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What’s Happening On Earth?

OpenVault Broadband Insight, 2Q25 - After several years of post-pandemic uncertainty, broadband growth is showing strong signs of a comeback. According to this edition of the OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVBI) report, average per-subscriber data usage increased for the second consecutive quarter in 2025. Even more telling, the year-over-year growth rate in 2Q25 was higher than any seen in the second quarter in the past three years.

My Take: The date speaks for its self. In Canada, the 2016 Universal Service Objective clearly doesn’t cut it anymore, and I’d suggest the FCC’s 100/20 mandate is lacking as well. Upstream traffic continues to dominate the growth curve, and I’m pretty sure the only thing driving the demand and shift to 1G and beyond is marketing, competitive marketing, and the “my Internet is bigger than your Internet” fascination.

To that point, I was at a conference recently and one of the speakers was boasting about their 5Gbps fiber service. I don’t get it.

Part 1 seeks CRTC order that SWIFT builds comply with last-mile fibre access rules - A broadband consulting firm wants the CRTC to clarify that internet networks built using public dollars in southwestern Ontario are subject to the commission’s new wholesale internet framework.

My Take: This is an issue of transparency, process and procedure. There is no regulated definition of “Open Access” and other than the existing incumbent Telco’s who are already regulated under the wholesale regime, none of these ISPs would be subject to the wholesale (TPIA) framework. As for Bell and Rogers, I believe there’s a 5-year forbearance on any new fiber builds. I can’t recall if the mandate applies to Cogeco as HFC providers were exempt based on the percentage of fiber vs coax in their network.

Some additional ramblings;

• There are many references in the SWIFT program to Open Access

• There are many references in Municipal minutes supporting the Open Access requirement

• There are mentions about federal mandates for Open Access, however none of the awards were wholly funded by federal programs (ie: Universal Broadband Fund)

• The federal finding programs stipulates Open Access to the transport network and state there is no formal requirement to provide last-mile access

• The intent is there. The process is not. I also wonder if the ISPs ever thought anyone would ask.

• There’s more to this, of course

I wonder how many Universal Broadband Fund recipients have received requests for access to their transport infrastructure? Will this Part 1 filing bring renewed light to this opportunity or issue? (depending on which side of the fence..)

As of this morning the Part 1 filing is not yet available on the CRTC’s website.

Aii Expert Panel | Challenges and Opportunities in the Data-Energy Triangle - this virtual policy panel brings together experts from the energy, fiber, and data sectors to explore the growing interdependence between power systems, digital connectivity, and the data economy. As the modern economy runs on both electrons and information, panelists discuss how transmission utilities, fiber providers, and data centers can work together to overcome challenges and unlock strategic opportunities.

My Take: Interesting webinar with some very knowledgable folks. Apparently all the infrastructure in the US is falling apart. Not sure parts of Canada are any better.

Lumen lights 400G connections to support AI, NaaS demand - Lumen Technologies turned on 400 Gb/s (400G) connectivity in more than a dozen markets that allows faster speeds for customers to access third-party applications and cloud on-ramps, a move that furthers the operator’s push toward embedded connectivity support for growing AI services.

My Take: 400G is a lot of bandwidth. Clearly, the demand is there.

ANALYSIS : One app to rule them all. Telcos’ chance to end subscription churn - Telcos already possess the foundations for superapp success. Their existing mobile apps provide a natural starting point for layering on new services that engage rather than exhaust consumers.

My Take: Telcos could end subscription fatigue and win back value by turning their apps into superapps, bundling mobile plans, streaming, finance, and more into a single, seamless interface that simplifies customer life and strengthens loyalty. So I end up with one icon on my iphone? Apps based on function would be good, but not everything in one app. It’s uber bundling to create annoying stickiness.

Google to Power Data Centers With Nuclear Energy by 2030 in First-Of-A-Kind’ Agreement - Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 reactor uses liquid salt cooling for safer, lower-cost nuclear energy. It’s set to power Google data centers by 2030.

My Take: Nuclear is the way. Just need to make sure everyone is on board with safety, etc.

