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In Today’s Issue

The Podcast

Episode 8 - An Inside Look - Closing the #DigitalDivide with Amedeo Bernardi, Founder, The Canadian Rural and Remote Broadband Conference

Ever wonder how a rural Ontario coffee break conversation turned into one of Canada’s most important gatherings to address the #DigitalDivide?

I sat down with Amedeo Bernardi PMP, founder of the Canadian Rural and Remote Broadband Community (#CRRBC) Conference, to talk about:

✅ Why CRRBC is not a typical "trade show"
✅ How the event evolves with content focused on policy, hands-on innovation, up-to-the-minute critical issues, and more.
✅ How workshops have provided the opportunity for deeper analysis and discussion of panel content
✅ What to expect in 2025 (spoiler: rural data centers, AI, space tech, and more!)
✅ How real-world partnerships and projects are born at this conference

Whether you’re in telecom, tech, government, public policy, or just passionate about digital inclusion – this episode is packed with insight, laughs, and a few surprise stories.

🎧 Listen now on. your Podcast player of choice (Spotify https://lnkd.in/db5TrBDR)
🔗 CRRBC details → https://crrbc.ca

💬 Have you attended CRRBC? I’d love to hear your take. Drop your thoughts in the comments 👇

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Reach out for more information.

What’s Happening On Earth?

🇨🇦 Ericsson and Bell Canada successfully test AI-native link adaptation to boost network speed and efficiency - This innovative technology uses real-time AI to dynamically adapt networks in response to changes in signal quality, interference, and other factors. The result is an enhanced user experience through increased throughput and spectral efficiency. This collaboration marks a significant breakthrough in applying artificial intelligence to improve the performance of radio access networks (RAN).

My Take: Ok, so it was all developed in Canada, so that’s good. Too bad I’m not a Bell mobility subscriber. I was looking forward to better spectral efficiency 😁

🇨🇦 Service providers disagree about who should get a subsidy for internet in the North - The CRTC says it's still working to determine how it will roll out a planned subsidy program for northern internet customers — including how much it will be worth, and who or what should be eligible to receive it.

My Take: *sigh* … How long does it take to make a decision?

Google says this is why telcos are struggling to go fully autonomous - Google let slip in an interview with Fierce Network that it’s pushing to roll out Level 5 autonomy on its fiber backbone network by the end of this year. However, telecom operators, which have strong incentives to have AI run their own sprawling networks, are not expected to do the same anytime soon.

My Take: The fully autonomous network has been in every vendor’s presentation for 10 years. Are we any closer? “Operators are still working out how to get the right network data, with the right enrichments, to the right place.”.. Maybe the issue is standardized data. That’s the benefit of organizations like 3GPP. This will be very cool to follow.

Is AI-RAN the future of telco? - AI-RAN has emerged recently as an interesting evolution of telecoms networks. The Radio Access Network (RAN) has been undergoing a transformation over the last 10 years, from a vertical, proprietary highly concentrated market segment to a disaggregated, virtualized, cloud native ecosystem.

My Take: I’m no expert in this space, but it seems AI and GPUs will accelerate the pace of innovation.

Is the network still the star? How cloud-native forces telcos to rethink their role - As telecom networks evolve into cloud-native, software-defined platforms, operators are being forced to ask an uncomfortable question: In a world defined by distributed cloud infrastructure, is the network still central — or has it become just another cloud service, abstracted away into the background and valued only for utility?

My Take: Hmmm… Is it an either/or proposition?

DT boasts quantum networking breakthrough - Deutsche Telekom’s Innovation Laboratories (T-Labs), in partnership with US/Dutch specialist vendor Qunnect, claims to have enabled sustained quantum networking (or quantum internet) connectivity with 99% fidelity for a period of 17 days over a 30km stretch of commercially deployed fibre in Berlin.

My Take: Downhill with the wind behind you. “This is the longest demonstration of high-fidelity entanglement distribution in the O-band [original band spectrum], multiplexed with C-band [conventional band spectrum] classical data, ever performed over commercially deployed optical fibers”

Operators: Time to double down on copper retirement - The U.S. is only now getting the ball rolling on copper retirement reform, and it’s about time, as operators this week touched upon their copper pain points and the biggest issues of keeping these old networks running.

