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🌎 What’s Happening on Earth

🪐 What’s Happening in Space

🤖 Enabling AI

🍳 This and That!

💡 Lean About..

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A Quick Note From Me

I wanted to thank those who have taken the time to send me your feedback about this newsletter. It’s like sending things into a black hole every week, so I do appreciate the interaction.

A special thank you to those who take the time to engage me further on specific content, comments, insights or items that may require further clarification.

Finally, thank you to Blue Sky Net for reprinting my Ontario Satellite Program summary article in their November 2024 issue of Tech Talk.

What’s Happening On Earth?

CRTC launches consultation on internet labels - The commission will look at six issues, it said in the consultation document: standardizing information in a broadband consumer label, such as those on foods; providing clear and comparable information on network performance; measuring network performance and quality; providing information with examples and context; strengthening the position of consumers in their relationships with service providers; and implementing consumer protection measures and identifying associated costs.

My Take: ..as long as consumers understand what they’re comparing.. Speed (down and up), latency, jitter, etc.. I still think there should be some metrics disclosed around average support hold time, MTTR when there is an issue, and some equivalent of an external NPS (or other customer satisfaction metric) so that potential subscribers know what sort of experience others have had with the provider.

If you’re Canadian and you have an opinion, make sure to submit your intervention!

Here’s a link to the full CRTC consultation notice

Reconsider Using Undersea Cables as Military Sensors - While the technology is still in its nascent stages, subsea fiber-optic cables have dual-use potential as sensors that could revolutionize naval defense intelligence, surveillance activities and serve as an early warning for the United States and its allies of unwanted foreign operations in the region.

My Take: Huge opportunity. See the next article as well. Well, it’s a huge opportunity until a Chinese ship hauls an anchor across the sea floor for 100s of miles.

Meta plans to build a $10B subsea cable spanning the world, sources say - TechCrunch has confirmed with sources close to the company that Meta plans to build a new, major, fiber-optic subsea cable extending around the world — a 40,000+ kilometer project that could total more than $10 billion of investment. Critically, Meta will be the sole owner and user of this subsea cable — a first for the company and thus representing a milestone for its infrastructure efforts.

My Take: It’s an upside-down “M” for Meta. Extending around the world.. India.. Capacity.. Ownership.. Funny how the flat earth looks 😉 Poor New Zealand.

The global submarine fibre-optic telecoms cable market will grow between 2023 and 2029 - Various factors are driving investment in submarine cables, but the need for route diversity has become a critical part of national resilience strategies.

My Take: See above.

Connecting Texans to Opportunity and Innovation. - The Texas Broadband Association (TBBA) is comprised of like-minded stakeholders who are dedicated to bridging the digital divide in Texas via implementation of sound legislative and regulatory policy.  TBBA was formed to educate state leadership and the general public on the importance of broadband deployment, accessibility, and adoption in the state.  Our association speaks cohesively for a broad coalition of industry representatives who share the common goal of connecting Texans with quality, high speed internet.

My Take: I grabbed this story when I saw it because it was interesting that Amazon is listed as a founding member — and I swear I saw it as Amazon Kuiper, their LEO satellite offering, waiting to launch. I can’t find the reference, so I guess I’m just spreading rumours now. It would be rather progressive to have them listed in the company of the likes of Comcast and Altice.

T-Mobile: 1 Million Sitting on Fixed Wireless Waiting List - Jon Freier, president of T-Mobile's Consumer Group, said Tuesday that 1 million people are sitting on the waiting list to subscribe to the company's fixed wireless access service, which has been putting competitive pressure on Comcast, Charter Communications, and AT&T in recent years.

My Take: A million people waiting? Clearly a capacity issues. Maybe just roll out fiber.

Windstream sees increased demand for both dark and lit fiber - Fierce asked if Windstream is seeing the same kind of demand for long-haul fiber networks as Lumen Technologies due to the artificial intelligence (AI) craze. For instance, Lumen won a big deal with Microsoft in July, and on its most recent earnings call Lumen said it had $8 billion of deals in the works to provide hyperscalers with its Private Connectivity Fabric.

My Take: And what happens when the hype dies down, the workloads shift, and the amount of infrastructure being built is no longer needed? Cheap IRUs, I guess.

Nokia’s data center push is starting to pay off - After spending the last few years stealthily bulking up its product lineup and go-to-market machine, Nokia is ready to flex its muscles on the main stage. Its goal? Supplant Cisco to sit alongside Arista Networks as a leader in the data center networking arena. And it looks like things are already headed in the right direction.

My Take: Well, based on the amount of money going into the DC space, it looks like they got their timing right!

