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The Podcast

Episode 16 - Beyond NaaS: Enabling MSP and ISP revenue with Network-as-a-Platform

In this episode, Karl May, CEO and Founder of Join Digital, breaks down the shift from Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) to Network-as-a-Platform.

We explore how this evolution opens new revenue opportunities for MSPs and ISPs by combining open hardware, software-first networking, and AI-powered operations.

Karl shares how Join’s approach helps providers reduce costs, scale without adding staff, and deliver enterprise-grade uptime.

Listeners will learn why the platform model matters, how OpenLAN changes the economics of networking, and what service providers can do today to capture growth in this new era.

Subscribe, download and like on the Podcast player of choice or:

Spotify - https://lnkd.in/g9MbqHMV
Apple - https://lnkd.in/gRP5V8Rj

Disclosure - I am working with Join on market development in Canada. If you’re an ISP or MSP and would like to learn more, please don't hesitate to contact me!

What’s Happening On Earth?

New Report Reveals Cities’ Top Infrastructure Priorities: Water, Roads, and Mobility Projects Lead the Way - The National League of Cities (NLC) today released its 2025 Municipal Infrastructure Conditions Report, providing the most up-to-date look at how cities, towns and villages across the country are funding, prioritizing and managing critical infrastructure projects.

My Take: Water. That’s what I’m hearing from people as critical infrastructure to be monitored.

Lumen accelerates multibillion-dollar network expansion to meet soaring AI demand - With construction underway coast-to-coast, Lumen is moving forward a multi-billion-dollar build with plans to add 34 million new intercity fiber miles by the end of 2028, for a total of 47 million intercity fiber miles.

My Take: Is data transport becoming an AI bottleneck? That’s a lot of fiber.

Rogers, Telus, Bell Named Global Leaders in 5G—But Not in Speed - The awards highlight how Canadian networks are keeping pace internationally, though speeds elsewhere are still faster. In Brazil, Vivo topped large-market 5G download speeds with an average of 362.1 Mbps, while South Korea’s KT hit 470.7 Mbps in smaller markets.

My Take: Do people care as much about how well their mobile device performs?

Roth: New Permitting Tool Will Fast-Track Nearly All BEAD Projects - We introduced a new permanent tool called the Environmental Screening and Permitting Tracking Tool,” Arielle Roth, the administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said during remarks Monday at the 2025 SCTE TechExpo in Washington.

My Take: The tool is designed as a one-stop shop where developers answer questions and, in many cases, avoid lengthy reviews. Peritting is always a bottleneck

Operators say now is the time to deal with cable vandalism - Cable cuts have been a persistent thorn in the side for operators, and some believe tougher regulatory action is necessary to avoid damaged infrastructure.

My Take: Only 28 U.S. states treat network vandalism as a felony. Operators want that number increased to 50. They’re using some AI tools to try and detect issues sooner.

Pole Attachment Database Could Cost More Than $8 Million Over 6 Years - The West Virginia Broadband Office and the state Broadband Enhancement Council filed a report with the Public Service Commission on Thursday on what would be needed to create a comprehensive pole attachment database.

My Take: The proposed database would help reconcile disputes between ISPs and electric utilities over pole space and replacement costs. If they don’t do it right, it could actually delay deployments further.

NTIA chief Roth argues BEAD cost-cutting is good stewardship - She argued this part of the agency's effort to be good stewards of BEAD dollars and the move was well-telegraphed ahead of time. She also discussed the importance of avoiding defaults on BEAD projects

My Take: The battle between cost and resilience…

States feel pressured to hurry up with new BEAD rules - State broadband leaders said they’re short on time – and staff – in carrying out BEAD changes. The time crunch also extends to the ISPs that need to supply updated info. Despite NTIA’s push to speed up permitting, states still face looming challenges

My Take: Speed matters, but so does doing things properly.

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez says broadband policy should emphasize affordability and scale - The lone Democrat on the FCC maintains that the ACP program and the revised BEAD program will curtail the expansion of broadband into more communities.   

My Take: If U.S. broadband policy chases cheap deployments over affordability and scale, it risks locking in weaker networks and deepening the digital divide.

Bandwidth Hawk: Will 100×20 Mbps be enough in 2035? Hell no! - AI will continue to stimulate demand in ways we have yet to grapple with, or even to conceive. It’ll open new deployment opportunities.

