In this 11th episode of the podcast (recorded on October 8th), Ben & Dean discuss BT's sudden takeover of TalkTalk, developments in Brussels around the DNA Digital Networks Act and various reports from BEREC, and have a broader debate on a French plan for data-traffic tax and possible AI / GenAI regulation. We also mention upcoming events such as Dean's AI Voice for Telcos workshop.

00:26 - Our take on the BT / TalkTalk acquisition and what it could mean for attitudes to competition in telecoms, service continuity and the awkwardness of wholesale / retail transactions.

4:34 - Benoit mentions a proposal in France to implement a tax on all data or Internet traffic flows. While mostly aimed at US content / cloud players, it's not clear that the socialist politicians involved (rather than regulators) have fully grasped the unintended consequences, including for French companies - or the wider implications if it covers private networks, CDNs etc.

10:58 - Benoit and Dean discuss recent events in Brussels, including the EU Parliament and Council scrutiny of the DNA and legislative process and thoughts on some key themes such as Copper Switch-Off, issues relating to Private Networks, Interconnect and the suggested "Conciliation" process, and much more.

We also talk about broader issues of European telecoms competitiveness, regulatory friction vs. simplification. definitional vagueness and sovereignty concerns.

23:50 - Thoughts on the recent BEREC meeting and its publications, including a "Reality Check" on European telecoms (which cites one of Benoit's reports extensively - link) and its upcoming workplan for 2027 / 2028 - which finally includes mentions of indoor wireless and hybrid cellular/Wi-Fi networks.

25:35 - What's coming up next? Dean mentions some deeper tech work he's been doing, including on AI Voice including the next Unthinkable Lab (link), a report on Photonics for STL Partners (link), a new initiative on Post-Digital Computing & Networks (link) and the wonderfully-named innovation of Gaussian Splatting (link), which could reduce future data traffic volumes for AR/VR. Dean is also speaking at the WBA's upcoming Wireless Global Congress (link), and is moderating a panel on Defence and Connectivity at Techritory in Riga (link). Benoit is going to be attending French regulator ARCEP's 30th Anniversary celebration.

27:56 - A quick last-minute mention of French and EU research into GenAI / LLMs and their impact on user behaviour, Internet search, and possible gatekeeper effects - and what changes with AI agents.

Book Ben & Dean for your event! Get us on stage at your conference, or facilitating at your private meeting or executive offsite. Or reach out to us about consulting and advisory engagements. Connect & message us on Linked, or via deanbubley.com and fiberevolution.com

In this 10th episode of the podcast (recorded on August 26th), Ben & Dean discuss US telecom policy on 6G, spectrum and broadband, new data on IP Interconnect from French regulator ARCEP and have a broader debate on whether Gigabit speeds are just an arbitrary round, politician-friendly number. We also give a readout on Dean's recent Indoor Wireless workshop and what it means for policymakers and telcos.

00:50 - Dean has written a report on satellite D2D, and has also followed the US International 6G Call-to-Action (link)- the new initiative by the NTIA to build a coalition for 6G technology security, harmonisation and supply-chain control (Link to Dean's report on Satellite D2D for STL)

4:55 - Geopolitics and sovereignty for subsea cable, 6G, spectrum and more

9:03 - Benoit discusses the FCC's changing definitions of "broadband" and both of us discuss the usefulness of "Gigabit" as a target, and whether changing it is a nod to the satellite industry. (Link to Benoit's post on FCC + Gigabit) (Link to Dean's 2024 article on broadband definitions & satellite)

17:05 - Dean has a random question - could there be a possible wholesale model for satellite broadband, especially if retail competition is lacking?

19:01 - Benoit discusses the French regulator ARCEP's Interconnection Barometer report, and what says about IP Interconnect volumes in particular. Uplink to the cloud seems to be growing, but Dean wonders which subset of data is being collected and analysed. (Link to ARCEP report)

25:47 - Dean discusses the July 16th Indoor Wireless workshop and the implications for regulators, operators and neutral hosts (Link to Dean's Indoor Wireless writeup)

29:30 - Upcoming, Dean is speaking about AI Voice at the September Alianza Navigate 2026 event (link) and is running his own workshop in October (Link to Oct 29 Unthinkable Lab on AI Voice).

32:00 - Benoit expects to be doing a lot of work around the next phase of the European DNA Digital Network Act policymaking discussion.

Book Ben & Dean for your event! Get us on stage at your conference, or facilitating at your private meeting or executive offsite. Connect & message us on Linked, or via deanbubley.com and fiberevolution.com

In this episode (recorded on June 8), Ben & Dean discuss Telecoms Sovereignty, a growing emphasis on Quality of Experience and new metrics and measurements, the new EU CADA proposals on cloud and AI especially for public-sector procurement, and various recent conferences and events in Europe, the US and Canada. We also cover Indoor Wireless and regulatory shifts towards assuring end-user and application performance, rather than just headline coverage.

01:10 - Sovereignty as a key theme at telecoms events in Europe, UK & Canada

02:30 - New proposed European cloud public-sector procurement rules could cause problems for telcos. (See Dean's LI post here)

04:40 - Benoit's thoughts on European sovereign cloud propositions. and possible re-globalisation of tech companies to map to new geopolitical realities.

13:30 - The Telecom Industry needs to work collectively, across competing subsectors, to define a proper framework for Telecom Sovereignty to avoid getting sidelined by the Cloud/AI/chips focus

14:15 - Benoit talks about policy-meets-data, a recent webinar he did with Ookla (link), and another study about user-experienced quality vs. Internet Exchange location.

21:10 - Dean and Ben discuss Ofcom's new position paper on mobile quality, and its use of OpenSignal crowdsourced data and methodologies. Also network speeds and latencies (Dean will be reviewing that paper soon on his Substack)

29:30 - What's next? Dean will be at conferences on NaaS, spectrum, satellite D2D and then DTW (events list here) and will be running his own workshop on Indoor Wireless policy & tech trends on July 16 (details + earlybird here). Benoit will be chasing the dead EU "fair share" network-fees zombie as it tries to reanimate itself around the world

30:10 – Book Ben & Dean for your event! Get us on stage at your conference, or facilitating at your private meeting or executive offsite. Connect & message us on Linked.