Broadband Pulse

Endeavor Business Media

In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we will address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights on these topics from industry leaders.

  1. 3D AGO

    Broadcom facilitates the self-driving campus Wi-Fi network environment

    It’s clear that the campus Wi-Fi environment is evolving toward AI-driven operations, mandatory Wi-Fi 6E/7 upgrades, and high-density coverage to support the growth of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and IoT-enabled environments. Industry watchers note that the rapid adoption of Wi-Fi 6E and 7 is crucial to handle increased capacity, lower latency, and higher speeds required by video conferencing and high-density environments. Looking ahead, Dell’Oro noted that Wi-Fi 7 adoption and the introduction of Wi-Fi 8 APs will continue to fuel demand for multi-gig ports. In response to these trends, Broadcom recently released its Wi-Fi 8 access point (AP) and switch solution, purpose-built with a unified architecture for AI-ready enterprise networks. Building on its Wi-Fi 8 radios launched in October 2025, the new enterprise-grade Wi-Fi 8 AP platform is powered by a new accelerated processing unit (APU) chip, the BCM49438, designed to optimize wireless networking and AI acceleration at the enterprise edge. Also, Broadcom unveiled an enterprise-grade switch platform powered by a new Ethernet switch, the Trident X3+ BCM56390, with Broadcom’s multigigabit PHY and PoE power sourcing equipment (PSE) chips. The company says these platforms form a unified architecture that maximizes the performance, efficiency and security for the Wi-Fi 8 wireless network in the enterprise. In this latest Broadband Pulse podcast, we talked to two key members of Broadcom’s Wi-Fi team making efforts to advance enterprise Wi-Fi: Mike Powell, director of product Management, wireless broadband communications at Broadcom And Ashok Raman, principal product line manager for Broadcom's core switching group Here's a timeline of the interview's key moments: Opening | 0:00 Host introduction of guests | 0:03 Wi-Fi campus evolution | 0:49 Powell and Rahman discuss how hybrid work environments and new security threats are changing the enterprise Wi-Fi landscape. Wi-Fi 8’s emergence | 3:34 The Wi-Fi 8 standard includes built-in capabilities to track, react to, and monitor latency. Broadcom's new enterprise-grade Wi-Fi AP platform | 5:27 The new platform integrates enterprise AI and AI core processors. Self-driving enterprise Wi-Fi networks | 6:45 Powell explores how Broadcom’s platform can help enterprise Wi-Fi platforms self-diagnose problems. A unified architecture | 8:47 Rahman discusses why it was important to deploy the access point (AP) and the switch platforms together.   Vertical segment targets |12:15 Broadcom’s platforms could be a strong fit for data-intensive environments, including the public sector, manufacturing, and healthcare. Campus Wi-Fi telemetry capabilities | 14:58 How the platform could provide visibility across large enterprise campus environments. IEEE 1588 precision time protocol’s role | 15:34 How the 1588 protocol for time stamping, latency and jitter requirements has been adapted for Wi-Fi environments.    Final thoughts/closing | 19:46 Powell and Rahman provide the Broadband Pulse with their final thoughts about the state of the campus Wi-Fi market. About our guests Mike Powell, director of product Management, wireless broadband communications at Broadcom As Director of Marketing and Product Management within Broadcom’s wireless broadband communications unit, he sets the strategic goals, organizational vision, and roadmap for software and silicon platforms with a solid focus on customer relationships and business growth. Powell has contributed to the development of Wi-Fi 8, which is positioned as a foundation for secure, intelligent enterprise AI edge networks. He has been involved in developing Broadcom’s NitroQAM modulation technology and has worked closely with industry standards regarding Wi-Fi Wave 2 certification. Powell joined Broadcom through Broadcom’s acquisition of LVL7 Systems in early 2006. Earlier, Powell served as Large Enterprise Direct Account Manager at IBM. And Ashok Raman, principal product line manager for Broadcom's core switching group Ashok Raman has over 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, spanning roles from chip design to product management. In his current role, he has product management responsibility for multiple generations of industry-leading switches for the enterprise campus and datacenter. Previously, he held engineering roles at Intel and a variety of startups. He holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, an MSEE from Virginia Tech, and an Exec MBA from UC Berkeley.   About the Podcast  In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