My Take: I don’t think anyone believes that 100×20 will be sufficient 10 years from now.

What CEOs talked about in Q3 2025: Tariff realities, data center capacity, and the agentic AI future - A historical analysis shows that both geopolitical themes and digital themes have risen strongly in the last 5 years on the CEO agenda. The average mentions of leading technology themes nearly doubled over the last 5 years, with AI, software, and data centers the leading themes in Q3 2025.

My Take: Many data points in the article. Not sure there’s a single message other than “execute.”

Can Matter Open a Smart Home Door of Opportunity for Broadband Service Providers? - The Matter protocol represents a huge step towards changing, and improving, the way end users experience the smart home.

My Take: If everything speaks the same language, it certainly makes it easier to integrate and manage via a single application.

Fiber operators and investors have different worries amid consolidation - Disconnects between fiber operators and fiber investors abound when it comes to industry challenges, according to the consultants at AlixPartners, which conducted a survey in July and August.

My Take: “The operators see the problem is competition,” said Danis. “Operators know their markets. If they tell you that cable and fixed wireless is a competition, then believe them.” If FWA is a competitive threat, will LEO be euqally as threatening over time?

Nokia hails end-to-end Ultra Ethernet test in AI data center drive - The demonstration was carried out with electronics manufacturer Keysight Technologies. It used Nokia's 7220 Interconnect Router (IXR) and 7250 IXR tuned to Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) Specification 1.0 capabilities.

My Take: Nokia is positioning Ethernet (rather than InfiniBand) to become the dominant networking protocol for scale-out AI fabrics. 800 Gb/s interfaces running Ultra Ethernet Transport (UET) traffic, including RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCEv2).

🇨🇦 Bell Canada hangs up on entrepreneur — then allegedly steals his patented technology! - We protected it. We filed the patents. We believed the courts would protect us. Then Bell Canada steals our invention – and now [Bell] wants to silence us forever.

My Take: One side of the story, of course.

AOL's dial up internet takes its last bow, marking the end of an era - Dial-up is now no longer advertised on AOL's website. As of Wednesday, former company help pages like “connect to the internet with AOL Dialer” appeared unavailable — and nostalgic social media users took to the internet to say their final goodbyes.

My Take: So sad. Not really.

Cable upstream speeds on the upswing – Ookla - US and Canadian cable operators have been beefing up the upstream path of their DOCSIS networks with "mid-split" and "high-split" upgrades, and the results are starting to show up in Ookla's Speedtest Intelligence data.

My Take: There’s a whole section in the report on Canada. Suprisingly enough, I’m showing 248.78 Mbps up on my cable service. Why are we still using 50/10 as the Universal Service Objective?

Comcast exec: Cable is now 'fourth carrier' in US telecom - But in Watson’s case, he referred to how Comcast, Charter and other operators are leaning onto wireless and thus expanding their total addressable market — an industry-wide move that comes as cable operators face prolonged broadband subscriber declines.

My Take: cable firms want to be full-service network operators spanning mobile, broadband, and enterprise.

Oxio wants to make MVNOs more affordable for rural ISPs - Oxio, a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE), wants to make it easier – and cheaper – for rural broadband providers to launch wireless service amid rising competition.

My Take:

Here’s how a US government shutdown could impact telecom - The FCC will furlough nearly 90% of its staff. Only 4 employees will remain to manage disaster response operations. Deal approvals will slow, alongside device certifications and spectrum licensing

My Take: Don’t care. Doesn’t affect me 😉 I just don’t have anyting to add.

3 Things That Caught Our Attention at SCTE Tech Expo - 50,000 Gbps. AI amplifiers. Ultra-dense mobile networks. Do we have your attention yet? These were some of the announcements that caught ours this week at SCTE’s Tech Expo.

My Take: 50,000 Gbps? Like 10 Tbps? I think not. Nice fact checking ;)

A new study has found that moderate and low-income neighborhoods pay a higher percentage of their income for broadband of less quality. - According to the numbers released on the New York Fed’s website, low and moderate-income communities pay an average of 2.43% of their income for broadband services. By comparison, households in wealthier areas pay an average of only 0.51% of their income for broadband, a summary of the study reported.

My Take: “Particularly, they pay over four times as much for broadband, more than twice as much for utilities, and almost twice as much for rent.”

