The Five Nine

What does the future hold for Verizon with a new CEO at the helm? Does the $42.5 billion BEAD program have staying power? Can telcos fend off a space-based market invasion? A new year brings a fresh start, but there are some trends that are bound to carry over from 2025. We gathered the whole Fierce Network crew to get their top takes on what's in store for the year to come in the wireless, wireline, AI and cloud realms. #AI #cloud #wireless #fiberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI isn’t just transforming how we live, work and play, it’s also overhauling the cloud and data center market. It’s not just about the big three anymore – we’re entering the era of the alternative hyperscaler. Vultr’s CMO Kevin Cochrane and Futuriom founder and chief analyst Scott Raynovich talk what's coming down the pipe in 2026. #AI #cloud #GPU #neocloud #altscalerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nvidia made headlines in October when it announced plans to invest $1 billion in telecom vendor Nokia to develop AI-RAN solutions that use its GPUs. But do GPUs even make sense for AI-RAN? We sat down with Orange's Atoosa Hatefi and Dell'Oro Group's Stefan Pongratz to dig into the different flavors of AI-RAN, what would compel telecom operators to spring for GPUs and what the overall market forecast looks like. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AWS walked into Las Vegas with a full house of cards. The cloud titan absolutely unloaded with a series of announcements spanning silicon, software and networking at its annual re:Invent conference. And the key takeaway? It’s not playing catchup on AI anymore…it’s leading the pack.   Fierce Network's Diana Goovaerts and Elizabeth Coyne sat down with Moor Insights and Strategy's Jason Andersen and Tekonyx Founder Sid Nag to dive into AWS' big announcements around AI factories, APIs, Interconnect and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First, there was machine learning. Then, generative AI. Now, we’re in the midst of the agentic AI revolution. But agentic AI is a waypoint rather than an endpoint. So, what’s next? The answer is physical AI.  But what is physical AI, in practical terms? What is it good for, how mature is the technology, what kinds of networks will it need and how can we all prepare for what’s coming? Nvidia and Nokia have answers. #AI #PhysicalAI #networks #Nvidia #Nokia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could SpaceX take over Dish Network's role as the nation's fourth largest wireless carrier? And how much do we really know about six G? Today we're tackling two of the hottest topics in the wireless world. Plus, you’ll get a sneak peek at what’s coming with our Broadband Nation Expo next week.  #SpaceX #DishNetwork #6G #AI #wireless #broadbandSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Telcos are DROWNING in debt. No, not financial debt, though they do have some of that. We’re talking about crippling amounts of technical and data debt, which could keep telcos on the sidelines of the AI revolution.   We’ll be looking at just how bad the situation is, what telcos need to do to make it right, whether they can move fast enough to ride the AI wave and what they stand to gain if they do.  #technicaldebt #datadebt #AI #telecom See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have seen one streak across the night sky. And there could be one hovering a few hundred miles above you right now. No, I’m talking about UFOs but satellites and more specifically, the thousands of Starlink satellites that have taken over our skies and changed the broadband landscape forever.   Ookla’s Sue Marek and Joe Madden from Mobile Experts dig into how Starlink has helped thrust satellite technology into the middle of the broadband conversation and what that means for the future of connectivity. #Starlink #Spacex #broadband #internet #satellite See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Description: You’ve probably heard about quantum technology in news headlines, but what is it and what does it really mean for telcos? Fierce’s Masha Abarinova sits down with quantum networking leaders Noel Goddard, CEO of Qunnect, and Frank de Jong, Quantum Safe Network Lead at Orange Business, to delve into how operators are putting the technology to work. #quantum #qubits #connectivity #TechTalks #Networks See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fierce takes a look at the companies behind the neocloud movement – crypto mining specialists who have found a new home in the cloud market thanks to AI. Guests include Hut 8 CEO Asher Genoot and AvirdThink Founder Roy Chua. #crypto #GPU #cloudcomputing #Hut8 #AISee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We kick off the new season of The Five Nine with a debate around the question on everyone’s mind: is AI a threat or an opportunity for telecom companies? We’re keeping things all in the