Tomorrow’s Meter Up has the Wi‑Fi world buzzing, and we’re stepping into it with a full slate of stories reshaping how we connect. We set the stage with what we want to learn from Meter’s year of deployments—real outcomes, support models, and how Wi‑Fi 7 fits when most devices are still 6E—then fan out to the bigger map: carriers, cafes, satellites, and the stubborn problem of affordability.
AT&T’s rapid mid‑band 5G rollout is a stakes‑raising move, accelerating downloads for phones and fixed wireless and nudging home broadband toward a truly converged model. Over in Austin, a new study shows cost remains the top barrier to adoption, even as coffee shops flex 300+ Mbps speed tests. The contrast is sharp: capacity keeps rising, yet everyday access lives or dies on price, stability, and simple support. Meanwhile, Deutsche Telekom launches managed Wi‑Fi 7 with AI‑driven mesh at national scale, cutting lag complaints and giving users real dashboards to prioritize work, streaming, and guests without guesswork.
We also track Spectrum’s rural expansion and the human side of Verizon’s 15,000 job cuts as teams pivot to automation, cloud troubleshooting, and AI‑assisted support. Culture gets playful with gamified Wi‑Fi passwords reducing help tickets at a startup hub, a reminder that small behavior tweaks can fix big headaches. And in orbit, Amazon’s rebrand to LEO signals satellite broadband’s move from demo to deployment, with enterprise pilots across aviation, mining, and telemedicine chasing low‑latency, anywhere‑access use cases.
Join us as we connect the dots between speed, affordability, and real‑world reliability—and share what we’ll be asking on the ground at Meter Up. If this conversation hits your wavelength, follow, share it with a fellow network nerd, and drop your question for the Meter team so we can bring it to the room.
Thanks to our sponsors: Helium & meter Networks!
🤑Looking for ways to monetize your network? Check out helium.com!
💡Change everything you thought you knew about networking at meter.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:30):
What's up, y'all?
It's Drew Lentz, the WirelessNerd, and this week's Waves
brings you the very latest inenterprise Wi-Fi upgrades,
carrier innovation, broadbandbreakthroughs, and
community-powered networking,from national infrastructure to
wild coffee shop tests.
Now, this week is going to be apretty crazy week.
Meter Up is happening tomorrow,which is November 18th.
It's going to be in SanFrancisco, California.
It's going to be at Pure 27.
(00:51):
And coming off of last year'sinaugural meter up event,
there's a lot that I thinkpeople are anticipating.
You know, we got to hear fromthem and see what they were
doing with the command platformlast year, see what they were
bringing to the table.
Now it's been a year later.
They've probably got somenetworks that are have been
deployed that they're going totalk about, some experience that
(01:11):
they've been able to understandthe way that the market is
reacting to what they're doing.
And we're probably going to seesome real world scenarios of
what they've deployed, howthey've deployed it, and how
they've supported that.
I think those were some of thequestions leading into it.
Was you know, last year theytalked about, hey, this is what
we're doing and how we're doingit.
And welcome to the market.
It's going to be phenomenal.
But a lot of people hadquestions on, well, how are you
(01:32):
actually going to do this?
How are you going to upgrade toWi-Fi 7 if you've got 6e devices
that are out there?
How are you going to supportyour customers?
What does your channel looklike?
So this year we're reallylooking forward to learning some
of those answers, understandingwhere meter is, catching up with
them in 2025.
And there's no shortage of buzzabout this.
I mean, every freakinginfluencer that I can think of
is talking about it in thenetworking and Wi-Fi space.
(01:54):
They've got billboards that aregoing up everywhere.
They've done a tremendous job ofletting people know who they are
and what they're what they'reafter.
So I'm really looking forward totomorrow.
I want to see and hear fromthem.
I promise not to ask any crazyquestions.
Well, maybe I will.
I don't know.
I don't promise anything.
So we'll see how it goes.
But meter up is happeningtomorrow.
If you're in the San Franciscoarea, if you're in the Bay Area
(02:16):
and you need an invite, pleasereach out to me.
If you're traveling in for it,please reach out to me.
Also, I'm really looking forwardto seeing some old friends.
It's going to be a really goodtime tomorrow at Meterup.
Can't wait to see everybodythere.
All right, now let's jump intosome news and some fun stories
about what's going on, what'snew, what's now, what's next in
the wireless industry.
ATT is launching rapid mid-band5G rollouts.
I mean, they are like going fullforce here.
(02:38):
This is going to boost theirnetwork and home internet
speeds.
ATT made national headlines thisweek by announcing that their
rapid deployment of new mid-bandspectrum, which is 3.45
gigahertz, this is the spectrumthat was acquired from EchoStar
across nearly 23,000 cell sites,and they're doing it in just a
few weeks.
This is a deployment pace thattheir CEO, Jeff McElfrisch,
called Record Fast.