Cable operators talk up faster, more reliable networks at SCTE - The AI revolution won't reach its end consumers without a capable network. Cable operators of all sizes are discussing their plans to upgrade and modify their networks this week at SCTE.

My Take: Reliability is the new speed. If they’re fast and they don’t work, there’s no point.

ETSI forms quantum networking unit - With an increasing number of network operators now investing resources and budget into quantum technology-related trials and service developments, European specifications body ETSI has announced the creation of a new group that will address the impact of quantum computing on multiple networking domains.  

My Take: I’m not following too many quantum things. Seems too far off in the future, although I may be wrong on that one. See the next article.

Comcast advances on 'Project Genesis,' tests quantum computing - Comcast's Elad Nafshi offers some new stats on the operator's big network upgrade initiative and dropped some updates on Comcast's AI Edge offering and quantum computing trials.

My Take: Upgrading cable networks, pushing edge AI services, and experimenting with quantum. What’s next?

CableLabs pursues 25-Gig and 50-Gig over HFC - CableLabs is working on a new 'optional annex' to DOCSIS 4.0 that will deliver 25 Gbit/s on 3GHz networks, and a yet-to-be-designated spec that will push HFC spectrum to 6GHz and speeds of 50 Gbit/s.

My Take: 50Gbps down. 20Mbps up. 😀 When do you cut the cord, as it were, and move to FTTH?

Wi-Fi Connectivity Problems Persist for Two-Thirds of Americans: Survey - The survey found that 68% of U.S. households reported Wi-Fi issues during the past year and 67% contacted their provider at least once. Eighteen percent experienced problems daily and an additional 20% experienced trouble weekly.

My Take: You can have the fastest Internet available, but if the WiFi doesn’t work.. it doesn’t matter. There must be a better way…

Tinno and SAVI iQ Announce Strategic Partnership to Launch Downloadable Service Provider Smart Home Platform at SCTE TechExpo 2025 - With our new Smart Living Platform and SAVI iQ’s AI-Powered home automation and customer UI/UX, we’re giving service providers the tools to deliver a connected lifestyle experience that drives real revenue and customer retention.

My Take: SAVI IQ’s focus is on enabling ISPs with sticky solutions, providing a better user experience and moving away from the race to zero.

Network operators admit they’re struggling to get the best out of their observability tools - BlueCat and EMA survey finds 87% of network teams are using multiple tools – but fragmentation and alert fatigue are impacting deployment success

My Take: Data isn’t delivering any value. Too many silos? Too many tools?

What’s Happening In Space?

What’s in Space This Week?

🇨🇦 NordSpace & C-CORE Sign MOU for Ground Station Development and Operations at Atlantic Spaceport Complex and Arctic - As part of the initial collaboration, NordSpace and C-CORE will conduct joint site engineering, regulatory planning, and business case studies for new ground stations across Canada. Initially planned locations include NordSpace’s Atlantic Spaceport Complex (ASX) in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Inuvik, Northwest Territories.

My Take: Another great example of how public/private partnerships are essential to fill “last mile” ground infrastructure gaps - even in space.

Project Kuiper mission updates: The latest launch news as we deploy our satellite internet constellation - SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, October 8, for Amazon’s KF-03 mission. Named KF-03 for Amazon’s third launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the mission will send another 24 Kuiper satellites to low Earth orbit, bringing the total number of Kuiper spacecraft launched to date to 153 satellites. The mission will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with liftoff set for 9:56 p.m. ET.

My Take: 154 is a ways away from >3,000 but way better than Zero! Isn’t the number of LEO satellites required to cover the earth close to 30, or something? Imagine how great that service would be.

🇨🇦 Canada faces a once-in-a-generation opportunity to stake a serious claim in space - Canada is beginning a consequential phase of rearmament. With military budget increases planned at historic highs that haven’t been seen since the Second World War – the new NATO target is 5 per cent of GDP, which could mean annual defence spending of as much as $150-billion by 2035 – the economic consequences of this necessary action stand to be profound.

My Take: If Canada commits to space defence now, it strengthens sovereignty, bolsters allies, grows its tech economy, and ensures we have a voice in shaping space rules.

PersonalBusiness

Refer Starlink and Receive One Month Free - Simply share your referral link with friends, family, neighbors and anyone else you know.