Comcast to migrate its 5G network to AWS - Comcast announced this week that it will migrate its 5G mobile packet core, developed by Nokia, from on-premise infrastructure entirely onto the AWS public cloud. AWS said the move will deliver more scalable, secure and cost-effective 5G services for Xfinity Mobile and Comcast Business Mobile customers, and will allow the company to innovate faster, deploy new features, autoscale network capacity and perform lifecycle management.

My Take: Seems a bit of a trend, with AWS beating out Azure and Google. All the cloud providers have their niches and strengths.

Government-Owned Broadband Networks Are Not Competing on a Level Playing Field - Local government officials are often taken in by the allure of government-owned broadband networks (GONs) when told by activists or consultants that they are superior to relying on private providers. While a GON could be the least bad option if no private providers are willing to invest, build, and operate, GONs are typically a suboptimal choice.

My Take: Yes.

Minnesota Providers Not Participating in BEAD Program - Minnesota is set to receive an historic $652 million for broadband expansion, but key requirements of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program could keep many in-state internet service providers from participating.

My Take: Onerous program requirements. There are many. If we can solve the pole make-ready issues, can’t we fix seemingly complex and untenable programs?

Sen. Ernst to DOGE: ‘Pull the Plug’ on BEAD Program - Iowa's junior U.S. senator who just lost a key Republican leadership race has a simple message for the Department for Government Efficiency: Shut down the Biden Administration's signature broadband deployment program.

My Take: “President Biden’s so-called infrastructure program provided $7.5 billion to build a nationwide network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and $42 billion to expand broadband. Three years later, just 17 EV stations are completed and not a single person – not one – has been connected to the internet yet. It’s time to pull the plug,"

Those are expensive EV stations. As for BEAD, she clearly doesn’t understand. She needs another acronym to audit.

Rogers CEO in hot seat as MPs grill him over contracts customers call unfair and misleading - The committee wanted to question Staffieri after revelations in a Go Public investigation — hundreds of Rogers customers say they're outraged after their bills for internet, TV and home phone jumped, even though they'd signed a contract, believing they had a guaranteed monthly price.

My Take: Contracts are much like a Seinfeld reservation. They’re clearly just a suggestion.

Which states are excelling and falling short on telehealth access? - Sara Raza, a clinical fellow at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School, shared findings of her research into state digital equity plans at Broadband Communities Summit West.

My Take: “Digital access can improve health outcomes”. I think we knew that ;)

Varcoe: 'The bait is on the hook' - Alberta unveils map to attract AI data centres, eyes $100B in new investment - Province to focus on three pillars: power capacity, securing economic growth for the province, and promoting “sustainable cooling” strategies

My Take: DC money everywhere. Power remains the issue. And maybe connectivity, but no one really talks about that!

What’s Happening In Space?

What’s in Space This Week?

T-Mobile's direct-to-cell satellite constellation is ready to go - The puzzle pieces are coming together for T-Mobile to begin offering satellite connections to customers who wander outside of its cellular coverage areas. Questions remain, however, including how T-Mobile might roll out the service and what it might cost to use.

My Take: ..and when do they turn it on… and what do they charge for it… But at least all 300 of those satellites are in VLEO orbit!

Starlink becomes plan B for KRG - Starlink has become plan B for the Kativik Regional Government (KRG). The KRG plans to use SpaceX’s Starlink terminals to expand internet service among Nunavik communities while it completes its fiber optic project. 

My Take: Nunavik is part of Quebec, sort of. Anyway, it is being used as a band-aid until Mighty Fiber comes to town. A way north town.

Satellite communications to improve connectivity in remote areas - New projects are set to test innovative hybrid connectivity solutions in some of the very hardest to reach places in the UK, with up to £3.5 million in government funding.

My Take: This one is more about mobile and hybrid satellite/5G solutions.

Satcom will be dead on arrival in India: Forrester - Amid the brouhaha over the proposed entry of satellite communication players including Elon Musk-backed Starlink, Forrester Research on Tuesday said that the service will be dead on arrival.

According to Ashutosh Sharma, Vice President and Research Director at Forrester, satcom shows promise in terms of its capabilities to match broadband internet but it will be hard-pressed to compete with existing players in India in terms of pricing.

My Take: Where there is nothing, it can cost what it costs. Entering an incumbent competitive environment? Different. If (when) Kuiper and Starlink compete, there will also be downward pricing pressure.

