Light Reading Podcasts

South Bend, Indiana's Madi Rogers explains how broadband access is just one aspect of reaching the goal of digital inclusion.

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The utility grid is undergoing a massive change, transforming in a similar way to the cable network 30 years ago, according to Dr. Robert Cruickshank, managing member of Power Networks.

"Now with distributed solar, and storage, you know, battery storage in people's homes, we actually have content creation and storage at the edge," said Cruickshank on the podcast.

The "unprecedented change" to the grid isn't without growing pains, explained Cruickshank. Extreme weather conditions, increased electricity usage and a reduction in traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels have all placed a strain on the utility grid.

On the bright side, the US is moving toward a smarter grid, supported by efforts such as the SCTE 267 standard, explained Cruickshank.

"And we actually, in the Society of Cable Telecom Engineers, we created a standard called SCTE 267. And in that standard, we define how you can communicate with devices, and tell them exactly what you were saying," said Cruickshank.

You can download an unedited transcript of the podcast here. If you want to skip around and listen, here are a few more things covered in this interview:

• Current state of US power grid (00:33)
• Potential issues if utility grid isn't updated (03:23)
• What can be done to update the power grid (04:00)
• Smart grid transformation (05:02)
• SCTE 267 standard and importance of demand response (08:19)
• Large scale examples of smart grids (10:03)
• How cable operators and broadband providers can support smart grid transformation (11:54)
• Cyber security challenges to the smart grid (12:58)
• How long the smart grid transformation will take (17:10)
• Additional resources (18:09)

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Basil Alwan, CEO of Tarana Wireless, joins the podcast to discuss Tarana's approach to fixed wireless access (FWA) and why its technology is unique. Alwan, a startup veteran who most recently ran Nokia's IP/Optical business, also weighs in on how Tarana's gear can help lessen the digital divide and why some of the company's customers are having WTF moments about FWA.

In our conversation, we cover how and why Alwan became CEO at Tarana, a company that has been around since 2009, but only really started turning heads in the broader telecom market about a year ago. Alwan discusses how Tarana transitioned from handling small cell backhaul to building a novel broadband solution for service providers of all sizes, Tarana's G1 platform.

He goes on to talk about the costs that service providers should consider when deploying traditional fixed wireless and line-of-sight cellular technologies. Finally, he reveals how Tarana Wireless is working with service providers and other channel partners and how the company's latest funding round has changed things.

In March, Tarana announced that it had closed a $170 million round at a $1 billion valuation and was on track to "deliver over $100 million of revenue in 2022, from a customer base that has exploded to more than 120 service providers."

Here's how the conversation unfolded:

• How Basil Alwan became CEO of Tarana Wireless (01:26)
• Tarana Wireless's work in the small cell market (04:55)
• Market opportunities for FWA and line-of-sight technologies (07:06)
• Key regions where FWA can lessen the digital divide and the cost to service providers for homes passed (09:18)
• Digging into Tarana's latest funding round and growth prospects (12:03)
• How Tarana is going to market and how service providers are stepping up (13:24)
• A real WTF moment for one of Tarana's customers (21:33)
• What changes when your company becomes a unicorn? (29:25)

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