🇨🇦 Building clean power for data centres adds green spark to Canada’s construction industry - Excitement surrounds the development of new data centres across Canada, presenting the country’s construction industry with the prospect of several major projects on the near-term horizon

My Take: The headline sort of says it all.

🇨🇦 Buzz HPC and Bell Canada partner for Nvidia AI deployment - Buzz High Performance Computing (Buzz HPC), a subsidiary of Hive Digital Technologies, has partnered with telecoms operator Bell Canada to deploy Nvidia-based AI infrastructure in the country.

My Take: Now they just need someone to use all of it. This is all a good thing.

Transformer troubles: manufacturing and policy constraints hit US transformer supply - Soaring demand and manufacturing bottlenecks are creating a supply deficit in US power transformers, driving costs up

My Take: Reminds me of COVID supply chain issues. Demand is very high, as we’ve witnessed from all of the massive DC projects announced and underway. Where Optimus Prime when we need him?

Charter is under fire in new lawsuit over broadband losses - After some rough Q2 beats, Charter has found itself in legal hot water over its broadband subscriber losses.

My Take: ..the suggestion is they mislead investors by soft-pedalling the sub losses caused by the end of the ACP… even though the fallout on the stock price was significant.

NP View: Mélanie Joly should leave those fibre optic cables alone - Competition is the lifeblood of a capitalist economy, giving consumers greater freedom of choice and forcing businesses to offer the best products at the lowest prices. But by trying to force greater competition in the high-speed internet market, Ottawa is reducing the incentive for companies to build out and improve the telecommunications networks that now power our entire economy and virtually every aspect of our daily lives.

My Take: Are we done with this yet? It’s a bad decision, because I say so.

Mohawk Networks targets 'Forgotten Mile' in cross-border broadband JV - Mohawk Networks LLC, owned by the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, has formed a majority-controlled joint venture with Canadian utility contractor Aecon to connect what it calls the "forgotten mile" —  tribal communities overlooked in national broadband expansion efforts.

My Take: There’s a tariff joke in here somewhere. “The partnership marks the first Indigenous-led joint venture to cross the U.S.-Canada border for both companies”

🇨🇦 The World Is Sharing Towers: Why Hasn’t Canada? - Globally, independent TowerCos own 74% of towers, accelerating rollout, lowering costs, and turning passive assets into platforms for growth. Canada remains an outlier in this transition as 95% of towers are still operator-owned leading to suboptimal capital allocation, duplicated efforts, and delayed rural expansion. Canada is falling behind. 

My Take: Interesting. Smarter infrastructure sharing, not just ownership, is the key to better, more fair connectivity. Maybe it’s a regulatory thing.

After Virginia, SpaceX Also Protests Louisiana's 'Wasteful' Fiber Plans - SpaceX says it could provide satellite service across the state for less than $100 million. However, most of the BEAD funding is going to fiber installations, which can deliver gigabit speeds.

My Take: Poor Elon. Fiber was the mandate to begin with. Spend the money once.

🇨🇦 Canada’s telecom regulator says SaskTel can stop printing phone books. For now, they’re continuing. - Canada’s telecommunications regulator has ruled SaskTel is no longer legally required to print an annual paper phonebook, but Saskatchewan’s Crown telecom says it won’t be going out of print yet.

My Take: Wow. I wonder if they ship a rotary phone with each phonebook?

Researchers link broadband gaps to flood risks in Nebraska - Limited access to broadband only increases the vulnerabilities of Nebraska’s mobile home parks, a new report has revealed.

My Take: Tornados have nothing to do with it. Get Weather Radios. Problem solved.

f the U.S. Doesn’t Set Global Tech Standards, China Will - Beijing wants to control how much freedom people have online by making the rules for new technologies.

My Take: Whoever makes the rules has the power.

Engineers send a wireless curveball to deliver massive amounts of data - High frequency radio waves can wirelessly carry the vast amount of data demanded by emerging technology like virtual reality, but as engineers push into the upper reaches of the radio spectrum, they are hitting walls. Literally.