My Take: Rip ‘em out. Sell the copper, if the labour to rip them out makes sense.

🇨🇦 Rogers and Bell Scam Twist: It’s Not Just a Phone Call Anymore - More warnings are coming your way from police in Ontario about scammers, this time involving people pretending to be from Bell or Rogers.

My Take: I was going to suggest that people shouldn’t sign deals with people at their front door, but door-to-door has been a very successful tactic. Perhaps the deal starts at the door but completes with some authenticated phone call.

Playing to win in B2B telecom - Amid explosive demand for connectivity and digital solutions, four strategies can accelerate B2B telco growth. Knowing where and how to play will be critical.

My Take: B2B is such a lucrative market rip for unique and differentiated solutions. First mover advantage.

Comcast unveils five-year internet price lock to stem broadband losses - Comcast unveiled a five-year price lock for its Xfinity Internet service on Tuesday, aiming to stem subscriber losses and bolster its broadband business as competition in the sector intensifies.

Comcast’s new pricing is a big step in the right direction

My Take: I wonder if others will follow. The US has the scale to offer these crazy bundles!

SaskTel to Spend $466M on Network Upgrades Across Province - SaskTel announced on Tuesday it will invest $465.9 million in 2025-26 to expand high-speed internet and mobile coverage throughout Saskatchewan, focusing on rural, northern, and Indigenous communities.

My Take: $83.5 million, will connect over 30 underserved northern and Indigenous communities. $180 million will be used to enhance SaskTel’s internal systems

Bell reveals Ahlo, a new Canadian smartphone brand - The carrier says the Android phone has been designed in Canada with "value-conscious users" in mind

My Take: $270. Or $1/month. 50-megapixel quad camera. Seems similar to the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G.

What’s Happening In Space?

What’s in Space This Week?

🇨🇦 SpaceX Expands Free Starlink Dish Offer to Canada Amid Boycott Calls -As some Canadians boycott US products, SpaceX is trying to attract locals by offering them free Starlink dishes. The company updated Starlink.com for Canada to promote the deal, and is posting ads for the offer on X, which SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also owns. 

My Take: It’s not available everywhere (based on capacity) but it will have some impact, I’m sure. Too bad the mobile terminal isn’t included in the program ☹️ This is a shot at ONSAT (the Ontario agreement that was ‘ripped up’) and likely pre-emptive to Amazon Kuiper’s (delayed) launch. Capture them them now. Tie them up for a year. Remove the barrier to entry for some.

SpaceX Is Prepping a New Starlink Router - SpaceX is preparing to launch a new Starlink Wi-Fi router, possibly for its updated high-performance dish or another upcoming product. 

My Take: WiFi6, but look at the powering. 9V, 1.6A.

It’s time for Europe to choose between US or Chinese satellite tech, says FCC chair - European allies who have reservations about working with Elon Musk’s Starlink will have more to worry about if they side with Chinese satellite internet services,

My Take: Does anyone think Europe would choose Quinfan?

Germany's military wants its own Starlink-like satellite constellation - Germany's military, or Bundeswehr, is looking to assemble at least one constellation of hundreds of satellites to provide communications services, and possibly other applications.

My Take: Budweiser? Oh, sorry. Bundwswehr. Can’t we just have one “core” in space and let people share it? Neutral host. Open Access. Whatever.

Starlink vs. Hughesnet vs. Viasat: Which Satellite Internet Provider Is Best? - Satellite internet is more competitive than ever, but which of the three big US services reigns supreme? Let's look at the contenders, along with upload, download, and latency data.

My Take: A long article to get to the point that they’re not the same… Oh, and Highesnet (Fusion) pairs satellite internet with local wireless to reduce latency, so it’s not really a comparison. They article is informative,

Rivada CEO Declan Ganley: ‘Now People are Listening’ and Want Optionality in Connectivity - “Sophisticated people now realize that the whole world is dependent upon approximately 500 subsea cables and everybody knows where they are. All you need to do to break them is drag an anchor off of any ship,” Ganley says. “That has been a useful spotlight on why sophisticated government and large enterprise customers need the Outernet for continuity of operations. It has driven customers to us.” 