My Take: Here’s my referral link 😉 I don’t have a link 😔

Starlink Internet Speeds Are About To Get A Big Upgrade - Here's How - It took a year for the FCC to give Starlink the go-ahead, which allows the manufacturer to increase the EIRP of the V1 unit from 42.1 to 43.4 decibel watts, and to boost the V2 unit from 33.2 to 39.2 decibel watts. The endgame is providing SpaceX users with faster and more reliable internet speeds, and the FCC's thumbs-up couldn't have come at a better time.

My Take: More power! "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”

NTN’s New Power Player: Is China Aiming to Take the Lead in Space-Based Connectivity? - China is rapidly accelerating its space-based ambitions, strategically investing in a hybrid NTN architecture.

My Take: Every week, another article about how China is going to “win”

🇨🇦 Funding for space research and development - In 2025, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) awarded $13.2 million in funding to 17 Canadian companies, including 16 SMEs, to pioneer research and development (R&D) for 19 advanced space technology projects. A description of the projects, selected companies, and funding amounts are presented below under three categories:

My Take: See the list of recipients in the link

🇨🇦 Telesat expands relationship with Calian to develop resilient operational data platform for Telesat Lightspeed - Calian will design, develop, integrate, and deploy the Telesat Lightspeed Operational Data Platform, which will form the secure, real-time data backbone across Telesat’s LEO satellite constellation, Landing Stations and User Terminals.

My Take: Looks like Telesat it building out ground and control systems. The platform enables real-time awareness, automated responses, and secure exchange across the entire network

FAA Certifies First United Mainline Starlink-Equipped Aircraft - Certification comes following the launch of the first Starlink-equipped United customer flight on the Embraer 175 regional aircraft in May and under a year since the operator signed the industry’s largest agreement of its kind with SpaceX, bringing Starlink’s Wi-Fi service to Mileageplus members on both its mainline and regional aircraft fleet.

My Take: Everyone will have the expectation to be connected everywhere!

🇨🇦 No danger after Starlink space debris lights up Saskatchewan skies: expert - “It’s getting to be more common,” Lawler told Global News of space debris re-entering the atmosphere. “Here on the southern Prairies, we’re under the densest band of them just because of the orbits that have been chosen. So right here is the most likely to see the re-entries happen.

My Take: Poor Saskatchewan. On the bright side, they have great capacity and coverage.

Starlink opening its own retail stores to boost adoption - Starlink is going to expand its retail presence beyond juggernauts like Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, or Best Buy with the opening of its own stores, it seems. SpaceX just posted its first dedicated Starlink Store Manager position with a $95,000 - $115,000 remuneration range plus bonuses.

My Take: Maybe they can partner with Tesla. Seems a fairly lucrative opportunity for a store manager.

Satellite startup Spacecoin sends data through space in bid to rival Starlink - U.S. startup Spacecoin said on Wednesday it had successfully sent secured information through space in what it said was a first for the industry as the firm tries to show it can offer an alternative to Starlink's satellite internet service.

My Take: Their test suggests a future of building open, secure, decentralized networks to challenge centralized incumbents like Starlink.

Forecast: 8.2m Starlink subs by December - Quilty Space has published its 2025 financial overview and 2026 forecast for Starlink, SpaceX’s broadband-by-satellite system. Quilty described Starlink as enjoying a “subscriber stampede”.

My Take: Subscriber stampede sounds right.

Eutelsat Races to Close Funding Gap as Europe Seeks Starlink Alternative - Satellite operator Eutelsat is banking on fresh investment from European governments to strengthen its challenge to Elon Musk’s Starlink, after securing a 1.5-billion-euro ($1.8 billion) lifeline led by France.

My Take: I thought they had other plans with IRIS2?

The Space Report 2025 Q2 Highlights Record $613 Billion Global Space Economy for 2024, Driven by Strong Commercial Sector Growth - The report found the commercial sector accounted for 78% of the global space economy, with government budgets contributing the remaining 22%. Government space spending grew 6.7%, to reach $132 billion, with the United States investing $77 billion in national security and civil space programs.

My Take: Looks like competition is heating up across multiple segments.

Seraphim’s New Market Map for 2025 Shows How the Space Sector is Maturing - “The in-space economy is progressing far faster than many expected, with large raises for orbital infrastructure and services showing how quickly this once-nascent segment is moving into the mainstream,” Bishop told Via Satellite.

My Take: Quite the list of names you’ve never heard of! I don’t see SpaceX on there.

