Recorded live at Network X 2025, this episode of Digitel Talk features Dave Stehlin, President and CEO of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). With over four decades of experience in telecoms, Dave shares how TIA is shaping a more secure, sustainable and connected digital future through global standards — from supply chain security and data centre quality to broadband access and workforce development. Discover how innovation, collaboration and trust are redefining connectivity w...
In this episode of Digitel Talk, recorded live at Network X 2025, host Ian Ginn sits down with Chem Assayag, VP of Home Services Innovation at Orange Innovation, to explore how the telecom giant is shaping the connected home of the future. From sustainable device design and circular economy initiatives to AI-driven customer care and youth protection, Chem reveals how Orange is driving innovation with responsibility. Discover the story behind Purple, the open-source standard for telco gateways...
In this special wrap-up episode recorded live at Connected Britain 2025, host Ian Ginn brings together three of the UK telecoms industry’s most recognisable voices — Raj Kalia (Founder & CEO of Peralia Properties), Paddy Paddison (CEO of INCA), and Harry Baldock (Editor at Total Telecom). Together, they unpack the big themes from the conference: from collaboration and consolidation in the altnet space to the role of local authorities, Project Gigabit, and the importance of long-term susta...
In this episode of Digitel Talk, host Ian Ginn sits down with Philippe Lattes, President and Co-Founder of LEOBLUE, to explore a revolutionary idea: connecting every smartphone on Earth — through satellites and Bluetooth. Philippe shares how his team has achieved what many said was impossible — sending data directly from space to smartphones using existing Bluetooth technology. The goal? To create a universal, affordable communication network that could transform disaster response, education,...
In this episode of Digitel Talk, recorded live at Connected Britain 2025, host Ian Ginn sits down with Amy Low, Chief Executive of AbilityNet, to explore how technology can empower everyone — regardless of age, ability, or background. Amy shares inspiring stories from AbilityNet’s mission to make the digital world accessible to all, including how simple tech adaptations are helping older and disabled people regain independence and confidence. From helping someone reconnect with loved ones onl...
In this episode of Digitel Talk, recorded live at Connected Britain 2025, host Ian Ginn sits down with Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, to discuss how we can close the UK’s growing digital divide. Elizabeth reveals that 19 million people across the UK are affected by some form of digital poverty — whether through lack of access, affordability, or basic digital skills. She shares powerful stories from the Tech for Families programme, which has helped thousands of househ...
At Connected Britain, host Ian Ginn sits down with Mark Bjornsgaard, Chief Innovation Officer of Deep Green Technologies, to discuss how data centres can drive both digital progress and environmental change. Deep Green’s revolutionary approach captures waste heat from AI-powered data centres and reuses it to heat community swimming pools and district heating systems — saving energy, cutting costs, and reducing carbon emissions. Mark also shares insights on the challenges of scaling sustainabl...
In this special AI for Good Summit episode, host Ian Ginn sits down with Rory Collins, Global Information Management & Analytics Advisor at UNOPS. With operations in 22 countries, Rory and his team are using AI, GIS, and advanced data analytics to make communities safer by removing explosive ordnance, securing weapons, and supporting peacebuilding efforts. From predicting high-risk minefields in Afghanistan to transforming cleared land into billion-dollar economic zones, Rory shares how t...
Episode Description In this inspiring episode of Digital Talk, host Ian Ginn sits down with Chaye Cabal-Revilla, CEO of mWell and Chief Finance, Risk, and Sustainability Officer at Metro Pacific Investment Corporation. Together, they explore how mWell is transforming healthcare access in the Philippines through innovative digital solutions. From launching teleconsultations during the pandemic to deploying solar-powered mobile clinics and pioneering drone medicine deliveries, mWell is re...
In this episode of Digital Talk, host Ian Ginn speaks with Dr. Manpreet Kaur , Director of Strategy and Product at SidLabs LLP. MP shares her journey from developmental psychology to tech entrepreneurship, highlighting SID Labs’ impactful work in real-time environmental monitoring and community protection. A standout project discussed is a real-time SOS system deployed in the Amazon region of Peru. This tool enables local citizens to report environmental crimes and receive alerts within minut...