(02:58):
This is affecting customers inmore than 5,300 cities across 48
states.
They're now seeing up to 80%faster 5G downloads.
This new layer boosts speeds forboth mobile and ATT Internet
Air, which is their fixedwireless offering, pushing their
convergence between wireless andhome broadband.
This is going to create newbusinesses for their converged
services overall and forstreaming and remote work.
(03:20):
McAlfrish emphasized that thespectrum's rapid activation will
drive efficiencies, reducepressure to build more sites,
and quote, set the bar for whatit means to be the best advanced
networking company in America.
His words, not mine.
That's okay.
I'm a subscriber of a differentservice.
But you know, this is actuallyfascinating.
Makes me want to take a look atATT.
Maybe next time I'm in Costco,I'll let those people harass me
a little bit more.
(03:41):
Dude, I hate that.
I just gotta say I'm not a fanof people like walking up and
going, hey, who's your internetservice provider?
I I get it.
Sales is sales, but man, get outof my way.
I'm trying to go get some freesamples, is all I'm saying.
Anyway, analysts note that themove also cements ATT's edge for
AI-powered edge and enterpriseapplication and helps accelerate
the open RAN and 5G standaloneambitions throughout late 2025.
(04:01):
So this is a great announcementfrom them.
There's a lot going on with thatspectrum that they acquired from
EchoStar.
So we'll see what it means fortheir customers.
Here's a fun one.
A new affordable internet studyin Travis County revealed that
69% of those lacking internetservices said that they simply
couldn't afford it.
Even as the city pushes digitalinclusion and expands literacy
programs with only a handful oftrainers serving thousands,
(04:23):
interviewed Austin residentscited challenges securing
devices and finding truly fast,stable Wi-Fi in public spaces,
with the local government nowcompelling new resource maps and
prepping a plan update.
This research team highlightedthat future funding for
broadband expansion is currentlyon pause due to federal
realignment, but there isobviously a clear need for this
happening and a growing digitaldivide, not just in Austin, but
(04:46):
in other cities around theworld.
Now, what does this all mean?
If you combine ATT's rapidexpansion with what they're
doing in 5G, they're reallytrying to raise the speeds
overall.
Now, something like this canhelp that digital divide and
that digital inclusion effortbecause now you've got hotspots
that can be powered by moreinternet access as long as they
make that reliable Wi-Fiavailable.
(05:08):
In contrast, Mozart's Coffee,which is at 3825 Lake Austin
Boulevard, and Epoch Coffee,which is at 22 West North Loop
Boulevard, both in Austin,Texas, turned breakfast into
bandwidth bragging rights.
Both posted public speed testresults.
Mozart's hit 420 megabit persecond, Epoch hit 315 megabit
per second with latency lessthan 13 milliseconds, with
(05:28):
customers live tweeting screengrabs and debating which shop
had more robust outlet access.
During the morning rush, logshowed 60 plus devices connected
simultaneously at each cafe.
The Austin American Statesmandocumented user reviews, posted
photos of ad hoc Wi-Fi leagues,and quoted the local IT pros on
reliability differences thatinfluence whether and where
(05:49):
remote gat workers gathered.
So it's funny.
At the end of all of it, though,I think what made the big
difference was who had moreoutlets to plug stuff into.
So if you're in Austin, youknow, you you can find free
Wi-Fi in a couple of differentplaces, and it looks like it's
pretty fast.
But is it stable?
Is it reliable?
And will it cost you$25 for acup of coffee?
I don't know.
It's Austin.
(06:10):
You never know.
Now from the other side of thepond, Deutsche Telekom unveils
Manage Wi-Fi 7 and AI mesh isgoing nationwide, it says.
Germany saw its most ambitiousconsumer Wi-Fi launches.
Deutsche Telekom activatedManage Wi-Fi 7 and Fiber and
hybrid customers nationwide.
This platform, powered by theAirTy's AI-driven software,
attracts more than 8,000 smartmesh nodes in real time and
(06:31):
steers each device to optimalAPs and bands based on traffic,
application type, and historicpeak hour congestion.
Now, this is pretty awesome ifyou think about it.
This is a big national Wi-Firollout where they're using AI
to steer the clients in thedirections that they need them
to do it.
In order for them to besuccessful.
Now, I don't understand howthey're doing it, but maybe we
can find more information here.
(06:52):
The Deutsche Telecom AirTiedesystem, previously piloted
piloted in Dortmund and Berlin,is now deployed to millions of
homes with dedicated dashboardsfor users to view device stats,
run diagnostics, prioritize workor entertainment traffic, and
create custom guest access codesfor apartments and small
offices.
Senior VP Pedro Bandera saidtheir goal is quote, zero
troubleshooting calls.
(07:13):
That's awesome.
Zero troubleshooting calls.