Understanding Satellite Frequency Bands - Have you ever wondered how satellites send and receive messages? Just like radios need a specific channel, satellites use different "radio waves" to talk to Earth. These radio waves are part of what scientists call the electromagnetic spectrum, and they are divided into special sections known as satellite frequency bands. Understanding what frequencies do satellites use is key to knowing how they help us every day. This guide will make it easy to understand these important satellite bands and how they are used in 2025.

My Take: ..if you ever wondered…

Harnessing the Stratosphere: How HAPS is Key to SoftBank Corp.’s Vision for Ubiquitous Connectivity - SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is promoting a “Ubiquitous Transformation (UTX),” which aims to create a world where people can stay connected anytime and anywhere by combining terrestrial mobile networks with non-terrestrial networks (NTN) such as High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS), as well as Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) communication satellites. Under its vision for UTX, SoftBank is seeking to overcome current communication barriers, such as disruptions during disasters and disparities in network deployments, and bring innovation to people and businesses around the world.

My Take: They’ll begin pre-commercial services in 2026 in Japan, then expand globally, supporting connectivity in disasters, remote zones, and for drones/UAVs.

Alouette I and II - Launched on September 29, 1962, the Alouette-I scientific satellite marked Canada's entry into the space age and was seen by many as initiating the most progressive space program of that era.

My Take: 63 years ago. Yes, older than me… much older than me..

Direct To Device

🇨🇦 Bell and AST SpaceMobile complete Canada's first successful space-based direct-to-cell VoLTE voice call, broadband data and video streaming - Bell, together with AST SpaceMobile, today announced a groundbreaking milestone in its mission to connect all Canadians: the successful completion of a space-based direct-to-cell 4G voice over LTE (VoLTE) call, video call, broadband data connectivity and video streaming using the Bell Fibe TV app to a standard, unmodified smartphone over a Canadian wireless network. The demonstration, conducted in New Brunswick over the summer, also included successful SMS messaging and emergency alerts using Bell's powerful and reliable low-band spectrum. This achievement lays the groundwork for Bell's planned deployment of low Earth orbit direct-to-cell service in 2026.

Bell Canada to roll out direct-to-cell satellite service in 2026

My Take: Well, now we know what Bell is doing to compete with Rogers. I guess their strategy was to launch with a little more functionality as opposed to first.

Karrier One and Iridium Announce Partnership to Extend Global IoT Connectivity to the Most Remote Locations on Earth - This partnership will allow Karrier One deployers to connect sensors, devices, and critical monitoring equipment anywhere on the planet — including regions far beyond the reach of terrestrial mobile networks — without the need to install or operate a local base station.

My Take: Interesting announcement. This is a DePIN ( Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) network.

BlueBird 6 has completed final assembly and testing and is ready for flight! - On track to complete 40 phased arrays by early 2026, bringing us to BlueBird 46

My Take: AST SpaceMobile… building out their network.

T-Mobile’s Starlink-powered T-Satellite now works with more iPhone apps - We’re still in the early days of satellite-based mobile phone connectivity, and T-Mobile is pushing forward with its Starlink-powered T-Satellite service.

My Take: WhatsApp, X, AccuWeather, AllTrails, onX, CalTopo etc..

Enabling AI

🇨🇦 TELUS unveils AI-driven email protection with 99.7% catch rate - The solution, TELUS Email Protection Service Advanced, is powered by Check Point's Harmony Email & Collaboration technology and is now available to TELUS customers. According to TELUS, the service offers a significant advancement beyond traditional email security solutions by preventing threats from reaching users' inboxes, instead of scanning emails after delivery.

My Take: More security is a good thing, of course. Hard to keep track of all the scams out there.

Sora 2 is here - Our latest video generation model is more physically accurate, realistic, and more controllable than prior systems. It also features synchronized dialogue and sound effects. Create with it in the new Sora app.

My Take: Watch the video. Pretty incredible. I wonder how many trees it will kill?

Gemini Robotics 1.5 brings AI agents into the physical world - We’re powering an era of physical agents — enabling robots to perceive, plan, think, use tools and act to better solve complex, multi-step tasks.

My Take: Agentic experiences for physical tasks..

Introducing Claude Sonnet 4.5 - Claude Sonnet 4.5 is the best coding model in the world. It's the strongest model for building complex agents. It’s the best model at using computers. And it shows substantial gains in reasoning and math.