family today, with Fierce Network Research’s Mitch Wagner and Linda Hardesty offering fresh perspectives from each side. #AI #networks #connectivity See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we’re taking a look at the big bottleneck that could bring the AI revolution to a screeching halt: power. AI requires a lot of high power chips deployed in a LOT of data centers. But while hyperscalers have plans to build up new data centers to support AI demand, they’ve run into power shortages in key areas. They’re particularly feeling the crunch in the U.S. So, we sat down with a pair of guests to figure out how we got into this mess, whether new nuclear plants could be the answer to hyperscalers’ prayers and what needs to be done to get us to where we need to be. We chatted with Mark Nelson, founder and managing director at consulting firm Radiant Energy Group, and Aalo Atomics CEO Matt Loszak to get some answers.  To learn more about the topics in this episode:  Will new nuclear arrive in the US in time to save data centers? A big battle over data center power bills is looming Here’s what hyperscalers, OpenAI say they need to build an AI empire Energy companies are struggling to keep up with data centers’ monster appetite Here’s why Trump’s energy policy matters for cloud providers See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we sat down to unpack one of the biggest emerging concepts in the broadband space – the open access network.  Open access, like any broadband network, is no cakewalk and comes with its own share of challenges. But it also presents underrated opportunities for the industry, particularly in the United States where the model is less often used.   Utopia Fiber and Gigapower are two of just a handful of open access players in the U.S.   Utopia reaches nearly two dozen cities in Utah and has also been involved in projects in Idaho, Montana and California. Gigapower, meanwhile, is a joint venture between AT&T and investment company BlackRock which is initially aiming to achieve 1.5 million passings in 8 markets.   So, we sat down with Utopia CEO Roger Timmerman and Gigapower CRO Jeff Seidenfaden to chat about what makes open access unique, how each has made things work, and what pages other operators can take from their playbook.   To learn more about the topics in this episode:   Gigapower CEO says open access network is ‘picking up speed’ as JV expands to NM CEO Exclusive: Utopia Fiber chief thinks AT&T isn't really doing open access  UTOPIA continues to weave web of ISPs SiFi, Sumo Fiber: Open access networks aren’t a piece of cake See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest host Liz Coyne wrangled an exec from Nokia Bell Labs to talk about the company’s recent mission to the moon. The mission came as Nokia Bell Labs celebrated its 100th anniversary but the landing didn’t go quite as expected.   Nokia’s Thierry Klein, President of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia, tells Liz all about why the company is aiming for the moon in the first place, what it learned from the mission and what’s next. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we delve back into the intersection of AI and networking, and more specifically what enterprises need to know and prepare for as AI moves to the edge. Just how distributed will AI really be? How will enterprises decide what workloads go where? And what should they be thinking about and planning for to make the AI-driven future a reality? We sat down with GTT SVP of Product Engineering to sift through these thorny questions and provide some guidance on how to handle the AI wave to come. To learn more about the topics in this episode: What happens to AI factories when AI moves to the edge? Telcos have the perfect edge cloud infrastructure for AI up their sleeve Op-Ed: Telco optimism springs at MWC with the hopes of AI at the edgeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fierce Network crew made it back safe and sound, for the most part, from Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona. But the show, which is essentially the official start to the year in telecom, gave us a lot to think about. We spent the week digesting what all the announcements from the show mean for the industry and now we're looking forward to what the rest of 2025 has in store for operators. Here’s what we have our eyes on. To learn more about the topics in this episode: Nokia’s not getting hung up on missed lunar phone call FNTV: Orange isn't giving up on APIs MWC 2025 coverage hub See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The hotels are booked, the bags are packed and at the end of this week, the flights will be boarded. But what will we find when we get there? That’s the question we’re going to tackle today and the answers just might surprise you. With me are Fierce Network’s editor-in-chief Liz Coyne, executive editor Monica Alleven, Senior Reporter Dan Jones and our Research guru Mitch Wagner. This podcast is written and hosted by Diana Goovaerts. It is edited by Diana Goovaerts and Matt Rickman. Liz Coyne is our executive producer. To learn more about the topics in this episode: MWC 2025: Will it be hot or not? What to expect when you’re expecting… to attend MWC25 Catch all the MWC news as it rolls in right here See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we delve into the nitty gritty of one of the biggest turnaround stories in telecom in recent years: that of Frontier Communications.   