In this episode (recorded on April 27), Ben & Dean discuss Wi-Fi and the recent Wi-Fi Now Global Congress in California, takeouts from the FTTH Council conference in London and what's next for the fibre & optical sectors, thoughts on Network Automation and the FutureNet summit in London and quick takeouts from last week'sUnthinkable Lab event on Telecoms Sovereignty.
00:30 - Wi-Fi trends, including Wi-Fi 8, AI + Wi-Fi
06:00 - US policy & regulatory about Wi-Fi, including ban on international router imports, thoughts on 6GHz spectrum
08:57 - Benoit's thoughts on the FTTH Council Europe event in London & the wider industry. What happens to the industry when fibre rollout is almost complete? What about Africa?
13:25 - Optical LAN, FTTX in-building, copper wiring/Ethernet replacement and Photonics
19:40 - Fibre uptake trends in Europe
24:00 - FutureNet and Unthinkable Lab outcomes. Trends in network automation, OSS / BSS, AI+telecoms trends, sovereignty and 5G standalone.
29:40 - What's next? Ben's partnership with Point Topic on FTTH takeup acceleration, Dean's May event schedule.
31:40 – 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.
Links:
Wi-Fi Now Global Congress: https://wifinowglobal.com/usa-2026/
FTTH Council Conference 2026, April 14-16: https://ftthconference.eu/
Dean's FutureNet commentary:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/deanbubley_telcos-edge-sovereignty-activity-7452275477878132737-7aVy
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/deanbubley_5gsa-5g-neutralhost-activity-7452614197273849856-AODk
Unthinkable Lab on Telecoms Sovereignty, April 23: https://www.telecomtv.com/content/unthinkable-lab-sovereignty-in-the-unthinkable-age/
In May, Dean will be at Connect(X), Canadian Telecoms Summit, TelecomTV DSP Leaders & Netaxis Inspiration Day. Click here for details and to arrange a meeting.