My Take: It’s the best and it’s huuuuge. It’s a model that’s much stronger at coding, math, and reasoning than previous versions. It includes new features like rollbacks, memory tools, extended context, and an SDK to build AI agents.

🇨🇦 Strategic task force looking for ‘bold’ ideas on Canadian AI - Now is the time to strategize on how to find and support bold ideas for pushing Canada’s artificial intelligence agenda, according to one member of the federal government’s new AI strategy task force. 

My Take: What is Canada’s AI agenda? Maybe it starts with getting the smart people who can’t afford H1B US visas to come to Canada.

OpenAI’s new social app is filled with terrifying Sam Altman deepfakes - in a video on OpenAI’s new TikTok-like social media app Sora, a never-ending factory farm of pink pigs are grunting and snorting in their pens — each is equipped with a feeding trough and a smartphone screen, which plays a feed of vertical videos. A terrifyingly realistic Sam Altman stares directly at the camera, as though he’s making direct eye contact with the viewer. The AI-generated Altman asks, “Are my piggies enjoying their slop?”

OpenAI Is Preparing to Launch a Social App for AI-Generated Videos - OpenAI is preparing to launch a stand-alone app for its video generation AI model Sora 2, WIRED has learned. The app, which features a vertical video feed with swipe-to-scroll navigation, appears to closely resemble TikTok—except all of the content is AI-generated. There’s a For You–style page powered by a recommendation algorithm. On the right side of the feed, a menu bar gives users the option to like, comment, or remix a video.

My Take: So… A social media app for AI-generated videos. Imagine the chaos if they jump to other platforms. There is enough a problem with people consuming “fake content” as it is.

Apple halts Vision Pro overhaul to focus on AI glasses, Bloomberg News reports - The iPhone maker had been preparing a cheaper, lighter variant of its headset, code-named N100, for release in 2027, Bloomberg said. But the company told staff internally last week that it is reallocating employees from that project to accelerate work on glasses.

My Take: I guess the Vision Pro wasn’t selling as well as they had expected - or it’s a clear shift into the AI werable market.

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Pulse to proactively write you morning briefs - OpenAI is launching a new feature inside of ChatGPT called Pulse, which generates personalized reports for users while they sleep. Pulse offers users five to 10 briefs that can get them up to speed on their day and is aimed at encouraging users to check ChatGPT first thing in the morning — much like they would check social media or a news app.

My Take: ChatGPT wants to be your proactive assistant. Alexa will give you a morning brief as well, but this will dig into any connected data. Nowhere near the same thing.

Mira Murati’s Stealth AI Lab Launches Its First Product - Thinking Machines Lab, a heavily funded startup cofounded by prominent researchers from OpenAI, has revealed its first product—a tool called Tinker that automates the creation of custom frontier AI models.

My Take: They built a tool called Tinker that helps other companies adjust big AI models for their own needs without having to train them from scratch

This and That!

Breaking: Everything announced at Amazon’s Devices & Services event, and more news - Customer-favorite Amazon devices like Echo, Kindle, and Ring have gotten major upgrades; enabling ambient AI experiences that fade into the background of daily life. This is technology made to feel effortless, natural, almost invisible. While Alexa+ is central to this vision, the intelligence extends across all Amazon devices.

My Take: “They feature custom silicon and leverage Omnisense, our advanced sensor fusion platform that lets Alexa anticipate your needs and help you take action—like delivering a personalized reminder when a specific person walks in the room” - so now it’s watching and listening? And doing what with the data?

Amazon smart speakers now account for 60% of all smart speaker purchases - Parks Associates recently released Consumer Insights Dashboard: Tech Ecosystem Dashboard reveals 51% of US internet households report owning a smart speaker and/or display. Among those households that purchased or received a new smart speaker in the past six months, over half chose an Amazon-branded device, 18% chose a Google product, and 8% chose Apple’s HomePod. 

My Take: No suprise on the HomePod numbers. 51% share is huge. That’s a lot of conversations to listen in on.

Amazon launches a grocery brand with most products under $5 - Amazon on Wednesday announced the debut of Amazon Grocery, a new private-label brand that offers a range of grocery items, most of which are priced under $5. The brand offers everything from milk and olive oil to fresh produce, meat, and seafood. Amazon Fresh grocery items will be available online and at Amazon Fresh stores.