My Take: Princeton researchers built a machine learning system that bends super-fast wireless beams around obstacles, keeping connections stable even in crowded indoor spaces. That’s cool. Like the matrix.

Nokia CEO feels shareholder heat just months into job - Nokia's share price has fallen steeply since Justin Hotard became CEO in April as investors fret about the company's competitiveness and financial performance in a stagnant telecom sector.

My Take: Not sure he inherited a healthy baby.

Plume reveals new hardware-agnostic & open standards strategy – and releases Wi-Fi 7 SuperPods - Cloud Wi-Fi management pioneer Plume is radically evolving its technology strategy to serve ISP clients better, says newly appointed Plume CEO Dan Herscovici and new CTO Chris Griffiths. Here’s a preview of Plume’s new and much more flexible hardware-agnostic and standards-based approach. Meanwhile, Plume this week released a Wi-Fi 7-capable SuperPod mesh AP in partnership with distributor AMT. 

My Take: Embracing the PRPL open-platform ecosystem. I thought Plume had disappeared. Clearly not.

What’s Happening In Space?

What’s in Space This Week?

Starlink’s latest beef with BEAD: What you need to know - Starlink’s parent company SpaceX, which expected the lion’s share of BEAD money once the Trump administration axed the program’s fiber preference, has filed complaints against Louisiana and Virginia for awarding most of their funds to wireline providers. The company urged the states to re-evaluate, or it will ask NTIA to reject their final proposals.

My Take: Starlink is pushing back because states like Louisiana and Virginia are mostly directing BEAD broadband funds to fiber, even though the rules were supposed to be tech‑neutral

China’s Guowang megaconstellation is more than another version of Starlink - "This is a strategy to keep the US from intervening... that's what their space architecture is designed to do."

My Take: “China has disclosed little information about the Guowang network, but there's mounting evidence that the satellites may provide Chinese military forces a tactical edge in any future armed conflict in the Western Pacific.”

Alaska Airlines to bring Starlink inflight Wi-Fi to entire fleet - Alaska Airlines has become the latest carrier to sign on to bring SpaceX’s Starlink inflight connectivity service to its entire fleet. The Wi-Fi will be offered free-of-charge to members of Alaska’s new Atmos Rewards loyalty program, as part of a new arrangement with T-Mobile.

My Take: 🥱

🇨🇦 Telesat and All.Space team up for Lightspeed network - The two companies plan to collaborate on joint customer use-case evaluations and field demonstrations utilizing Telesat’s LEO 3 demonstration satellite.

My Take: The goal, multi-orbit ESAs (electronically steerable arrays) supporting LEO, MEO and GEO.

SpaceX cleared for tenth Starship test flight - SpaceX will perform its next Starship/Super Heavy test flight Aug. 24 after completing an investigation into the failure of the previous mission and getting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

My Take: 🍿

Unlocking European Space Security Through Civil-Defense Collaboration - Multi-application small satellites for civil and defense missions offer a fast, cost-effective path to scale resilience.

My Take: Europe is boosting its space and defencce capabilities by using multi‑application small satellites that serve both civil and military purposes

New Moon Discovered Orbiting Uranus Using NASA’s Webb Telescope - This timelapse animation shows the newly discovered moon of Uranus,

My Take: I don’t need to say anything about this, do I? Maybe something about telescopes checking out Uranus?

SpaceX ready for Thursday launch of USSF-36 mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle - This will be the sixth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched NROL-69, CRS-32, GPS III-7, and two Starlink missions.

My Take: The X-37B USSF-36 mission matters because it is testing reusable spacecraft with laser communications and quantum navigation, technologies that could transform how satellites connect, navigate, and operate in orbit.

Musk’s Starlink suffers apparent outage as SpaceX launches more satellites - Satellite internet service Starlink, which is owned and operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, appeared to suffer a brief network outage on Monday, with thousands of reports of service interruptions on Downdetector, a site that logs tech issues.

My Take: I think people are becoming accustomed to failures, at least short ones.

Amazon hiring in aero as Project Kuiper reaches over 100 satellites - Though not mentioned explicitly on the call, Amazon intends to make a compelling direct offer to airlines, which would see it compete with SpaceX’s Starlink Aviation service, and several other players in the space.

