ironed out as network operators attempt to collocate different vendor apps on the same Kubernetes cluster. (4:30)An outline of convergence goals that are being pursued by CableLabs and its members. (6:20) An overview of the aims of a relatively new "10G" lab that's focused on interactivity and the testing out of various use cases involving cloud native 5G cores, virtual RANs and virtual CCAPs. (9:30) How and why open source is playing a role in these network convergence projects. (11:00) — Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light Reading Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 that will serve as the backbone for 2-Gig broadband and other services for communities in the remote, hard-to-reach region. In this case, we're talking about a subsea fiber that will provide baseline connectivity for more than 7,000 people along the Aleutian Chain in the extreme Western end of the state, which includes the Unalaska region and Dutch Harbor of Deadliest Catch fame. The $58 million project (funded by a $25 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture's ReConnect program and $33 million of direct investment by GCI) recently reached a key milestone, as more than 3.7 million pounds of custom-built fiber started its sea journey from Germany to Unalaska aboard the 330-foot-long M/V Vertom Thea cargo ship. Once the fiber reaches British Columbia, it will be loaded onto two cable-laying vessels to complete its journey across the Gulf of Alaska to Unalaska. GCI is in the process of matching its subsea fiber deployment with fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) access networks that will deliver services to homes and businesses along the Aleutian chain. Here's a snapshot of topics covered in this podcast:The scope of the project and why it's important to the region. (1:30)How 2,000 tons of specially-built subsea fiber is being delivered by cargo ship – starting in Germany, and eventually reaching the Unalaska area later this year for deployment by cable-laying vessels. (5:00) How GCI will connect homes and businesses to 2-Gig broadband services once the subsea fiber is deployed and lit up. (10:25) What other services, beyond broadband, that GCI will deliver to homes and business in the region. (17:00)— Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light ReadingSign up today for the Light Reading newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 discuss his current role at Ready and how the software company is helping ISPs and other broadband stakeholders prepare for funding opportunities.Sign up today for the Light Reading newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 led CECC to start delivering fiber to customers as an ISP called Empower Broadband."Fast forward to today, we've got about 4,000 miles of fiber, and we have 13,000 subscribers and roughly 25,000 premises passed," said Sloan.Sloan joined Light Reading at the Fiber Connect conference to discuss CECC's work in rural Arkansas and a new partnership between Craighead Electric and other electric co-ops across the state to deliver wholesale fiber."Our primary mission with that organization is to make Arkansas the most connected state in the country," he said.Here are just a few topics discussed in this video:CECC's history and role as a broadband provider (00:50)What's different about getting broadband from an electric co-op (03:00)Why CECC "mothballed" its fixed wireless project (04:00)How Craighead streamlined its fiber deployment (06:30)New middle mile partnership with other electric co-ops (07:40)Plans for federal funding (11:10)Sign up today for the Light Reading newsletter.Related stories and links:Render's Sam Pratt on using tech to streamline fiber network buildsArkansas electric co-ops band together for bandwidthHow Render uses geospatial data to get fiber builds up to speedEPB's Katie Espeseth on delivering the 'world's fastest Internet' in Chattanooga Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 GentlemenTroubadour BlueBlack Opry (A resource for Black artists and fans of country, blues, folk and Americana music.)Sign up today for the Light Reading newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 networking projects (2:00) The status of Cisco's digital divide work (4:30) How Cisco works with service providers, agencies and partners to accelerate programs aimed at helping alleviate the digital divide (6:30) Being reactive versus proactive on connectivity projects (9:50) Which issues require the most attention (11:15) Where Cisco's private 5G-as-a-service fits in (12:50)Sign up today for the Light Reading newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.