Lauren Thorpe

Fiber-to-Space: AT&T and Amazon just rewrote the connectivity playbook. The industry has spent years debating "Fiber vs. Satellite." This morning, AT&T and Amazon ended that debate by deciding to build both into a single, unified ecosystem. According to Yahoo Finance, the two giants have entered a sweeping strategic partnership that merges America's largest fiber network with Amazon’s LEO satellite constellation (recently rebranded as Amazon Leo). The three pillars of this "Super-Network": Eliminating Dead Zones: AT&T will use Amazon Leo satellites to provide fixed broadband to business customers in remote areas where fiber simply can't reach. The AI Power Play: AT&T is connecting AWS data centers with high-capacity fiber, creating the "highway" needed to scale advanced AI applications at a massive scale. Cloud-Native Telecom: AT&T is migrating its core workloads to AWS Outposts, utilizing AI tools like Amazon Q to modernize its internal operations and improve network resilience. My Take: This isn't just a distribution deal; it’s a structural shift. By pairing the reliability of terrestrial fiber with the reach of LEO satellites, AT&T and Amazon are creating a "resilience layer" that is effectively disaster-proof. For enterprise and public safety (FirstNet), the message is clear: You are never "offline." This is the "high-integration" model that poses the most serious challenge to Starlink’s dominance yet. #DCSTELECOM #ATT #AWS #AmazonLeo #ProjectKuiper #Connectivity #FiberToSpace #AIInfrastructure #TelecomStrategy #CloudComputing

15

1 Comment

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how non-terrestrial networks will reshape our industry and one thing is clear: OSS can't evolve incrementally. It has to be reimagined. When networks become dynamic across space and time, the old assumptions break down. That's exactly what we're focused on at Rakuten Symphony, OSS that's purpose-built for the realities of NTN. Appreciated the chance to share my thoughts with Sulagna Saha at RCR Wireless News. Here's the story: https://lnkd.in/ggAjakFe #Rakuten #Rakutensymphony #OSS #NTN

74

2 Comments

Very interesting reading here from Matt Yardley and team. Rural connectivity projects succeed, in my experience, when three conditions are satisfied 1. Policy makers are politically and financially committed to the outcome 2. The project funds fibre roll out 3. The incumbent is not involved. The world is littered with projects that have failed but, when these three conditions are met, the policy gets delivered.

17

Don't forget we are now 3 posts into our 7 or 8 post series called Demystifying the US Messaging Ecosystem. While it is clear that the mobile messaging industry is at a cross-roads, as RCS / RBM has been finally coming to a useful fruition this year and into the next, SMS/MMS most certainly still rules, in terms of messaging volumes and efficacy. Don't miss a post on this important series. The USA market remains the largest carrier messaging market in the world - both for consumer (P2P) and business (A2P) messaging. These are being written to dispel any misconceptions and misinformation regarding this dynamic messaging space. Here's the latest LinkedIn post introducing the 3rd and latest blog post covering The Campaign Registry. https://lnkd.in/ePAxeZHE You can always find the full Demystifying Series here: https://lnkd.in/ehW9GeZ7 #SMS #MMS #TCR #10DLC #DemystifyingMessaging #BusinessMessaging #A2PMessaging #P2PMessaging #AegisMobile #NetNumber #WMCGlobal #CampaignVerify

12

Many IoT deployments deliver data, but not actionable results. Agentic AI is bridging that gap, enabling systems to make autonomous decisions that produce measurable impact. At the Summit of Things, Anil Pantangi will explore how enterprises can: - Move from reactive monitoring to proactive, autonomous decision-making - Apply agent-based models to improve operational efficiency and safety - Design IoT systems that translate infrastructure investments into tangible business outcomes These insights help organizations turn IoT and AI from technology experiments into intelligent ecosystems that drive real results. Discover strategies to maximize your IoT investments: https://hubs.li/Q03PqrP80 #IndustrialAI #IoTInnovation #BusinessOutcomes

7

6GIF: Verizon's Forum Play Isn't an Ecosystem, It's a Bet on Being First Verizon's 6G Innovation Forum launched Sept 2025 with Ericsson, Samsung, Nokia, Meta, Qualcomm. On Sept 14, 2026, nine joined: AWS, Cisco, Intel, Keysight, MediaTek, Nvidia, Palo Alto Networks, Rohde & Schwarz, Viavi. Verizon has run ISAC field trials (crowd density with Samsung, drone/vehicle tracking with Qualcomm), staging demos toward the 2028 LA Olympics via its LA 6G Lab. New members close three gaps founders couldn't: AWS/Cisco/ PaloAlto (cloud-native core, security), Intel/MediaTek/Nvidia (AI-RAN silicon breadth beyond Qualcomm), Keysight/R&S/Viavi (independent test credibility). Verizon has converted a RAN-vendor group into a full-stack AI-native coalition. Value to Verizon: an owned "AI-native 6G" narrative, proof points ahead of 2028, vendor commitments locked in early. AT&T: publicly skeptical of "G" marketing. CTO Yigal Elbaz argues to "decouple the Gs," betting on Open RAN scale (~$14B, 70% open-capable traffic by late 2026) and the Acceleration of Compatibility and Commercialization for Open RAN Deployments (ACCoRD) consortium instead. T-Mobile: its own execution track , an Nvidia/Ericsson/Nokia AI-RAN test facility, a March 2026 Qualcomm deal targeting 2029 commercial 6G, and pre-standard 6G test approval. CEO Gopalan: "we're in such a good position to lead... in 6G, as well." Conclusion: a single-operator forum moves faster than multi-stakeholder bodies, giving Verizon speed and a coordinated vendor stack. However, 6GIF is not a standards body, 3GPP Release 19 proceeds independently, and Verizon's CTO has said other operators are unlikely to join, by design. A coalition tied to one carrier's ambitions risks proof-of-concepts that don't generalize, leaving AT&T's interoperability bet and T-Mobile's bilateral execution equally credible paths to 6G. #6G #AIRAN #Telecom #Verizon #ATT #TMobile

7