System logs already show 35%fewer lag and spike complaints
since the rollout began.
Notably, Wi-Fi crowds and thefeedback via commuter SSID
contests in Berlin directlyshaped AP load balancing and
schedule tweaks for event andtransit hubs.
So they're using the network tounderstand what's going on and
trying to steer clientsappropriately.
(07:34):
Again, I don't it's you know, Idon't know how they do it.
It says that the AI-drivensoftware tracks more than 8,000
nodes in real time and steerseach device to optimal APs and
bands based on traffic,application type, and historic
peak hour.
So this is something to look outfor.
You know, this is a way that aswe move into Wi-Fi 8 and we move
into not just MLO and havingthem, you know, the frequencies
(07:57):
being able to be aggregated.
Now we look at the ability forAPs to offload some of that
traffic, you know, receivingfrom one, sending to another, so
on and so forth.
I wonder if this is that type ofreal world application that
we're gonna see.
And when you apply AI to that, Ithink it's gonna be it, I think
it's gonna be pretty neat.
Spectrum celebrated a milestone,connecting over 5,400 homes and
businesses in Montgomery County,Indiana through a$7 billion
(08:20):
multi-year rural build-out.
This is featuring gig class,fiber, unlimited mobile, and
seamless Wi-Fi mesh service.
The digital divide is shrinkingthere as field teams map speeds
and reliability for localbusinesses, health clinics, and
schools.
Community events show 250 plushouseholds testing new speeds on
work-from-home shifts and hybridstudent days, with local
(08:40):
retailers launching digitalstorefronts and smart checkout
apps.
This build, noted by VicePresident Josh Moore, delivered
100% U.S.-based customersupport, stretches 100,000 fiber
miles nationwide, and leveragesthe FCC's rural digital
opportunity fund, the RDAFfunding, for public-private
partnerships.
Now, obviously, this is a uhthis is a press release from
Spectrum, but it highlights theidea that we're still trying to
(09:03):
solve the digital divide in somany creative ways.
Now, with the introduction ofsatellite and low Earth orbit
and you know the FCC trying toput a special emphasis on that,
I think that there's a lot to besaid for people that are going
to be able to have access tocommunications, reliable
communications, but the bigquestion is affordability in my
mind.
I mean, the first story wetalked about today was all about
(09:23):
affordability.
And overall, that's what I seein South Texas.
It's not that there's not thisincredible access everywhere,
but it's the ability for it tobe affordable.
Now, amidst all these things arehappening from an innovation
perspective, whether it'sthrough Spectrum or whether it's
through AI or the use of Wi-Fi 7or Wi-Fi 8 or Open RAN, Carrier
Giant Verizon confirmed thisweek it will cut 15,000 jobs.
(09:46):
That's 15% of its totalworkforce, shifting its focus to
automation, franchise retail,and next-gen wireless network
investments.
These layoffs exclude unionworkers but alter the daily
workflow for technology, retail,and support teams.
So if you think about where AIis making the impact, we've seen
it now at a couple of differentorganizations.
It looks like Verizon isfollowing that same pattern.
(10:07):
The company's new CEO, DanShulman, cited a need to quote
transform culture cost andcustomer returns, while Wall
Street Journal reporters detailtransitions of 180
corporate-owned stores and anaggressive push to compete with
ATT and T-Mobile after quarterlysubscriber losses.
Analysts expect Verizon'sretraining initiatives for tech
staff to center on AI and cloudtroubleshooting, security,
(10:29):
network optimization, and directdevice support.
So there it is, man.
I mean, they're talking abouttheir support center focusing on
AI and cloud troubleshooting.
This is not AI taking jobs.
This is people being trained touse AI to limit the number of
people that they have to hire todo the same job.
So this is that whole idea thatit's not AI that's going to take
your job, it's people thatunderstand AI who are going to
(10:51):
take your job.
Transition programs have sparkeddebate in union and tech forums
about the best strategies fortelecom workers facing
automation.
Absolutely.
At Startupland at 555 BryantStreet, the guest Wi-Fi password
became a rotating, quote, rarePokemon challenge.
Monday was Jirachi, Tuesday wasMewTew.
Wednesday was Arcanine.
Over 50 coworking members postedselfies, memes, and Slack
(11:13):
comments, sparking a chain ofcreative SSID changes, like uh
Wi-Fi for Snorlax or DittoFi.
I wonder if Kabutops has one outthere.
Shout out to Kabutops, theYouTube streamer.
Anyway, a neighboring Palo Altostartups, they've they've caught
on with some of this trend.
According to Reddit, ticketvolume dropped and staff
reported higher engagement andbetter password hygiene when
(11:34):
they did this.
So the idea is that you know, ifyou give someone something that
makes it fun or that gamifiesconnecting to the network,
you're going to limit how manypeople mess the password up by
having a good time with it.
