#266: Change is Afoot- All About Verizon's New CEO Dan Schulman
10.19.2025 — During a conversation between various speakers, they discuss the CEO of Verizon, Dan Scheler, and his focus on service revenue, EBITDA margin, and free cash flow. They also discuss his background in finance and banking, his involvement in PayPal, and his focus on digital payments. Roger expects Dan to make more investment and expand his business, and is optimistic about Verizon's position as the most affordable postpaid carrier in the country. They also discuss challenges of integrating Frontier and T Mobile and the potential for a shift in wireless carrier pricing.
#265: ZTE’s Analyst Summit - AI, 6G, and Global Network Innovation
10.13.2025 — ZTE discusses their annual Analyst Conference in Milan where they will discuss their use of AI in network optimization and improving automation. They are helping operators create basic LLMs for operators, which is a tailored solution for specific operators. The use of AI for fixing problems and creating basic LLMs for operators is a huge technological endeavor, and operators are struggling to grow revenue with advanced services and the potential for six gs to replace 4G. They discuss the challenges of growing revenue with advanced services and the potential for a shift in the standard for ZT's antennas. They also discuss the excitement of their pre-six g announcement and the potential for a shift in the next generation of ZT's technology.
#264: Honoring Pioneers at the 2025 Wireless Hall of Fame Induction
10.6.2025 — The Wireless Hall of Fame induction ceremony highlighted the attendees' contributions to the event, including their work on wireless infrastructure and spectrum lotteries. They also discussed their support for satellite integration and regulatory policy. Speakers addressed various figures and people in the industry, including Elizabeth Sachs's work on regulatory policy and network development, and her role in shaping policies and the T Mobile network. They also discussed the success of T Mobile's recent acquisition and its impact on larger organizations. Roger Back will return next week.
#263: T-Mobile’s New CEO Srini Gopalan and What to Expect Next
9.29.2025 — T-Mobile's new CEO, Andre Almeida, is expected to bring a different character to the company than the previous CEO, John Ledger. The CEO has been instrumental in T-Mobile's transformation into fans and is a terrific process optimizer. The declining carrier industry and the importance of pure play play fiber purity tests is discussed, along with the challenges of getting copper attached to T-Mobile's frac play and the need for a more aggressive fiber strategy. The company should stay with pure play play fiber purity tests and the next Un carrier move is expected.
#262: Inside Ericsson’s Enterprise Push and AI-Driven 5G Solutions
9.22.2025 — The conversation between analysts and Ericsson discusses the company's focus on enterprise communications, including network APIs and the development of five g core technology. They also mention a joint venture with NewCo that uses programmable networks and allows developers to write network APIs across multiple networks. The speakers discuss the challenges of replacing operators with mobile operators and the potential for AI and agentic AI to simplify the process of creating adoption of 5G technology. They express excitement about the industry's shift towards private networks and the potential for AI and agentic AI to simplify the process of creating adoption of 5G technology.
#261: SpaceX’s Spectrum Deal, EchoStar’s Exit, and the Future of Satellite Wireless with Tim Farrar
9.15.2025 — The speakers discuss the potential profitability of the current spectrum business and the risks of the upcoming auction. They also discuss the benefits of spectrum leasing to companies like T-Mobile and Verizon and the importance of marketing it to customers. They suggest selling spectrum in the auction and underwriting it, but acknowledge the risks of underwriting it. They also discuss the success of Ergen Mobile and the importance of a commercial agreement with T-Mobile. They suggest giving half of their services to T-Mobile and allowing Elon Musk to market it.
#260: Echostar's Spectrum Sale and the Road Forward
9.8.2025 — In a conversation between Roger Antner and Don Kellogg, they discuss the sale of EchoStarDISH's spectrum assets and the potential impact of the Department of Justice's decision to stop the Sprint T-Mobile arrangement. They also discuss the potential impact of T-Mobile's agreement with Starlink and the benefits of using spectrum for public use, including being an MVNO. Speaker 1 argues that the MVNOs were forced to build a network and that switching over to a new network is expensive and not a success. Speaker 0 suggests discussing EchoStar next week and Speaker 1 suggests they will talk about Starlink next week.
#259: T-Mobile’s Business Push, Technology Advantages, and 5G Slicing with Daryl Schoolar
9.1.2025 — T Mobile is facing challenges in moving into larger and medium accounts and the importance of relationship and reputation in dealing with large businesses. The executive Briefing Center is a place for casualizing employees and creating a more casual and social experience. The service is helping sales by giving people a more casual and social experience, and private networks are not the same as public networks. Speaker 2 suggests that T Mobile enjoys a temporary advantage but is confident in their ability to get momentum. They discuss the benefits of T Mobile's service and the potential for upselling consumers to use their service. They also mention the use of T Mobile's technology in event events and the potential for private networks to be used. Speaker 2 suggests that T Mobile is a good leader in momentum and Speaker 1 agrees to speak with Roger about the upcoming Analyst Day.
#258: Cricket President Angela Rittgers on the Company's Growth Strategy & Prepaid-Postpaid Convergence
8.25.2025 — T Mobile is facing challenges in moving into larger and medium accounts and the importance of relationship and reputation in dealing with large businesses. The executive Briefing Center is a place for casualizing employees and creating a more casual and social experience. The service is helping sales by giving people a more casual and social experience, and private networks are not the same as public networks. Speaker 2 suggests that T Mobile enjoys a temporary advantage but is confident in their ability to get momentum. They discuss the benefits of T Mobile's service and the potential for upselling consumers to use their service. They also mention the use of T Mobile's technology in event events and the potential for private networks to be used. Speaker 2 suggests that T Mobile is a good leader in momentum and Speaker 1 agrees to speak with Roger about the upcoming Analyst Day.
#257: Deutsche Telekom's New AI Phone & the Future of AI-Device Integration
8.18.2025 — T Mobile is facing challenges in moving into larger and medium accounts and the importance of relationship and reputation in dealing with large businesses. The executive Briefing Center is a place for casualizing employees and creating a more casual and social experience. The service is helping sales by giving people a more casual and social experience, and private networks are not the same as public networks. Speaker 2 suggests that T Mobile enjoys a temporary advantage but is confident in their ability to get momentum. They discuss the benefits of T Mobile's service and the potential for upselling consumers to use their service. They also mention the use of T Mobile's technology in event events and the potential for private networks to be used. Speaker 2 suggests that T Mobile is a good leader in momentum and Speaker 1 agrees to speak with Roger about the upcoming Analyst Day.