My Take: See the Webinar below. Pay attention to Rivada.

American Airlines Will Make Wi-Fi Free Across Viasat and Intelsat-Equipped Planes - The free Wi-Fi will be available to AAdvantage loyalty members, sponsored by AT&T. American reported it conducted a limited-time test of the complimentary Wi-Fi on select routes, and it “surpassed performance expectations.” 

My Take: Give it for free and then take it away one day?

Starlink enables real-time video streaming at supersonic (and even hypersonic) speeds - During the XB-1 flight test program, our team adapted a $500 @Starlink Mini antenna to live stream from the backseat of our Northrop T-38 chase aircraft, allowing everyone to see flights in real-time.

My Take: Sort of makes me angry that there are still spots where my cell phone has no service in semi-rural areas.

🇨🇦 Astronomer: More Starlink junk likely to be found in Sask.- On the prairies, things fall from the sky on a seemingly daily basis, whether it be rain, snow, or hail.

My Take: $3,900 finders fee. I’d want way more than that.

Advances and Adjustments are Needed to Bring Space Communications to the Edge - As the commercial space industry is investing in space communications with satellite constellations, terminals, and networking technologies, the U.S. military is working through how to bring space communications to the tactical edge. 

My Take: Without innovation in interoperability, edge networking, and security, the sector risks falling short of its full potential for military and remote operations.

Hughes and Eutelsat Partner to Expand High-Speed Low Earth Orbit Satellite Connectivity Across Europe - Hughes Network Systems Ltd (Hughes Europe), a leader in managed network connectivity solutions, announces the availability of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite service. Using Eutelsat’s OneWeb high-speed, low-latency, LEO satellite broadband services with Hughes ground equipment, installation, and network management, enterprises across Europe will experience enhanced connectivity from European-based providers. 

My Take: Is this an example of Open Access in Space?

U.S. Space Force lays out battle plan for space in new ‘warfighting’ guide - The U.S. Space Force on April 17 released its most explicit blueprint yet for how it plans to defend American satellites — and, if necessary, take aim at enemy space systems — in the event of conflict.

My Take: Is it good to brag about this stuff?

Webinar: Competing with the (Space)X Factor (replay) - SpaceX’s sprawling Starlink constellation has reshaped the satellite broadband landscape, pressuring rivals to keep up or change the game entirely. With more than 7,000 satellites in low Earth orbit and counting, Starlink’s aggressive growth ambitions have raised expectations around performance, price and scale.

My Take: Three competitors. One in service and the others racing to get there with services that are differentiated. It’s a good Webinar that provides you with a decent overview of their strategies.

Direct To Device

With FCC Authorization, FirstNet, Built with AT&T Envisions Satellite Connectivity Trials Later This Year - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week granted AST SpaceMobile, in coordination with AT&T, the ability to test direct-to-cellular connectivity on public safety’s Band 14 spectrum via their BlueBird satellites orbiting Earth. With this new approval, we envision select first responders on FirstNet®, Built with AT&T will trial public-safety-grade satellite communications later this year.

My Take: Great application to support those who need it, regardless of location.

AT&T teases 'limited voice connectivity' from satellites in late 2026 - In a new ad, AT&T said it expects to begin offering 'limited voice connectivity' late next year. That could set up a new round of satellite updates from the market's big players.

My Take: How much?

Three juicy NB-NTN use cases that Viasat is pursuing - While the many technical challenges of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) are being addressed, there’s a larger question looming: How much of a market is there for these services, and is it a consumer or an enterprise market?

My Take: Industrial IoT. That’s the use case where remote connectivity is required.

What’s Happening SubSea?

Sabotage or Accident? What's causing Baltic cable cuts and why does it matter? - Over the past year, stories of subsea cable cuts have captured the attention of mainstream news outlets and governments around the world.  From rebel factions sinking a British ship in the Red Sea and significant internet outages in West Africa; to Russian “shadow fleet” activity in the Baltics and paranoia about China/Taiwan tensions, it’s easy to see why.   