Frontier recently made headlines when Verizon agreed to pay $20 billion in cash to acquire the company as part of a bid to drastically expand its fiber footprint. That deal is now expected to close in Q1 of 2026. But while it’s flying high now, Frontier’s fortunes weren’t nearly as positive just a few short years ago.   Back in April 2020, the company actually filed for bankruptcy. And while it emerged from bankruptcy a year later, CEO Nick Jeffrey had his work cut out for him righting the ship.   We’ve all seen Frontier’s upbeat PR in recent years as its pivot to fiber revived the company’s revenue. But we wanted the details on just how big a lift the transformation was. We sat down with Jeffrey to hear more about the state of the company when he first joined, how the company navigated through transformation initiatives that fell flat and whether leadership really always knew they’d be successful.  This podcast is written and hosted by Diana Goovaerts. It is edited by Diana Goovaerts and Matt Rickman. Liz Coyne is our executive producer.  To learn more about the topics in this episode:  Here’s how Frontier used AI to revive its ailing B2B business  https://www.fierce-network.com/broadband/heres-how-frontier-used-ai-revive-its-ailing-b2b-business   Verizon's $20B Frontier buy is all about 'convergence, baby' https://www.fierce-network.com/broadband/verizon-rumored-buy-frontier-its-convergence-game   Frontier wants to become the ‘un-cable’ ISP https://www.fierce-network.com/broadband/frontier-wants-become-un-cable-isp   Frontier plans 495,000 new fiber passings in 2021  https://www.fierce-network.com/operators/frontier-plans-495-000-new-fiber-passings-2021   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we explore the rise of sovereign clouds across the globe.  You’ve probably heard of GDPR by now, or at least data privacy. And while sovereignty is sort of in a similar sphere, it’s more about data direction than privacy.   We sat down with Vultr’s Kevin Cochrane to examine what sovereignty means, how it’s accomplished and the impact AI could have on the landscape.  This podcast is written and hosted by Diana Goovaerts. It is edited by Diana Goovaerts and Matt Rickman. Liz Coyne is our executive producer.  To learn more about the topics in this episode:  ‘There’s no escaping’ digital sovereignty, Google Cloud exec says https://www.fierce-network.com/cloud/theres-no-escaping-rise-digital-sovereignty-google-cloud-exec-says   How Trump 2.0 could transform American cloud, AI, broadband and more https://www.fierce-network.com/cloud/how-trump-20-could-transform-american-cloud-ai-broadband-and-more   Nations declare independence with 'sovereign clouds' https://www.fierce-network.com/cloud/how-sovereign-clouds-help-build-great-nations   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we sat down to pull back the curtain on the idea factory chugging along behind the scenes at one of the largest hyperscalers: Google Cloud.  CTO Will Grannis heads up Google Cloud’s Office of the CTO, or OCTO, which is comprised of senior Google technology experts and former enterprise CTOs. Together, this team sifts through the company’s big ideas to figure out what will work and what won’t.   And while the world hears about it when Google Cloud knocks it out of the park with an idea, there are many, many others that never make it to prime time. Failure, Grannis told us, plays a big role in Google Cloud’s Office of the CTO.  Together, we walk through the lifecycle of an idea at OCTO, how to home in on the good ideas and why failing often and fast is actually a good thing.  This podcast is written and hosted by Diana Goovaerts. It is edited by Diana Goovaerts and Matt Rickman. Liz Coyne is our executive producer.  To learn more about the topics in this episode:  Google Cloud could overtake Microsoft’s No. 2 cloud position this year  https://www.fierce-network.com/cloud/google-cloud-overtake-microsofts-no-2-cloud-position-year   Exclusive: Google Cloud CTO talks tech, failures and what the future holds https://www.fierce-network.com/multi-cloud/exclusive-google-cloud-cto-talks-tech-failures-and-what-future-holds  Google Cloud brains say AI, sustainable finance, energy and privacy are trends to watch https://www.fierce-network.com/public/google-cloud-cto-office-brains-watch-these-6-cloud-trends   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.