We’re delighted to welcome special guest Maria Lema of Weaver Labs this week. Maria’s company develops software designed to decentralize the whole process of accessing network services, using some of the principles and technologies associated with the evolution of Web3, which prompts lots of conversational tangents. They eventually get around to a couple of items from the week’s news, specifically the affect of the use of sanctions on globalization and Huawei’s recent annual report. Stay up to d...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 53 min
Iain was knackered after a half marathon when we recorded this pod as was Pierre’s audio mixer, which gave up an hour or so into the recording. Nonetheless the lads manage to open with another look at the Russia/Ukraine conflict as it affects the telecoms business, before moving on to discuss the latest update from T-Mobile US. The final segment would have been called Nothing, appropriately, but you’ll never know what we said. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around ...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 12 min
The lads are full of the joys of spring, despite everything, this week. They start by reflecting on a Vodafone event they both attended, at which network slicing was a major theme, and question what the point of it is. Iain takes the lead for the middle segment, having written a couple of pieces about Japanese trailblazer Rakuten, before they conclude with the inevitable Scott bugbear, this time the UK online safety bill. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the w...
Mar 21, 2022•1 hr 31 min
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 newsl...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr 32 min
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...
Mar 07, 2022•56 min
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...
Feb 24, 2022•1 hr 32 min
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 wo...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 35 min
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 me...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 30 min
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 ...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 34 min
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 storie...
Jan 24, 2022•1 hr 28 min
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...
Jan 13, 2022•1 hr 12 min
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 ...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 34 min
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...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr 28 min
There’s a downbeat start to this week’s pod as Scott battles the elements, infirmity, and portentous news. The Hazy Jane soon works its magic, however and they commence with a look at Ericsson’s biggest ever acquisition. Operator boardroom shenanigans provide the next topic before they conclude with a look at Vodafone’s bid to free itself from the electrical grid. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 29 min
Scott embarks on his second recording of the day, having shot the Glotel Awards vid previously. The lads are compelled to lead with OpenRAN once more, because that’s what was going on again that week, specifically European operators using it as a pretext to beg for state cash. They move on to talk about Ericsson, which launched some software that promises to play nice with OpenRAN before concluding with a look at cashierless technology that is creeping into the UK retail sector. Stay up to date ...
Nov 22, 2021•1 hr 26 min
Both the lads are a bit worse for wear after a proper session with BT the previous day. They start by reviewing the professional pretext for the sesh, which was to talk OpenRAN, as was Iain’s trip to Paris the previous day. UK fibre once more made the news this week, but the middle segment was rebranded ‘broadband’ to avoid repetition, and they conclude with a look at how Google’s legal team fared recently. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the T...
Nov 15, 2021•1 hr 26 min
Just Scott and Iain this week as the pod’s run of special guests runs dry for now. They start by taking a more in-depth look at the current state of play at Huawei, especially its consumer division and fixed-line fortunes. The latter topic leads to a broader discussion of the current state of play in the fibre market, before they conclude with a look at a strange story concerning C-band spectrum in the US. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Te...
Nov 08, 2021•1 hr 23 min
The crew is delighted to welcome another special guest in telecoms analyst Dean Bubley. After a ridiculously long introduction they finally get to the topic of 5G, specifically sorting the hype from the reality. Facebook recently decided to rename itself Meta, so they move on to discuss that and the concept pf the metaverse that it refers to, before concluding with a couple of highlights from quarterly earnings season. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the worl...
Nov 01, 2021•1 hr 46 min
The lads are back in the studio for this guest-less pod. Ian and Scott start by reflecting on a Vodafone dinner they both attended last week where the wine flowed, so their recollections are a bit murky. They move on to the enduring topic of the public cloud, featuring some news from a recent podcast guest, and conclude with the latest drama concerning China’s role in the telecoms world. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily ne...
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 28 min
In this special episode, recorded on-site at Broadband World Forum 2021, the pod welcomes special guest Dario Talmesio, an Analyst at Omdia. They start by reflecting on the key talking points at the show, including an accelerated move towards fibre and digital transformation apparently catalysed by the pandemic, before moving on to Nokia’s claimed millimetre wave breakthrough and Google’s recent cloud announcements. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world w...