So is gamified Wi-Fi onboardingthe next step for workplace
engagement and security?
I don't know.
Let's find out.
(11:55):
In other news this week, Amazonmade waves across the wireless
and satellite industries thisweek by officially rebranding
its Project Kuiper satelliteconstellation as Amazon Leo.
After months of ramped upsatellite deployments and
partnerships, the announcementcame directly from CEO Andy
Jassy in a virtual town hall,where he highlighted the
company's intentions toaccelerate, quote,
(12:15):
enterprise-ready global coverageand lean into the growing race
against rivals Starlink andOneWeb.
The new name, pronounced Leo,stands for Low Earth Orbit and
is meant to emphasize both theconstellation's orbital layer
and Amazon's focus on lowlatency everywhere in one-click
access.
Since the initial deployment ofOctober 2023, Amazon has
launched more than 150 Leosatellites with demos already
(12:37):
delivering 100 megabit downloadspeeds to remote villages and
airplane partners like JetBlue.
If you look online, you can evensee speed test up to a gig,
which is pretty awesome.
This rebrand marks thetransition from the test phase
to a priority on commercialpilots.
Enterprise users from miningcompanies in Nevada to rural
telemedicine providers in Alaskaare now signing up for beta
service with Leo's Nano, Pro andUltra Antennas, each tuned for
(12:59):
different speed tiers, climatedurability, and mobile
applications.
If you want to see these, I willbe out at Amazon at AWS reInvent
the first week in December andstop by.
Don't know if there's gonna haveany of the gear out there, but
more than likely you'll be ableto see it at CES.
So if you're gonna make your wayout to CES, drop me a note, let
me know, come by the area andcome check it out.
Full disclosure, if you know, ifyou don't know, I'm an employee,
(13:22):
I'm an Amazon employee, and Iwork at the Eero component of
Amazon.
So we have a great time overthere, and these are kind of
like our cousins.
So it's always fun to payattention to things that can
actually make an impact in myday-to-day.
I know there's a lot going on inthis space and a lot happening,
so it's really neat to rot watchthe rocket launches and see
what's going on.
Analyst at 5G Storn and Gadgetnote that Amazon's move was
(13:43):
accelerated not just bycompetitive pressure, but by a
series of high visibility fieldtrials, such as Leo's live
streaming of global businessschool classes and partnership
with NBN Co in Australia.
The Amazon Leo team kicked offthe new brand with a 48-hour
global hackathon where devicemakers were challenged to build
the quote next killer app forsatellite-driven IoT data
routing, agriculturalmonitoring, and disaster relief.
(14:06):
So my question to you is if youhad access anywhere, if you, if
if internet access was a given,connectivity is a given, how
would that change what you do inyour day-to-day job?
What would you do?
What would be the killer app foryou to make this happen?
Anyway, I don't think that thisis just a this isn't just a
facelift, right?
This is the inflection pointwhere satellite broadband ceases
(14:26):
to be that tech demo andactually becomes a serious
challenger for remote work,remote business, rural business,
mobile enterprise applicationsacross continents.
There's a lot going on withthis.
And as Amazon makes its way intoit, and again, I might be
biased, but you know, I'd I trynot to be biased.
I love the idea that there isconnectivity everywhere, but now
with someone like Amazon comingon board, this just opens up,
(14:49):
you know, the entire marketplacefor people to do more globally.
As a fun aside, man, add to myLinkedIn resume expert witness.
I got to participate in a trialwhere I got to be an expert
witness talking aboutconnectivity and wireless
connectivity.
It's something I'd never donebefore, and it was one of the
most nerve-wracking things I'veever been through.
(15:10):
So if you ever get a chance todo it, jump at the opportunity
to show off what you know andand how you know it.
I mean, be be the person that'shelpful in a scenario like this.
But man, be ready to just getrattled.
Depositions aren't something toshake a stick at.
I've never sat through one ofthose with someone who's
grilling me who doesn't have atechnical background.
That was, I think, thefascinating part was being able
(15:33):
to understand the questions thatwere coming from a non-technical
person about something that wassuper highly technical, and then
trying to figure out how Iphrase that or that I word that
that makes sense to an audienceor a jury or a judge or a person
or a lawyer or whatever it is,someone who doesn't live in the
world that I live in.
And that was, I think, the mostchallenging part that was
(15:54):
frustrating me, like internally,was I would get asked these
questions, and this questionwould come in, and it was like,
why would you even say that?
Like, that's not how RF actuallyworks.
But trying to figure out how tophrase that and build that into
something so that someone wouldunderstand, someone with no
background in this, wouldunderstand how RF works.
Anyway, that was a lot of fun.
(16:14):
It was definitely a newexperience.
All right, that's Waves for thisweek's.
Thanks for joining us.
Tomorrow we will be at meter upin San Francisco.