My Take: They want airplane internet as well. Maybe hurry up and launch another 3,100 satellites!

The LEO toll road: How the constellation gold rush is paving over the path to the planets - The contemporary LEO boom, far from being a rising tide that lifts all boats, is paradoxically leading to the consolidation of control over the most fundamental resources of spaceflight.

My Take: Megaconstellations aim to bring internet everywhere, but they also take up limited launch slots, spectrum, and orbital space, which could squeeze out science missions and future deep-space exploration.

Northrop’s New Radar Can See GEO Through the Clouds - The successful test is the result of a multi-year development campaign, initially funded through a $341M contract from the Space Force’s Space Systems Command in 2022.

My Take: The goal - persistent, all-weather surveillance of GEO, preventing surprise maneuvers by adversary satellites

Balancing Innovation and Sovereignty in the Smallsat Ground Segment - Sovereign missions are no longer best served by legacy ground segments, but it requires careful consideration and imagination to use cloud computing while ensuring sovereignty.

My Take: Another article about moving away from legacy systems to modern, cloud-based “aaS” models.

Live Event: Nuclear Power in Space - For more than six decades, the United States has pursued the promise of nuclear power in space — a technology capable of delivering energy where sunlight can’t reach and enabling missions beyond the limits of chemical propulsion. Yet since a brief reactor flight in 1965, no fission reactor has operated in orbit.

My Take: Sign up to watch!

Test and Measurement: Testing an orbital data center at the ISS - Red Hat, Axiom Space collaborated on a compact edge compute solution, or “orbital data center” for space

My Take: Lots of activity in this space.. excuse the pun. Seems everyone is interested in Orbital Data Centres now.. for a reason.

SpaceX makes big spectrum land grab - EchoStar isn’t the only wireless company in SpaceX’s crosshairs. Globalstar, Ligado, Viasat and AST SpaceMobile are among the satellite companies targeted. Much depends on Elon’s Musk relationship with President Trump

My Take: Contracts win over intent every time.

Direct To Device

Satellite comms pioneer Skylo expands its D2D ecosystem - Skylo’s latest developments involve expanded relationships with Qualcomm Technologies and Google

My Take: Special chips ‘n stuff. Took a while to get there in the article. It’s actually an informative piece.

Enabling AI

🇨🇦 Canada AI by the numbers — how much money is being spent and who is spending it - Canada has been a hotbed of AI talent and research, but continues to play catch-up in capitalizing on its AI advantages

My Take Asking “how much money is being spent and who is spending it” is called Friday in my house. Aside from that, holy moly.

This 2 min. video is the BEST visual explanation of how LLMs actually work - Ever wonder how ChatGPT "knows" Michael Jordan plays basketball? This is exactly what happens:

My Take: I don’t use recreational drug - and I’m not judging those who do - but my sense is that this would make more sense if I did.

Google is pushing ahead with a project to run generative artificial intelligence (AI) "Gemini" in a space data center - Gemini to reduce operating costs for solar power generation by launching dedicated satellites as early as this year with 'Star Cloud'

My Take: I interviewed the CEO of StarCloud a while back. Check it out on the Podcast. 

OpenAI's ChatGPT agent can control your PC to do tasks on your behalf — but how does it work and what's the point? - With new tools and greater autonomy, OpenAI's flagship AI chatbot is more capable, and potentially more dangerous, than ever.

My Take: I used it to try and plan a driving trip, having it check out hotels, attractions, car rental places, the whole thing. Worked well, but I still don’t fully trust it.

🇨🇦 TELUS boosts workplace innovation with Claude - TELUS, a leading communications technology company headquartered in Canada, is empowering team members by integrating Claude into everyday workflows — unleashing unprecedented levels of experimentation, creativity and productivity across the organization.

My Take: 13,000+ custom AI solutions created by team members across all departments. 57,000 team members actively using generative AI to boost their work. Time savings of 40 minutes per AI interaction by completing work faster, with 500,000+ hours saved to date. Time to get rid of some people, I guess?