Starlink's Path To Global Expansion Nears Milestone - Starlink, the ambitious satellite internet project spearheaded by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is on the brink of significant progression within global markets. The company's plans are intertwining with regulatory motivations and international negotiations as it seeks broader operations across different territories. Most recently, Starlink has garnered attention for its potential entry and expanded accessibility to lucrative markets like India.

My Take: India is a massive market.. but, per the last story, the end-user economics may not work.

LEO Satellite Market Analysis Opportunities in Space Technology - The LEO Satellite Market size is estimated at USD 188.34 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 310.23 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 9.23% during the forecast period 2024-2031.

My Take: I would imagine the reports break it down by sector, but I have to think defence spending is a huge contributor.

The End Is Near for NASA’s Voyager Probes - Launched between August and September 1977, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are the oldest and most distant probes built that are still active. They are also the only probes to have left our solar system and venture into the wider expanses of space. The secret to their long life? Nuclear power. But at some point, their mission will end.

My Take: 1977. Very cool that they can still communicate with them. For now.

Telesat and MDA Space Complete Key Milestone for Telesat Lightspeed Constellation - With PDRs completed, Telesat and MDA Space are now transitioning to the program’s detailed engineering and manufacturing phase, including the Critical Design Review.

My Take: This is great news and one step closer to launch for Telesat!

Explaining Why You Might Care About Something Called “5G NTN in Ku Band” - Intelsat recently announced a project to develop a network and devices combining cellular and satellite connectivity to deliver a seamless, global 5G experience. Once completed, the idea of being somewhere that doesn’t have some kind of broadband coverage will be a thing of the past. 

My Take: ..but you’ll need a new phone…

Three VC Investors Weigh in on the State of Investing in Space - Space is a nascent market with vast, unbounded potential, where an early-stage startup can become a dominant business integral to the very infrastructure of the space economy for decades to come. 

It is also a capital-intensive, high-risk, and emotional (space is cool™️) market, where an investor can end up donating $20M to an unserious science project that burns through all of its cash with just one Falcon 9 launch watch party to show for it. 

My Take: Imagine investing in a rocket company and watching your money explode, literally, time and time again until that eureka moment hits.

Watch This Space | Episode 3: What is gateway-less?

My Take: Think of it as a pt-pt layer 2 circuit in space. Sovereign and Secure.

Will the International Space Station's 2031 death dive cause pollution problems? - The orbital outpost is plagued by cracks, coolant and air leaks, even a surprising smell that recently wafted into the station from a just-arrived Russian Progress cargo ship. And the station has high-speed, close encounters with space junk from time to time that make the facility a risky residence. So, there's escalating worry that the aging complex has become a questionable home for crews to be safe and sound.

My Take: Lots of good stuff in this article, including the mention of the deorbit vehicle. Y’know, that SpaceX thing designed to destroy the ISS?

Are planet-killing black holes hiding inside your cat? - Scientists have suggested that tiny primordial black holes with the power to hollow out planets could be passing through everyday materials here on earth — rocks, glass, metal, and maybe even you or your cat.

My Take: The only thing living inside of my cat is more cat.

Op-Ed: NATO Must Prioritize Tracking, Info Sharing in Orbit - Amid growing congestion in space, NATO must invest in real-time tracking of space objects to ensure the alliance can autonomously detect dangerous behavior—and prioritize interoperability to allow member nations to quickly share information.

My Take: Ongoing issue. Someone as to own it for everyone.

Enabling AI

Musk's xAI plans massive expansion of AI supercomputer in Memphis - Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI plans to expand its Memphis, Tennessee, supercomputer to house at least one million graphics processing units (GPUs), the Greater Memphis Chamber said on Wednesday, as xAI races to compete against rivals like OpenAI.

My Take: And he’s going to plug it into what? Is he building a new power grid to power it as well, or just some SMRs?

Ottawa outlines $2B in spending for artificial intelligence computing power - The federal government says it will spend up to $1 billion to build public computing infrastructure for the Canadian artificial intelligence sector, part of a $2 billion commitment outlined in this spring’s federal budget.

Canada to spend hundreds of millions to build new AI supercomputer - The federal government is putting up $700 million to finance the construction of data centres in Canada, and will also back the building of a giant supercomputer in the country as it tries to shore up the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector.

My Take: Better on AI than EV.

Canada’s leading news media companies launch legal action against OpenAI - OpenAI regularly breaches copyright and online terms of use by scraping large swaths of content from Canadian media to help develop its products, such as ChatGPT. OpenAI is capitalizing and profiting from the use of this content, without getting permission or compensating content owners. 