My Take: Command and Control. Take out communications and everything else falls apart.

Are we prepared for subsea cable disruptions? - Subsea cables power 99% of global internet traffic, connecting economies, industries, and nations at lightning speed. Yet, these critical infrastructures face mounting risks—from cyberattacks and espionage to geopolitical tensions. As digital transformation accelerates, the stakes have never been higher.

My Take: See the Webinar replay above. One of the use cases for LEO-based solutions. And no, I don’t think we are.

Rural Oregon benefits from submarine fiber system investments - A 108-mile underground fiber route, connecting to a submarine cable landing station, has been completed by Astound Broadband in Oregon.

My Take: I was speaking with someone else about a submarine fiber installaton. I keep forgetting it’s not just for oceans!

Enabling AI

How artificial intelligence is helping scientists hunt for alien Earths - A machine-learning algorithm trained on synthetic planetary systems has been let loose — and in the process has identified nearly four dozen real stars that have a high probability of hosting a rocky planet in their habitable zone.

My Take: Aliens on Earth would be better. I swear I know a few. They walk among us.

Watch humanlike robot with bionic muscles dangle as it twitches, shrugs and clenches its fists in creepy video - Clone Robotics' Protoclone android can be seen flexing its bionic muscles in a new video, creepily jerking its limbs back and forth as it hangs from the ceiling.

My Take: This is as creepy as it gets

Netflix Tests New AI Search Engine to Recommend Shows, Movies - The OpenAI-powered search engine lets customers look for shows using far more specific terms, including the subscriber’s mood, for example, the company said. It will then recommend options from the company’s catalog.

My Take: Maybe it should connect to my fitbit so it knows what my stress level is. Probably not that far off, actually.

This and That!

Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet - Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable.

My Take: Maybe it’s just space rats.

Scientists reveal new hydrogen-powered ‘robot horse’ that could one day take you up a mountain - Japanese engineers have unveiled a concept design of the Corleo, a four-legged robotic horse that could one day carry people across a vast range of terrains.

My Take: They remind me of the speederbikes from Star Wars.

Lab-grown chicken ‘nuggets’ hailed as ‘transformative step’ for cultured meat - Researchers are claiming a breakthrough in lab-grown meat after producing nugget-sized chunks of chicken in a device that mimics the blood vessels that make up the circulatory system.

My Take: I thew up a little in my mouth while reading this

Infographic Of The Week

My Take: What do Americans have against Volkswagen?

Podcast Recommendation

As innovation has accelerated in satellite communications in the past five years, it has put pressure on hardware and software providers to deliver greater performance and more flexible capabilities. While technology in space tends to get a lot of attention, its hardware on the ground that makes delivering services from space possible. 

Last month during SATELLITE, On Orbit interviewed Daniel Gizinski, president of Comtech’s Satellite and Space Communications Segment about changes happening in the satellite ground segment, and how Comtech is evolving its offerings along with those changes. This conversation digs into what’s new in Comtech’s Elevate 2.0 VSAT platform, and digital common ground modem line. Gizinski also talks about the customer needs that drove these products, like sovereign communications, and reconfigurability. 

Listen Here!

Movie/Streaming Recommendation

IMDb: 7.8/10

JMDb: 7/10 (Entertaining..)

How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) is a clever, energetic German Netflix series that mixes teen drama with digital crime in a way that’s both entertaining and relevant. The show’s biggest strengths are its snappy writing, inventive visuals, and authentic take on internet culture. Moritz and Lenny make for an awkwardly charming duo, and the show’s fast pace keeps things engaging.

However, the series sometimes sacrifices depth for style, glossing over the real dangers of its subject matter in favor of comedy. Later seasons, while still fun, can feel a bit rushed and less original, relying on increasingly far-fetched plot twists. Despite these flaws, the show remains a unique and enjoyable binge, especially for viewers who appreciate tech-savvy humor and a fresh spin on the coming-of-age genre. It’s not perfect, but it’s a wild and witty ride worth watching.

A Word From Our Partner

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