Oct 18, 2021•55 min
We’ve run out of guests for the time being so you’re just stuck with boring old Scott and Iain. They start by reviewing the latest 5G tender from China Mobile and what it might mean for the future of the global telecoms industry. Orange had a strategy day earlier in the week, which they both attended, so them move on to review that before concluded with the latest dramas around Facebook. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily ne...
Oct 11, 2021•1 hr 28 min
We are delighted to welcome another special guest this week – public cloud evangelist Danielle Royston. She heard us slagging off the public cloud in previous pods and was keen to offer a more benign perspective. That chat took up nearly all of the pod but we did eventually get around to quickly covering the latest developments concerning China vs the US and internet companies getting into consumer devices. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the T...
Oct 04, 2021•1 hr 21 min
The pod is delighted to welcome a guest this week – Elena Davidson, CEO of Liberty Communications. Accordingly they start by talking about PR and comms, including the apparent evaporation of entertainment budgets, before analysing a recent attempt by Facebook to communicate with the outside world. They move on to reflect on recent conversations with Vodafone UK’s head of networks before concluding with a look at the radio weight arms race. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories...
Sep 27, 2021•1 hr 38 min
No guest this week which just means more stream-of-consciousness dribble from the regulars. They start by discussing Huawei’s decision to publish a book on 6G and what the underlying message may be. They move on to discuss the difficulties faced by the O-RAN Alliance when some of its members aren’t allowed to hang out with each other and conclude with a look at the increasing overlap between big tech and big politics. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world...
Sep 20, 2021•1 hr 21 min
The pod welcomes returning special guest Mary Clark, a telecoms industry exec currently between gigs, this week. She starts by telling us what she’s been up to, including work with a ‘proper’ satellite-to-handset company and the Thames Estuary Growth Board. They move on to reflect on Three UK’s decision to start charging for roaming, which is especially bad news for producer Pierre, before concluding with a quick look at recent device launches by internet giants. Stay up to date with the most im...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 32 min
After taking the whole of August off in classic Gallic style, Iain, Scott and Pierre roar back into the studio. They start by reflecting on the physical event they’ve attended since the start of the pandemic, at which beers were provided by Vodafone. They move on to examine the increasing prospect of the 6G standard being split due to the US and China’s inability to stop messing with each other and conclude with the latest concerns about relinquishing control to the public cloud. Stay up to date...
Sep 06, 2021•1 hr 11 min
Cherish this one because it will be the last pod for a few weeks, as the lads attempt to holiday in the time of Covid. They start with a review of China Mobile’s recent tender process for a bunch of 5G work, which resulted in non-Chinese vendors getting just a 6% share. They move on to the eternal topic of telcos as dumb pipes, examining what hope there is for them ever to be otherwise, and conclude with Scott and Iain having a rant about some of their current bugbears. Stay up to date with the ...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 23 min
The guys sacrifice an afternoon in the sun to sit in a dark studio and pod just for you, dear listener. They start by reflecting on a virtual press event held by BT/EE and try to work out what the point of it was. They move on to review Ericsson’s latest quarterly earnings, which took a hit from a downturn in China, and conclude with another go at the eternal debate around net neutrality. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily n...
Jul 19, 2021•1 hr 26 min
Ahead of a massive weekend for sport and Scott’s marriage, the guys brave central London once more. They start by discussing JEDI – a US government public cloud project that has been complicated by having hardly any choice of vendor. They move on to the ongoing US attempt to extradite Huawei’s CFO from Canada and conclude with the unique circumstances in Myanmar that have forced Telenor to flee. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com ...
Jul 12, 2021•1 hr 9 min
The guys reflect on what it was like to not attend the recent attenuated Mobile World Congress, which took place last week despite having all the odds stacked against it. One of the apparent highlights was a special zone dedicated to the public cloud, so they move onto discuss the latest development in that scene, before concluding with recent OpenRAN news. Stay up to date with the most important telecoms stories from around the world with the Telecoms.com daily newsletter. Delivered FREE and di...
Jul 05, 2021•1 hr 15 min