My Take: $5 meat? 😳

Microsoft raises top Xbox Game Pass subscription by 50% - Xbox has raised the price of the highest tier of Game Pass by 50% and expanded its offerings under the videogame subscription service to include more games, enhanced cloud streaming and a revamped rewards system.

My Take: Seems like a lot, but I’m not a gamer, so..

The Deal Digest (September 2025 Edition) - Candian Venture Cap and PE Association - In every edition, we provide details about the industry's latest transactions, what's new from CVCA, and provide a carefully crafted snapshot of the Canadian VC and PE landscape.

My Take: I scanned the list. This looked interesting - https://benchiq.com/

As Tariffs Send Coffee Prices Soaring, Some In Congress Are Brewing Up A Solution - The cost of coffee is on the rise, thanks to recent tariffs. In response, members of Congress have introduced a bill to scrap the tax—a move that’s likely to win favor as more Americans reach for a cup.

My Take: Maybe they should switch to herbal tea. Calm themselves down a little.

 10 Charts That Define Digital Markets in 2025 and Beyond - Key Developments in AI Search, Platform Dynamics, E-commerce Growth, and Beyond

My Take: That’s a lot of minutes spent on YouTube.

Whiskey Production Has Hit Its Lowest Level Since 2019 - This new government data is the latest worrying news for the American whiskey industry.

My Take: Is Donald and his tarriffs to blame, in part?

How to Use Passkeys With Google Password Manager - It’s easy to change your password, but it’s not so easy to add passkeys to an account you’ve already created, much less manage them solely in your browser. Still, you can use passkeys with the Google Password Manager on supported websites; you'll just need to jump through a few hoops first.

My Take: I haven’t ventured into the world of Passkeys. I have password software that manages everything, so I’m not sure if the juice is worth the squeeze, yet.

Stephen King is the most banned author in US schools, PEN report says - “Banned in the USA,” released Wednesday, tracks more than 6,800 instances of books being temporarily or permanently pulled for the 2024-2025 school year. The new number is down from more than 10,000 in 2023-24, but still far above the levels of a few years ago, when PEN didn’t even see the need to compile a report.

My Take: I guess they didn’t want anyone getting any ideas from Carrie. The 1976 Carrie.

EV tax credits are dead in the US. Now what? - The tax credits’ demise comes at a time when battery-electric vehicles still make up a small percentage of new vehicle sales in the country. And transportation is a major contributor to US climate pollution, with cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes together making up roughly 30% of total greenhouse-gas emissions.

My Take: Now what, indeed. Perhaps those who are buying EVs because they truly care for the environment will keep dong so.

🇨🇦 Diagnostic dilemma: Doctors restore a man's vision by removing his tooth and implanting it in his eye - A man underwent one of the first "tooth-in-eye" surgeries ever conducted in Canada. Only a few hundred people have had the surgery, worldwide.

My Take: I wonder if it was one of his eye teeth? This is all bizarre.

Infographic Of The Week

My Take: In this infographic, we show age-standardized cancer incidence rates across 180+ countries, revealing striking contrasts between different regions. Understanding these differences sheds light on how lifestyles, environment, and healthcare reporting all contribute.

Podcast Recommendation

For the past decade, a simple message has been delivered to a generation of American students: If you learn to code and complete a computer science degree, you’ll get a job with a six-figure salary.

Now, thousands of students who followed the advice are discovering that the promise was empty. Natasha Singer, a technology reporter for The Times, explains.

Listen Here!

Movie/Streaming Recommendation

IMDb: 6.5/10

JMDb: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿/10 (It’s no Goodfellas)

🇨🇦 MAFIA: MOST WANTED is a compelling three-part documentary series delving into the grip of the ‘Ndrangheta crime syndicate and its expansion from Calabria, Italy to Toronto, Canada.

The series stands out for its authenticity, crafting a vivid picture of organized crime’s realities with rare interviews, wiretaps, and gritty archival footage. While police perspectives and mob informants add urgency, it’s the first-hand stories of enforcers like Joe Ferraro that pull viewers into the underworld’s drama.

Despite the fascinating cast and unprecedented access, the series faces criticism for muddled storytelling and poor narrative structure. Viewers often comment on pacing issues and coherence, with some scenes feeling random or unfocused. Yet, for true crime enthusiasts, it’s an eye-opening, bingeable entry in the genre, revealing how Canada became a mafia stronghold.

Authentic but uneven, its rawness leaves a lasting impression.

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