We'll probably do a couple ofthings there, maybe record some
stuff and definitely get anepisode out this week.
It's gonna be a crazy week, man.
We're gonna learn some stuff.
Pay attention to, I'm probablygonna be posting a lot on
Instagram at Wireless Nerd,probably on X at Wireless Nerd,
(16:34):
and then I'm gonna do somedigests on LinkedIn.
I don't like spamming that thingtoo much, but you know, I know
that social media has taken ahit lately uh uh from the
perspective of what we're using,like what people are using to
share and consume information.
I'm really trying to stay off ofTwitter or X as much as possible
just because of the suck of theinternet, but I do communicate
(16:55):
there a lot.
If you want me to post somewhereelse, let me know.
Either way, I hope to see youguys at Meeter Up.
Uh, if you're out there, come byand say hi.
If you're not planning on beingout there, send me questions
that you want me to ask so thatwe can talk to them about it.
And until then, I'll talk to younext week on the Waves podcast.
See ya.
What's up, y'all?
It's Drew Lentz, the WirelessNerd, and this week's Waves
brings you the very latest inenterprise Wi-Fi upgrades,
carrier innovation, broadbandbreakthroughs, and
community-powered networking,from national infrastructure to
wild coffee shop tests.
Now, this week is going to be apretty crazy week.
Meter Up is happening tomorrow,which is November 18th.
It's going to be in SanFrancisco, California.
It's going to be at Pure 27.
(00:51):
And coming off of last year'sinaugural meter up event,
there's a lot that I thinkpeople are anticipating.
You know, we got to hear fromthem and see what they were
doing with the command platformlast year, see what they were
bringing to the table.
Now it's been a year later.
They've probably got somenetworks that are have been
deployed that they're going totalk about, some experience that
(01:11):
they've been able to understandthe way that the market is
reacting to what they're doing.
And we're probably going to seesome real world scenarios of
what they've deployed, howthey've deployed it, and how
they've supported that.
I think those were some of thequestions leading into it.
Was you know, last year theytalked about, hey, this is what
we're doing and how we're doingit.
And welcome to the market.
It's going to be phenomenal.
But a lot of people hadquestions on, well, how are you
(01:32):
actually going to do this?
How are you going to upgrade toWi-Fi 7 if you've got 6e devices
that are out there?
How are you going to supportyour customers?
What does your channel looklike?
So this year we're reallylooking forward to learning some
of those answers, understandingwhere meter is, catching up with
them in 2025.
And there's no shortage of buzzabout this.
I mean, every freakinginfluencer that I can think of
is talking about it in thenetworking and Wi-Fi space.
(01:54):
They've got billboards that aregoing up everywhere.
They've done a tremendous job ofletting people know who they are
and what they're what they'reafter.
So I'm really looking forward totomorrow.
I want to see and hear fromthem.
I promise not to ask any crazyquestions.
Well, maybe I will.
I don't know.
I don't promise anything.
So we'll see how it goes.
But meter up is happeningtomorrow.
If you're in the San Franciscoarea, if you're in the Bay Area
(02:16):
and you need an invite, pleasereach out to me.
If you're traveling in for it,please reach out to me.
Also, I'm really looking forwardto seeing some old friends.
It's going to be a really goodtime tomorrow at Meterup.
Can't wait to see everybodythere.
All right, now let's jump intosome news and some fun stories
about what's going on, what'snew, what's now, what's next in
the wireless industry.
ATT is launching rapid mid-band5G rollouts.
I mean, they are like going fullforce here.
(02:38):
This is going to boost theirnetwork and home internet
speeds.
ATT made national headlines thisweek by announcing that their
rapid deployment of new mid-bandspectrum, which is 3.45
gigahertz, this is the spectrumthat was acquired from EchoStar
across nearly 23,000 cell sites,and they're doing it in just a
few weeks.
This is a deployment pace thattheir CEO, Jeff McElfrisch,
called Record Fast.
(02:58):
This is affecting customers inmore than 5,300 cities across 48
states.
They're now seeing up to 80%faster 5G downloads.
This new layer boosts speeds forboth mobile and ATT Internet
Air, which is their fixedwireless offering, pushing their
convergence between wireless andhome broadband.
This is going to create newbusinesses for their converged
services overall and forstreaming and remote work.
(03:20):
McAlfrish emphasized that thespectrum's rapid activation will
drive efficiencies, reducepressure to build more sites,
and quote, set the bar for whatit means to be the best advanced
networking company in America.
His words, not mine.
That's okay.
I'm a subscriber of a differentservice.
But you know, this is actuallyfascinating.
Makes me want to take a look atATT.
Maybe next time I'm in Costco,I'll let those people harass me
a little bit more.
(03:41):
Dude, I hate that.
I just gotta say I'm not a fanof people like walking up and
going, hey, who's your internetservice provider?
I I get it.