In this AI for Good special of Digitel Talk, host Ian Ginn speaks with Dr Steffen Kirchgeorg, co-founder of Namu Robotics, about using drones, robotics and AI to tackle one of the planet’s greatest challenges: biodiversity loss. From testing drone-mounted probes in the Amazon rainforest to detecting invasive species in Europe, Steffen shares how Namu Robotics is pioneering new ways of monitoring ecosystems, supporting conservation, and addressing climate change. The conversation explores: How...
In this AI for Good special episode of Digitel Talk, host Ian Ginn speaks with Leen D'hondt, Director of Technology at the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT). From mapping remote, unmapped regions to empowering local communities with open-source tools, Leen shares how geospatial data can transform lives in low- and middle-income countries. Discover how HOT works with communities to address local challenges—from post-disaster recovery and sanitation planning to disability access and environ...
In this special edition of Digitel Talk, recorded live at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, host Ian Ginn sits down with Professor Veronica Santos from UCLA to explore the future of human–robot interaction, the role of tactile sensing, and how AI and haptics could redefine connectivity across physical and digital worlds. From demoing wearable haptic rings to exploring “telephones for touch”, Veronica shares her vision for creating emotionally intelligent machines—and how the Human Fusi...
In this special AI for Good edition of Digitel Talk, host Ian Ginn speaks with Lingli Deng of China Mobile Research about an inspiring use case of 5G for marine conservation. Learn how advanced sensing technology and AI are being used to protect endangered white dolphins in Chinese waterways by detecting their movements and preventing collisions with human activity. The project, which has reduced dolphin fatalities by 97%, could be scaled to forests, national parks, and beyond. This is a true...
In this AI for Good special of Digitel Talk, host Ian Ginn speaks with Galim Turumtaev, a machine learning engineer and the visionary behind Homai—a grassroots project reviving endangered languages using AI and speech technology. Broadcast live from the AI for Good Summit, this episode explores how Galim’s work is reconnecting communities with their cultural roots through smart speakers, speech models, and locally digitised content. By building language tools for Bashkir and nine other minori...
In this AI for Good episode of Digitel Talk, host Ian Ginn interviews Dr Aral Surmeli, physician and founder of HERA Digital Health. What began as a small mobile app for refugee mothers has evolved into a multilingual, AI-powered chatbot helping displaced populations navigate health systems worldwide. From antenatal care in refugee camps to disaster response during the Turkish-Syrian earthquake, this is a powerful example of tech built for impact—with no logins, no gatekeeping, just open-sour...
In this special episode of Digitel Talk, recorded at the AI for Good Summit in Geneva, host Ian Ginn speaks with Professor Cecilia Laschi (National University of Singapore) about how soft robotics, inspired by the octopus, could transform our understanding of the oceans. Cecilia explains how her biodegradable, AI-assisted robots are designed to explore the seabed —safely collecting sediment samples, planting seagrass, and even deploying lab-grown coral—all without damaging delicate marine eco...
In this AI for Good Special episode of Digitel Talk, host Ian Ginn sits down with Professor Janet Wiles, leader of the Florence Project at the University of Queensland—a groundbreaking initiative co-designed with people living with dementia to reimagine communication technology. Rather than designing “for” people with dementia, the Florence Project designs with them. Over 10 years, the team has developed a series of simple, empowering tech tools that support communication, dignity and daily l...
In this AI for Good Special episode of Digitel Talk, host Ian Ginn speaks with Professor Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist, Head of the Drone Centre at the University of Southern Denmark and lead of the Wild Drone project. From solar-powered autonomous drones to 5G-enabled missions over remote African landscapes, Ulrik shares how his team is combining AI, robotics, and environmental science to tackle the global biodiversity crisis. This is a conversation about designing for the real world: drones ...
In this special Digitel Talk episode recorded at the AI for Good Global Summit, host Ian Ginn speaks with Arpad Kovesdy, CTO and co-founder of Beamlink—a company on a mission to make mobile connectivity radically more accessible. Beamlink’s flagship innovation, the Bentocell, is a portable, low-power 4G/5G cell tower that can be deployed in minutes using solar energy and AI-driven setup. Arpad shares how natural disasters like Hurricane Maria inspired the company, and how their technology is ...