    23 min

  2. FEB 9

    Marvell's Chugh on creating a co-packaged optics (CPO) ecosystem

    Marvell has put itself squarely in the AI race by refocusing its efforts on developing data center products and solutions. One of those key areas is co-packaged optics (CPO). Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) integrates optical components (lasers, photodetectors) directly with electrical processing chips (ASICs) in the same package, overcoming limitations of traditional pluggable modules by drastically shortening signal paths. Having divested other assets, including its automotive business, Marvell is positioning itself in the data center industry. The company made two key acquisitions in 2025 to bolster its data center capabilities: Celestial AI and XConn Technologies. Celestial AI’s Photonic Fabric technology platform enables optical I/O for package-, system-, and rack-level connectivity in data center infrastructure. Marvell’s acquisition of XConn broadens its data center switching portfolio with PCIe and CXL products, supporting next-generation AI and cloud infrastructure. Earlier in the year, it debuted a custom AI accelerator (XPU) architecture with integrated co-packaged optics (CPO) technology.  In this new podcast, we talked to Rishi Chugh, Vice President and General Manager, Data Center Switch Business Unit, with Marvell. Here's a timeline of the interview's key moments: Opening | 0:00 Host introduction of guests | 0:03 Marvell's push into the data center market | 0:35 Chugh addresses how Marvell has deep roots in the switching and connectivity side of the industry. The co-packaged optics CPO opportunity | 2:22 How CPO has become a natural progression for Marvell. CPO’s influence on power | 5:24 Addressing how CPO can achieve greater efficiency. Data center scale-up | 6:47 The role of scale-up systems in the development of CPO and other technologies. CPO skill sets | 8:33 CPO’s success will require a range of skill sets, power delivery, cooling, cable management, connectors, and optics working in concert. Complementing CPO | 10:40 How scale-up technologies and CPO will work in tandem with switching technologies and Network Interface Cards (NICs) in scale-up scenarios.   Final thoughts/closing | 13:04 Rishi Chugh shares his final thoughts about how Marvell is collaborating with equipment manufacturers, interconnect companies and fiber manufacturers to ensure that there’s an infrastructure for delivering a successful CPO-based system. About our guest Rishi Chugh currently serves as Vice President and General Manager of the Data Center Switch Business Unit at Marvell. Before joining Marvell, he served as Vice President of Product Marketing at Cadence Design Systems and Senior Director of Product Marketing at Cavium, Inc., with a focus on ARM Server CPUs. His career also includes significant roles at Broadcom, Altera, and LSI Logic Corporation, where Rishi contributed to product strategy, market analysis, and product lifecycle management in the networking and semiconductor industries. He holds an MBA in Marketing from Santa Clara University, an MS in Electrical Engineering with a focus on VLSI Design from San Jose State University, and an undergraduate degree in Electronics from Thadomal Shahani Engineering College. In this new podcast, we talked to Rishi Chugh, VP and General Manager of Data Sense Data Center Switch Business Unit with Marvell.  About the Podcast  In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

    17 min

  3. FEB 2

    Ripple Fiber’s Wilson on disrupting the broadband market with a super local approach

    Ripple Fiber sees an opportunity to address America’s underinvestment in fiber broadband infrastructure. The company, founded by broadband entrepreneur Greg Wilson, views itself as a disruptor in the U.S. fiber broadband market. In this latest episode, we talked with Greg Wilson, founder and CEO of Ripple Fiber, a Charlotte-based independent fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) provider founded in 2021. Greg leads the company's expansion, which aims to build 1.5 million new passings across 15 states over the next five years, following a 2025 merger with fellow fiber broadband provider Hyperfiber. Here's a timeline of the interview's key moments: Opening | 0:00 Host introduction of guests | 0:03 Ripple Fiber's emergence | 0:39 Wilson notes that underinvestment in the nation’s fiber networks has left the door open for disruptors like Ripple to deploy new broadband infrastructure. The Ripple Fiber brand | 2:15 With a focus on optimism, the Ripple Fiber brand centers on how communities can create opportunities through fiber. A local feel | 3:42 Unlike traditional cable operators and telcos, Ripple focuses on establishing a strong local presence in each market it serves.  Working with communities | 5:14 How Ripple Fiber will engage with community leaders to understand their priorities. Broadband competition | 6:59 Ripple Fiber is looking to be honest with its customers with straightforward pricing, no hidden costs and no bandwidth restrictions. Cable’s response | 8:52 In the markets Ripple enters, the provider sees local cable operators upgrading their DOCSIS platforms and implementing enhanced retention strategies but not building out fiber-based broadband. Ripple Fiber’s expansion strategy | 9:54 The company has created an advanced data set and algorithm to identify underserved and unserved broadband markets. Broadband provider consolidation |12:04 Wilson predicts that 2026 will be a busy year for mergers and acquisitions in the fiber broadband market. Fiber broadband speeds |12:51 Wilson notes that its fiber network supports 10 Gbps and that it will release a new 5 Gbps product soon. Business services |14:22 While Ripple Fiber has focused on residential customers, the service provider plans to launch a business-grade service soon. Wholesale services | 16:06 Today, Ripple Fiber’s focus is on providing fiber broadband to homes and businesses, but Wilson said it has the network capability to address data centers, enterprises and wireless backhaul opportunities as they arise. Convergence | 17:15 Ripple plans to keep its product set simple with a continual focus on providing high-speed fiber-based broadband services. Fiber shortages |17:38 While there have been reports of fiber shortages, Ripple Fiber maintains that, because it has already planned with its supplier, it does not foresee any issues. Final thoughts | 18:44 Greg Wilson shares his final thoughts about Ripple Fiber’s disruptive approach to the fiber broadband market.   About the Podcast  In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

