Google and Casa Systems are partnering to create a cloud-native 5G Core and also a strategy for multi-access edge computing (MEC). The service/offering will be available to network operators (telcos, cable companies) and also to enterprises who want private 5G. To say that this raises some interesting questions is an understatement, so let’s dig in … Continue reading Casa, Google, Carrier Cloud, and Edge Computing
Cable companies offered TV from the first, and were also among the first to offer broadband Internet. Now there are indicators that they’ll be separating the two. Comcast is about to go live with its Xfinity Stream service, which will be available on Roku and Amazon streaming devices and on some TVs, with other platforms … Continue reading Comcast Goes Live with Xfinity Stream
Every new technology creates winners and losers, and 5G is no exception. Light Reading talks about this, specifically in terms of mobile operators, but I think we need to look a bit harder at this issue. 5G is important to operators and vendors alike, after all, and it’s also important to use 5G as an … Continue reading 5G Winners and Losers: What Differentiates Them?
Nokia surprised a lot of people by beating Q2 forecasts, sending its stock up on July 21st. It’s beating rival Ericsson in stock performance for 3, 6, and 12 months, too. Ericsson, as I noted in a blog on July 18th, has bet billions on a Vonage acquisition, and Nokia seems to have been on … Continue reading Is Nokia vs Ericsson an Open-Model vs OTT-Voice Duel?
I probably watch AT&T more closely than I do any telco, any network operator. Not only have I chatted with literally hundreds of AT&T people over the years, I’m convinced that they are a poster child for “telco-tries-to-be-realistic”, and I certainly think they need to do that. I also think this quarter’s earnings prove that … Continue reading Has AT&T Done Enough?
Nobody doubts that network operators are looking for new revenue sources. Even the operators themselves doubt that there’s much consensus on what sources might be credible. An idea that’s floated around both operators and OTTs is what a recent Light Reading article refers to as a “super app”. Patterned after the WeChat app in China, … Continue reading Could Super-Apps Save Operator Profits?
Whether we accept the concept of the semantic web, or Web3, or the metaverse, or even fall back on lower-level things like cable’s Distributed Access Architecture (DAA), the signs are pointing toward an expansion of what we believe makes up networks in general, and the Internet in particular. That’s already been going on behind the … Continue reading What a “Service” Means is Changing
Network operators typically spend almost four times as much on customer acquisition and retention as they will on traditional network operations. That’s up almost a third over a five-year period, and it has major implications for the way we think about managing operations costs, since customer A&R is usually lumped into operations expenses. Why is … Continue reading Acquisition and Retention: The Real Opex Challenge
I’ve noted several times in recent blogs that AT&T is at a disadvantage versus rival Verizon because of the sharp difference in their demand densities, the effectiveness of infrastructure to address opportunity in their service areas. That’s not a good thing, to be sure, but it has given AT&T the incentive to do something that … Continue reading Is the Future of Network Infrastructure Written in AT&T?
It’s pretty clear that fixed broadband access is changing. Both CATV and fiber-based operators are raising their speeds, to 2 or even 4Gbps. AT&T, who a year ago wasn’t all that positive on fixed wireless access (FWA) as an option now says that they’re going to retire more and more copper, replacing it with fiber … Continue reading Where Are We Really Heading with Broadband?