Grammarly says its AI agent can predict an A paper - Grammarly is launching several new AI agents for specific writing challenges, from educators trying to detect plagiarism and AI-generated text to students looking to gauge reader reaction to their paper

My Take: I wonder if you slip Grammarly and extra $5, will it turn into an A+?

Sam Altman Says ChatGPT Is on Track to Out-Talk Humanity - Sam Altman says he believes ChatGPT is on track to have more conversations per day than all human beings combined.

My Take: I guess Sam hasn’t been in a room full of 6 year olds, and other people who shall remain unnamed. You know who you are, but I don’t think you read my newsletter, so you’ll never know either way.

Cisco announces layoffs days after CEO said it won’t cut jobs in favor of AI - Law firm ‘investigating’ layoffs over alleged notice discrepancy, while Cisco brings in a new channel partner chief

My Take: Maybe ChatGPT made him change his mind during an online therapy session.

This and That!

🇨🇦 Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign was meant to sell jeans. Instead, it sold a lesson in employment law - Endorsements and employment contracts have a common thread: you give up autonomy for pay

My Take: I don’t think she’s concerned.

🇨🇦 How drones are transforming agriculture in Alberta - Drones and AI are transforming farming in Westlock, saving input costs, increasing yields, and offering precision solutions for Alberta’s top producers.

My Take: Yea, many applications for autonomous drones to validate other sensing data.

Phone Searches at the US Border Hit a Record High - Customs and Border Protection agents searched nearly 15,000 devices from April through June of this year, a nearly 17 percent spike over the previous three-month high in 2022.

My Take: I should really delete many of my text conversations. Other than that, they can look at as many pictures of my dog as they like.

'Pregnancy robot' that will give birth to live baby expected to be released next year - The humanoid robot will be able to successfully carry a baby from conception to delivery

My Take: What could possibly go wrong? Conception with a robot. Insert jokes here.

Russia launches mice, microbes and more on monthlong mission to Earth orbit (video) - Onboard are 75 mice and 1,000 fruit flies, along with a variety of microbes, cell cultures and plant seeds. These living payloads will spend a month circling Earth, to help scientists gauge the effects of spaceflight on organisms and their various systems.

My Take: The fruit flies can die, for all I care. But what are the mice going to eat? Hopefully not each other. Poor mice.

FDA issues warning over possible radioactive shrimp - The FDA is warning consumers not to eat certain frozen shrimp products sold at Walmart after other products from the same company tested positive for a radioactive substance.

My Take: Radioactive Shrimp sounds like a great name for a DJ.

Infographic Of The Week

My Take: The world produced over 92 million vehicles in 2024, with China, the U.S., and Japan leading the totals.

Podcast Recommendation

Vibe coding is everywhere, and it’s already drastically changing the tech industry — from shaping how software gets made to who gets hired. So back in July, our very own Lauren Goode went on a journey to become a vibe coder at one of San Francisco’s top startups. In this episode, she sits down with Mike to share her experience and they break down whether vibe coding really spells the end of coding as we know it.

Listen Here!

Movie/Streaming Recommendation

IMDb: 6.6/10

JMDb: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿/10 (AMC had a Tommy Lee Jones wekeend)

U.S. Marshals (1998) is an action-packed crime thriller starring Tommy Lee Jones as Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard, reprising his Oscar-winning role from The Fugitive (1993).

The film, widely recognized as a sequel and a part of The Fugitive franchise, shifts focus from Harrison Ford’s Dr. Kimble to a new fugitive: Mark Sheridan (Wesley Snipes). When Sheridan, a government agent framed for murder, escapes following a dramatic plane crash, Gerard and his seasoned team launch a relentless manhunt. The movie delivers suspenseful chase sequences, well-staged action, and a solid supporting cast including Robert Downey Jr.

While U.S. Marshals is often seen as less groundbreaking than The Fugitive, it is praised for its entertaining set pieces, Jones’ charismatic performance, and fast pacing.

Fans of the franchise will appreciate its familiar cat-and-mouse formula, even if the story treads some familiar ground..

A Word From Our Partner

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