My Take: If it’s on the Internet, isn’t it free? :)

AI boom will force network operators to adapt or build anew - Organizations will likely upgrade existing data center networks on the front end to add new AI inferencing solutions into existing services, said Brendan Gibbs, VP of AI, Routing and Switching Platforms at Arista. Spending on ultra-scale back-end network infrastructure for language model (LLM) training will inevitably lead to complementary investments to build front-end networks for AI inference, he said. 

My Take: I think this is an expected outcome..

Real Life Robotics takes fresh run at putting delivery robots on Canada’s sidewalks - Delivery is a big advantage for huge retailers, he contends. By letting restaurants and stores that don’t have the scale of a Walmart or Amazon offer local delivery—without paying the commissions commanded by Uber’s or SkipTheDishes’ services—Real Life Robotics aims to find a niche.

My Take: Cool idea. Hope it works out!

Come build Dia. - AI won’t exist as an app. Or a button. We believe it’ll be an entirely new environment — built on top of a web browser.

My Take: Looks cool. Remember the Rabbit R1 that was introduced at CES last year? Right. I wonder how much something has to change to be too innovative for people to adopt?

Know your date, change your fate. - Death Clock AI analyzes your life choices to determine when you will die, and how you can improve your habits to live even longer. Advanced AI and CDC data drive the world's most sophisticated predictions.

My Take: ..analyze your life choices… No, thanks.

Learn About - This History Of The Fax Machine

The fax machine, a technology that has stood the test of time, has a rich history dating back to the 19th century. The story begins in 1843 when Alexander Bain, a Scottish mechanic, invented the first version of what would become the fax machine. Bain's invention, which he called the "Electric Printing Telegraph," was capable of reproducing handwriting electronically via telegraph lines. While it wasn't perfect, it marked the beginning of instant long-distance communication.

Over the next several decades, various inventors improved upon Bain's original design. Frederick Bakewell introduced the "Image Telegraph" in 1848, which used synchronized rotating cylinders to make copies of original documents. In 1865, Italian physicist Giovanni Caselli launched the "Pantelegraph," which enabled the transmission of images over telegraph lines. These early innovations laid the groundwork for the fax technology we know today.

The 20th century saw significant advancements in fax technology. In 1924, AT&T Corporation and the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) created improved versions that could send a single page of fax in just 3 minutes. Xerox Corporation played a crucial role in commercializing modern fax technology. In 1964, they introduced the Long Distance Xerography (LDX) machine, considered the first "true" fax machine as we know it today.

Despite the rise of email and other digital communication methods, fax machines have managed to maintain their relevance in certain sectors. The global fax services market is expected to grow at 11.03 percent per year, indicating that fax is far from obsolete. Many businesses, particularly in industries such as healthcare, legal, and finance, still rely heavily on fax communications.

One of the primary reasons for the continued use of fax is its perceived security. Fax is often considered more secure than email because it's less connected to the internet. Many fax machines still communicate through phone lines, which are harder to access than public internet connections. Additionally, gaining access to a fax machine gives cybercriminals very little ground to stand on, except for devices connected to the fax machine's immediate network.

However, it's worth noting that the security of fax depends on how it's implemented. Modern fax machines can connect through an internet connection using SIP trunking protocol, which can introduce new security considerations. To address these concerns, many businesses are turning to online fax services that offer enhanced security features.

Today, there are several alternatives to traditional fax machines that offer the benefits of faxing without the need for dedicated hardware. Online fax services like iFax, FaxZero, and eFax allow users to send and receive faxes using computers, smartphones, or tablets. These services often provide additional features such as cloud storage, integration with other business tools, and enhanced security measures.

The shift towards these digital faxing solutions is driven by several factors. They're often more cost-effective than maintaining traditional fax machines, as they eliminate the need for paper, ink, and dedicated phone lines. They also offer greater accessibility, allowing users to send and receive faxes from anywhere with an internet connection.

Furthermore, these digital alternatives are often more environmentally friendly, reducing paper waste and energy consumption associated with traditional fax machines. They also tend to be faster and more efficient, providing immediate access to faxed documents without the need to wait for physical printouts.

As we look to the future, it's clear that while the traditional fax machine may be fading, the concept of faxing – securely transmitting document images – remains relevant. The evolution from physical fax machines to online fax services represents a bridge between old and new technologies, allowing businesses to maintain familiar workflows while embracing the benefits of digital communication. Whether for regulatory compliance, security concerns, or simply habit, faxing in some form is likely to remain a part of business communications for years to come.

This and That!

Unleashing the Power of CVCA Intelligence - CVCA’s public quarterly market overview reports provide a deep analysis of the Canadian market, offering a panoramic view of private capital trends and investments. These comprehensive reports utilize data from the CVCA Intelligence platform, Canada’s foremost private capital database. They highlight performance indicators, emerging sectors, and strategic shifts, empowering stakeholders with crucial insights for informed decision-making.