Sales is sales, but man, get outof my way.
I'm trying to go get some freesamples, is all I'm saying.
Anyway, analysts note that themove also cements ATT's edge for
AI-powered edge and enterpriseapplication and helps accelerate
the open RAN and 5G standaloneambitions throughout late 2025.
(04:01):
So this is a great announcementfrom them.
There's a lot going on with thatspectrum that they acquired from
EchoStar.
So we'll see what it means fortheir customers.
Here's a fun one.
A new affordable internet studyin Travis County revealed that
69% of those lacking internetservices said that they simply
couldn't afford it.
Even as the city pushes digitalinclusion and expands literacy
programs with only a handful oftrainers serving thousands,
(04:23):
interviewed Austin residentscited challenges securing
devices and finding truly fast,stable Wi-Fi in public spaces,
with the local government nowcompelling new resource maps and
prepping a plan update.
This research team highlightedthat future funding for
broadband expansion is currentlyon pause due to federal
realignment, but there isobviously a clear need for this
happening and a growing digitaldivide, not just in Austin, but
(04:46):
in other cities around theworld.
Now, what does this all mean?
If you combine ATT's rapidexpansion with what they're
doing in 5G, they're reallytrying to raise the speeds
overall.
Now, something like this canhelp that digital divide and
that digital inclusion effortbecause now you've got hotspots
that can be powered by moreinternet access as long as they
make that reliable Wi-Fiavailable.
(05:08):
In contrast, Mozart's Coffee,which is at 3825 Lake Austin
Boulevard, and Epoch Coffee,which is at 22 West North Loop
Boulevard, both in Austin,Texas, turned breakfast into
bandwidth bragging rights.
Both posted public speed testresults.
Mozart's hit 420 megabit persecond, Epoch hit 315 megabit
per second with latency lessthan 13 milliseconds, with
(05:28):
customers live tweeting screengrabs and debating which shop
had more robust outlet access.
During the morning rush, logshowed 60 plus devices connected
simultaneously at each cafe.
The Austin American Statesmandocumented user reviews, posted
photos of ad hoc Wi-Fi leagues,and quoted the local IT pros on
reliability differences thatinfluence whether and where
(05:49):
remote gat workers gathered.
So it's funny.
At the end of all of it, though,I think what made the big
difference was who had moreoutlets to plug stuff into.
So if you're in Austin, youknow, you you can find free
Wi-Fi in a couple of differentplaces, and it looks like it's
pretty fast.
But is it stable?
Is it reliable?
And will it cost you$25 for acup of coffee?
I don't know.
It's Austin.
(06:10):
You never know.
Now from the other side of thepond, Deutsche Telekom unveils
Manage Wi-Fi 7 and AI mesh isgoing nationwide, it says.
Germany saw its most ambitiousconsumer Wi-Fi launches.
Deutsche Telekom activatedManage Wi-Fi 7 and Fiber and
hybrid customers nationwide.
This platform, powered by theAirTy's AI-driven software,
attracts more than 8,000 smartmesh nodes in real time and
(06:31):
steers each device to optimalAPs and bands based on traffic,
application type, and historicpeak hour congestion.
Now, this is pretty awesome ifyou think about it.
This is a big national Wi-Firollout where they're using AI
to steer the clients in thedirections that they need them
to do it.
In order for them to besuccessful.
Now, I don't understand howthey're doing it, but maybe we
can find more information here.
(06:52):
The Deutsche Telecom AirTiedesystem, previously piloted
piloted in Dortmund and Berlin,is now deployed to millions of
homes with dedicated dashboardsfor users to view device stats,
run diagnostics, prioritize workor entertainment traffic, and
create custom guest access codesfor apartments and small
offices.
Senior VP Pedro Bandera saidtheir goal is quote, zero
troubleshooting calls.
(07:13):
That's awesome.
Zero troubleshooting calls.
System logs already show 35%fewer lag and spike complaints
since the rollout began.
Notably, Wi-Fi crowds and thefeedback via commuter SSID
contests in Berlin directlyshaped AP load balancing and
schedule tweaks for event andtransit hubs.
So they're using the network tounderstand what's going on and
trying to steer clientsappropriately.
(07:34):
Again, I don't it's you know, Idon't know how they do it.
It says that the AI-drivensoftware tracks more than 8,000
nodes in real time and steerseach device to optimal APs and
bands based on traffic,application type, and historic
peak hour.
So this is something to look outfor.
You know, this is a way that aswe move into Wi-Fi 8 and we move
into not just MLO and havingthem, you know, the frequencies
(07:57):
being able to be aggregated.
Now we look at the ability forAPs to offload some of that
traffic, you know, receivingfrom one, sending to another, so
on and so forth.
I wonder if this is that type ofreal world application that
we're gonna see.