    21 min

  4. JAN 26

    Mission Telecom addresses E-Rate cuts with new unlimited wireless services

    When the FCC cut E-Rate funding for mobile hotspots & school bus Wi-Fi in September 2025, it threatened internet access for millions of students – hitting low-income and rural students hardest and worsening the digital divide. Nearly 20K schools & libraries were counting on more than $27.5 million to ensure children and families stay connected, but now they’ve been left out to dry.  But Mission Telecom is serving up a solution to protect affordable Wi-Fi access with a new offer to cover the loss of the revoked E-rate subsidies. The service provider is offering unlimited 4G/5G service at any applicant’s post-discount share of cost on their 471 through June 30, 2026. The new offer builds on Mission Telecom’s Mission-Connect, launched in July, which helped schools and libraries stay connected amidst E-rate uncertainty. Mission-Connect plan delivers affordable, unlimited wireless broadband to schools and libraries with pricing up to 65% below market rates and no contracts. In this new Broadband Pulse podcast, we talked with Mark Colwell, director of broadband operations at Mission Telecom, about how its new offer will make schools and library budgets whole after the E-Rate cuts. Here's a timeline of the interview's key moments: Opening | 0:00 Host introduction of guests |0:03 Mission Telecom’s background | 0:20 How Mission Telecom began its life providing educational TV using MMDS spectrum, and later leased spectrum to the broadband wireless operator Clearwire, now T-Mobile. FCC’s E-Rate eligibility| 2:04 Mission Telecom is providing an alternative service to schools and libraries for Wi-Fi on buses and wireless hotspots, which was cut from the E-Rate program. Mission’s Wi-Fi program | 3:56 Mission’s broadband program now has over 120 partners (schools and libraries). Schools and libraries benefiting from Mission’s program| 5:15 Littleton Public Schools (Colorado), Baltimore Public Library, York County Library (Charlotte, NC) and Boston Public Library are all trialing or using Mission’s wireless services. Mission Telecom’s Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) partnership | 6:20 Advocating for libraries as a key piece in solving the digital divide. Rural communities | 8:02 Mission is helping rural communities through its partnership with T-Mobile, whose low-band spectrum and 5G coverage is a good fit for smaller communities.   Computers 4 People partnership | 9:33 How Mission Telecom works with various non-profit organizations that refurbish devices. Looking towards 2026 and final thoughts | 10:49 Colwell shares how Mission Telecom is gaining traction in the school and library space and how communities are seeking affordability and a way to support their communities. Meet our guest: Mark Colwell is the Interim Executive Director and the Director of Broadband Operations. Before joining Mission Telecom, Mark served as the Senior Manager of Broadband Programs for the Colorado Broadband Office, where he managed a team overseeing federal broadband grant programs, including the Capital Projects Fund (CPF) and the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. In addition, Mark was appointed by Governor Polis to serve on the Colorado Broadband Deployment Board, funding state and federal grants to connect unserved and underserved Coloradans. Colwell began his career as a Legislative Assistant in the U.S. Congress, focusing on telecommunications, spectrum, rural broadband, and IT issues. He also worked as a Senior Business Operations Analyst at DISH Network, managing projects focused on delivering world-class customer experience. Mark earned a master's degree from the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program at the University of Colorado-Boulder, graduating at the top of his class. About the Podcast  In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

    14 min

  5. JAN 19

    Astound Broadband's Sonne on BEAD, broadband partnerships and penetrating MDUs

    In this new Broadband Pulse podcast, we talked to Jared Sonne, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Astound West Region. During the session, Sonne addressed how Astound Broadband is approaching new opportunities with the government's BEAD program, community and commercial broadband partnerships and its ongoing penetration into the multi-dwelling unit (MDU) market.  About the Podcast  In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

    22 min

  6. JAN 16

    Comcast, Dobson Fiber and Spectrum deepen broadband roots in new communities

    In this latest issue of Building Broadband, we’re tracking new broadband deployments from various providers. Today, we’re breaking the summary into two parts—highlighting builds for the weeks ending January 16 and January 9. For the week of January 16, we’re tracking deployments from Comcast, Dobson Fiber, Glo Fiber, Spectrum, STELLAR Broadband and Ziply Fiber. Then, for the week of January 8, we tracked deployments from Burlington Telecom, Comcast, Fybe, GoNetspeed, Ripple Fiber and Spectrum. About the Podcast  In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