My Take: Insightful information on where VC and PE money is being spent and which exits are driving returns. There links to download both the PE and VC reports.

'It's stressful': Bell files defence in Cape Breton woman's privacy breach lawsuit - Richelle McCormick of Glace Bay filed the civil suit with the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia on July 15 in relation to allegedly having her private information being posted online and shared digitally by an employee when McCormick was a Bell customer. 

My Take: At its root, it’s another story about online bullying taken too far by someone (allegedly) with access to privileged information, and likely in violation of other private governance policies.

Night sky, December 2024: What you can see tonight [maps] - Find out what's up in your night sky during December 2024 and how to see it in this Space.com stargazing guide.

My Take: I just like watching the ISS cross the sky.

Meet 'Blackbird': A flying taxi that spins and moves in any direction thanks to new propulsion system - CycloTech's all-electric flying vehicle 'Blackbird' is a blueprint for an air taxi that uses motors similar to those used for tug boats.

My Take: I watched a “driver” make three attempts to back into a parking spot at my local Starbucks this morning. Three times. No one in either parking spot on either side of the car.

TikTok, Meta Brace for Australian Social Media Ban Fallout - While Australia’s ban is wildly popular with voters — 77% support the move, according to a YouGov survey — it has unleashed a maelstrom of criticism from big tech. Major operators including Meta Platforms Inc. say the rules are ineffective or flawed, while X, owned by self-styled free speech absolutist Elon Musk, questioned whether the ban is lawful, heralding a possible court challenge. Academics worry about the unintended consequences of a blunt ban.

My Take: Will this whole ban work? How will kids over 16 be introduced to social media responsibly? Nice idea, but?

World’s First Mummified Saber-Toothed Cat Found—and It Has Surprisingly Soft Fur - Discovered four years ago when diggers were prospecting for mammoth tusks in the Siberian region of Yakutia in Russia, the mummy’s soft tissues reveal insights into how these Ice Age predators, an extinct species known as Homotherium latidens, hunted and grew—and how they differ from modern-day lions.

My Take: They found this furry friend four years ago and we’re just hearing about this now? Isn’t this how Jurassic Park started?

Infographic Of The Week

For the rankings, Fortune scored business leaders based on the following metrics:

• Business size: Assessed by the market value, profitability, and revenue of each candidate’s company.

• Impact: Degree to which the person is having a positive impact on the world.

• Innovation: Creating products and services that competitors are replicating.

• Business health: Based on operating efficiency, liquidity, and business solvency.

• Trajectory: The candidate’s stage in their career trajectory.

My Take: And by trajectory, they mean to Mars..

Podcast Recommendation

How Selector Built an AI Language Model For Networking

What Selector is doing is NOT simply the low-hanging AI fruit of throwing documentation into a model so you can ask natural language questions and get a procedure back. Selector is going hard into the data your network generates, finding the connections, and surfacing information that makes you better at your job.

Selector calls this a Network Language Model (NLM). We dig into just what that means, how Selector collects and processes network data to train its NLM, and how a networking-trained AI can be incorporated into day-to-day network operations.

Listen Here!

My Take: If this does what they say it does, it’s quite the disrupter.

Selector.AI is among my first guests in the soon-to-be-released “Jason’s Industry Insights - The Podcast”

Movie/Streaming Recommendation

Gladiator II

IMDb: 6.9/10

JMDb: 8/10 ( goodness with maximus violence)

"Gladiator II" charges into theatres with the same epic scale as its predecessor. Ridley Scott's sequel, set 16 years after the original, follows Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal), now an exiled prince in North Africa. The film delivers intense gladiatorial action, including innovative battles featuring baboons and a flooded Colosseum that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

Denzel Washington dominates the screen as Macrinus, bringing a powerful presence to every scene. The dual emperors, portrayed by Joseph Quinn and Fred , present a decadent and corrupt ruling class, adding depth to the political intrigue.

Scott's direction shines in the action sequences, creating visually stunning set pieces that rival the original. While the plot may not match the first film's straightforward narrative, "Gladiator II" offers plenty of spectacle, brutal combat, and political machinations to satisfy fans of the franchise and newcomers alike.

Semper ubi, sub ubi, my friends.

Until Next Time

Comments here are my own and do not represent the opinions, views or thoughts of any person, company or organization I may be associated with.

Feedback, comments and ideas are welcomed. Message me on LinkedIn or contact me at [email protected]