And when you apply AI to that, Ithink it's gonna be it, I think
it's gonna be pretty neat.
Spectrum celebrated a milestone,connecting over 5,400 homes and
businesses in Montgomery County,Indiana through a$7 billion
(08:20):
multi-year rural build-out.
This is featuring gig class,fiber, unlimited mobile, and
seamless Wi-Fi mesh service.
The digital divide is shrinkingthere as field teams map speeds
and reliability for localbusinesses, health clinics, and
schools.
Community events show 250 plushouseholds testing new speeds on
work-from-home shifts and hybridstudent days, with local
(08:40):
retailers launching digitalstorefronts and smart checkout
apps.
This build, noted by VicePresident Josh Moore, delivered
100% U.S.-based customersupport, stretches 100,000 fiber
miles nationwide, and leveragesthe FCC's rural digital
opportunity fund, the RDAFfunding, for public-private
partnerships.
Now, obviously, this is a uhthis is a press release from
Spectrum, but it highlights theidea that we're still trying to
(09:03):
solve the digital divide in somany creative ways.
Now, with the introduction ofsatellite and low Earth orbit
and you know the FCC trying toput a special emphasis on that,
I think that there's a lot to besaid for people that are going
to be able to have access tocommunications, reliable
communications, but the bigquestion is affordability in my
mind.
I mean, the first story wetalked about today was all about
(09:23):
affordability.
And overall, that's what I seein South Texas.
It's not that there's not thisincredible access everywhere,
but it's the ability for it tobe affordable.
Now, amidst all these things arehappening from an innovation
perspective, whether it'sthrough Spectrum or whether it's
through AI or the use of Wi-Fi 7or Wi-Fi 8 or Open RAN, Carrier
Giant Verizon confirmed thisweek it will cut 15,000 jobs.
(09:46):
That's 15% of its totalworkforce, shifting its focus to
automation, franchise retail,and next-gen wireless network
investments.
These layoffs exclude unionworkers but alter the daily
workflow for technology, retail,and support teams.
So if you think about where AIis making the impact, we've seen
it now at a couple of differentorganizations.
It looks like Verizon isfollowing that same pattern.
(10:07):
The company's new CEO, DanShulman, cited a need to quote
transform culture cost andcustomer returns, while Wall
Street Journal reporters detailtransitions of 180
corporate-owned stores and anaggressive push to compete with
ATT and T-Mobile after quarterlysubscriber losses.
Analysts expect Verizon'sretraining initiatives for tech
staff to center on AI and cloudtroubleshooting, security,
(10:29):
network optimization, and directdevice support.
So there it is, man.
I mean, they're talking abouttheir support center focusing on
AI and cloud troubleshooting.
This is not AI taking jobs.
This is people being trained touse AI to limit the number of
people that they have to hire todo the same job.
So this is that whole idea thatit's not AI that's going to take
your job, it's people thatunderstand AI who are going to
(10:51):
take your job.
Transition programs have sparkeddebate in union and tech forums
about the best strategies fortelecom workers facing
automation.
Absolutely.
At Startupland at 555 BryantStreet, the guest Wi-Fi password
became a rotating, quote, rarePokemon challenge.
Monday was Jirachi, Tuesday wasMewTew.
Wednesday was Arcanine.
Over 50 coworking members postedselfies, memes, and Slack
(11:13):
comments, sparking a chain ofcreative SSID changes, like uh
Wi-Fi for Snorlax or DittoFi.
I wonder if Kabutops has one outthere.
Shout out to Kabutops, theYouTube streamer.
Anyway, a neighboring Palo Altostartups, they've they've caught
on with some of this trend.
According to Reddit, ticketvolume dropped and staff
reported higher engagement andbetter password hygiene when
(11:34):
they did this.
So the idea is that you know, ifyou give someone something that
makes it fun or that gamifiesconnecting to the network,
you're going to limit how manypeople mess the password up by
having a good time with it.
So is gamified Wi-Fi onboardingthe next step for workplace
engagement and security?
I don't know.
Let's find out.
(11:55):
In other news this week, Amazonmade waves across the wireless
and satellite industries thisweek by officially rebranding
its Project Kuiper satelliteconstellation as Amazon Leo.
After months of ramped upsatellite deployments and
partnerships, the announcementcame directly from CEO Andy
Jassy in a virtual town hall,where he highlighted the
company's intentions toaccelerate, quote,
(12:15):
enterprise-ready global coverageand lean into the growing race
against rivals Starlink andOneWeb.
The new name, pronounced Leo,stands for Low Earth Orbit and
is meant to emphasize both theconstellation's orbital layer
and Amazon's focus on lowlatency everywhere in one-click
access.
Since the initial deployment ofOctober 2023, Amazon has
launched more than 150 Leosatellites with demos already
(12:37):
delivering 100 megabit downloadspeeds to remote villages and
airplane partners like JetBlue.