    11 min

  7. JAN 12

    Broadcom on building Wi-Fi 8 for the AI edge

    Unlike previous generations of Wi-Fi that focused on speed, the upcoming Wi-Fi 8 standard (IEEE 802.11bn) focuses on enabling Ultra High Reliability (UHR), consistency, and lower latency in real-world, interference-prone environments.  Broadcom is taking on the Wi-Fi 8 opportunity full force. As AI reshapes how data moves, Broadcom is taking on Wi-Fi 8 with its recently launched BCM4918 Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) and two new dual-band Wi-Fi 8 devices, the BCM6714 and BCM6719.  In this episode, we talked to two key members of Broadcom’s Wi-Fi group about how it is addressing the emerging Wi-Fi 8 opportunity: In this episode, we talked two key members of Broadcom’s Wi-Fi group: Chris Szymanski, director of product marketing for the Wireless Broadband Communications for Broadcom And Kevin Narimatsu, associate director of product marketing for Wireless Broadband Communications at Broadcom Here's a timeline of the interview's key moments: Opening | 0:00 Host introduction of guests | 0:03 Broadcom’s CES perspective | 0:44 Szymanski shares his views about the show’s Wi-Fi trends. Broadcom’s Wi-Fi 8 ecosystem | 2:12 Narimatsu talks about Broadcom’s new Wi-Fi 8 chips: the BCM 6719 and the BCM 6714. The AI factor | 3:53 Szymanski discusses how AI is impacting next-gen Wi-Fi. Enterprise Wi-Fi trends | 7:10 Szymanski discusses how to deliver seamless Wi-Fi performance for enterprises. Broadcom’s multi-band Wi-Fi support | 11:18 Narimatsu explains that integrating multiple bands enables it to offer a platform at a similar cost point to Wi-Fi 7. Addressing vertical markets | 12:19 Szymanski addresses how Broadcom licenses its Wi-Fi technology for other adjacent markets like automotive. Addressing cost-sensitive Wi-Fi markets | 14:29 Narimatsu sees opportunities for Broadcom to accommodate the unique broadband market dynamics in Europe and other regions. Final thoughts and closing |16:37 Szymanski and Narimatsu provide their final thoughts about their new Wi-Fi platforms and how the market will continue to evolve. About our guests Chris Szymanski, director of product marketing for the Wireless Broadband Communications for Broadcom Christopher Szymanski is Director of Product Marketing for Broadcom Inc.’s Mobile Connectivity Division, with a focus on technology strategy, spectrum policy, regulatory affairs, and standards development. Mr. Szymanski serves as Director on the Wi-Fi Alliance Board and the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Board. Prior to taking on this role, Mr. Szymanski served as Global Trade Compliance Officer, Director of Global Regulatory Affairs, and Secretary of the Political Activity Committee (PAC) for Broadcom Corporation. Before joining Broadcom, Szymanski lived in China for over four years, serving in a compliance and government relations role for a semiconductor foundry. For the last three of those years in China, he also served as co-chair of the Export Compliance Working Group (ECWG) of the American Chamber of Commerce to improve the U.S.-China high-tech trade relationship. Prior to working in China, Szymanski served on Capitol Hill for Congressman Don Manzullo, the House Committee on Small Business, and the U.S.-China Interparliamentary Exchange, advising on manufacturing, trade, and defense policies and accompanying and hosting official delegations to and from China. Szymanski received his master’s in business administration (MBA) from the Washington University Olin School of Business, with a focus on leadership in China. And Kevin Narimatsu, associate director of product marketing for Wireless Broadband Communications at Broadcom Narimatsu leads Broadcom’s business development and product marketing team focused on the WLAN retail and service-provider router and OTT video streaming markets. During his tenure at Broadcom, he also served as the associate director of business development for Japan and as the Cisco account manager. Earlier in his career, he held sales and engineering roles at Vitesse Semiconductor and LSI Logic. Narimatsu holds a bachelor’s degree, Electrical Engineering and Economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. About the Podcast  In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

    21 min

  8. JAN 5

    Comcast lights up broadband for underserved in underserved NJ communities

    In this Building Broadband episode of Broadband Pulse, we're tracking new broadband deployments from Comcast, Digital C, Intrepid Fiber Networks, Optimum, Shentel, STELLAR Broadband, and Wyyered Fiber.  About the Podcast  In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

    7 min
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About

In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we will address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights on these topics from industry leaders.

Information

  • Creator
    Endeavor Business Media
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    94
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Broadband Pulse