If you look online, you can evensee speed test up to a gig,
which is pretty awesome.
This rebrand marks thetransition from the test phase
to a priority on commercialpilots.
Enterprise users from miningcompanies in Nevada to rural
telemedicine providers in Alaskaare now signing up for beta
service with Leo's Nano, Pro andUltra Antennas, each tuned for
(12:59):
different speed tiers, climatedurability, and mobile
applications.
If you want to see these, I willbe out at Amazon at AWS reInvent
the first week in December andstop by.
Don't know if there's gonna haveany of the gear out there, but
more than likely you'll be ableto see it at CES.
So if you're gonna make your wayout to CES, drop me a note, let
me know, come by the area andcome check it out.
Full disclosure, if you know, ifyou don't know, I'm an employee,
(13:22):
I'm an Amazon employee, and Iwork at the Eero component of
Amazon.
So we have a great time overthere, and these are kind of
like our cousins.
So it's always fun to payattention to things that can
actually make an impact in myday-to-day.
I know there's a lot going on inthis space and a lot happening,
so it's really neat to rot watchthe rocket launches and see
what's going on.
Analyst at 5G Storn and Gadgetnote that Amazon's move was
(13:43):
accelerated not just bycompetitive pressure, but by a
series of high visibility fieldtrials, such as Leo's live
streaming of global businessschool classes and partnership
with NBN Co in Australia.
The Amazon Leo team kicked offthe new brand with a 48-hour
global hackathon where devicemakers were challenged to build
the quote next killer app forsatellite-driven IoT data
routing, agriculturalmonitoring, and disaster relief.
(14:06):
So my question to you is if youhad access anywhere, if you, if
if internet access was a given,connectivity is a given, how
would that change what you do inyour day-to-day job?
What would you do?
What would be the killer app foryou to make this happen?
Anyway, I don't think that thisis just a this isn't just a
facelift, right?
This is the inflection pointwhere satellite broadband ceases
(14:26):
to be that tech demo andactually becomes a serious
challenger for remote work,remote business, rural business,
mobile enterprise applicationsacross continents.
There's a lot going on withthis.
And as Amazon makes its way intoit, and again, I might be
biased, but you know, I'd I trynot to be biased.
I love the idea that there isconnectivity everywhere, but now
with someone like Amazon comingon board, this just opens up,
(14:49):
you know, the entire marketplacefor people to do more globally.
As a fun aside, man, add to myLinkedIn resume expert witness.
I got to participate in a trialwhere I got to be an expert
witness talking aboutconnectivity and wireless
connectivity.
It's something I'd never donebefore, and it was one of the
most nerve-wracking things I'veever been through.
(15:10):
So if you ever get a chance todo it, jump at the opportunity
to show off what you know andand how you know it.
I mean, be be the person that'shelpful in a scenario like this.
But man, be ready to just getrattled.
Depositions aren't something toshake a stick at.
I've never sat through one ofthose with someone who's
grilling me who doesn't have atechnical background.
That was, I think, thefascinating part was being able
(15:33):
to understand the questions thatwere coming from a non-technical
person about something that wassuper highly technical, and then
trying to figure out how Iphrase that or that I word that
that makes sense to an audienceor a jury or a judge or a person
or a lawyer or whatever it is,someone who doesn't live in the
world that I live in.
And that was, I think, the mostchallenging part that was
(15:54):
frustrating me, like internally,was I would get asked these
questions, and this questionwould come in, and it was like,
why would you even say that?
Like, that's not how RF actuallyworks.
But trying to figure out how tophrase that and build that into
something so that someone wouldunderstand, someone with no
background in this, wouldunderstand how RF works.
Anyway, that was a lot of fun.
(16:14):
It was definitely a newexperience.
All right, that's Waves for thisweek's.
Thanks for joining us.
Tomorrow we will be at meter upin San Francisco.
We'll probably do a couple ofthings there, maybe record some
stuff and definitely get anepisode out this week.
It's gonna be a crazy week, man.
We're gonna learn some stuff.
Pay attention to, I'm probablygonna be posting a lot on
Instagram at Wireless Nerd,probably on X at Wireless Nerd,
(16:34):
and then I'm gonna do somedigests on LinkedIn.
I don't like spamming that thingtoo much, but you know, I know
that social media has taken ahit lately uh uh from the
perspective of what we're using,like what people are using to
share and consume information.
I'm really trying to stay off ofTwitter or X as much as possible
just because of the suck of theinternet, but I do communicate
(16:55):
there a lot.
If you want me to post somewhereelse, let me know.
Either way, I hope to see youguys at Meeter Up.
Uh, if you're out there, come byand say hi.
If you're not planning on beingout there, send me questions
that you want me to ask so thatwe can talk to them about it.
And until then, I'll talk to younext week on the Waves podcast.
See ya.
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