Senza Fili Sparring Partners

SenzaFili

Opinionated conversations in telecoms with Monica Paolini, Senza Fili, and her guests. Networks should be open, and so should our discussions on them.

  1. 4d ago

    London, Berlin, New York: Where is indoor connectivity at its best and worst? With Luke Kehoe at Ookla

    We all know that most traffic (80% or even more) comes from indoors and most of it goes through Wi-Fi (another 80%). This means that cellular is not doing very well indoors, which is something we experience all the time. Yet, reliable data on how bad indoor coverage is has been hard to get. Luke Kehoe, Lead Analyst at Ookla, has embarked on a project to measure indoor connectivity accurately and has done so in London, Berlin and New York. In this Sparring Partners, we discuss the methodology, the results and the implications of the research. Not surprisingly, the results confirm that, yes, indoor coverage is poor, but possibly even poorer than we (or at least I) would have guessed. It is not a name-and-shame exercise though (spoiler: London does not come out too well), because the reasons and the distribution of bad indoor coverage vary across locations and reveal a diverse set of challenges and ways to deal with them. But I won’t say more. This is a discussion packed with new information and food for thought, so watch or listen to it. You can watch the video of this podcast on Sparring Partners on Substack Read Luke’s article on his preliminary results here.

  2. Jul 31

    Quantum to scale AI and solve token economy bottlenecks. With Julio Gonzalez-Saenz at Vodafone

    AI is power hungry. The token economy is both a necessity to allocate limited resources and monetize AI, but also imposes constraints on its adoption. What’s the solution to this? In this Sparring Partners, Julio Gonzalez-Saenz, AI Champion at Vodafone UK, makes the case for quantum as a technology that allows us to scale the adoption of AI by reducing its computational and power requirements and limiting token-economy bottlenecks. The contribution of quantum in telecom networks: Optimize use of data center resources Overcome AI token anxiety Reduce GPU requirements Create new real-world use cases for AI Reduce energy consumption You can watch the video of this podcast on Sparring Partners on Substack More on Senza Fili at https://senzafili.com

  3. Jul 20

    Data sharing and open interfaces for AI optimization. With Paul Patras at Net AI and the University of Edinburgh

    We know that AI models need high-quality, reliable data to produce good outcomes. But do operators have access to the data and can share it across vendors? Do we have the standards in place to facilitate this, and are they sufficient to share data reliably? In this episode of Sparring Partners, Paul Patras, CEO and Co-founder of NetAI and Professor of Mobile Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh, works on these issues on a daily basis and takes us through how shared and synthetic data and standards are essential to effective AI deployment in the telco networks, and what to do when the necessary is not accessible. What we talked about: Why is it difficult and yet necessary to share data Standards are crucial, but not sufficient Collaboration within the ecosystem is crucial to success Digital twins and synthetic data are a valuable complement to network data   You can watch the video of this podcast on Sparring Partners on Substack More on Senza Fili at https://senzafili.com

  4. Jul 12

    Operators are not like FIFA. Uncut analyst views from Chris Lewis and Monica Paolini

    I have to admit: I got stumped while looking for a title. Gemini was also stumped and offered no helpful suggestions. I think this is because Chris Lewis at Lewis Insight and I took a very broad look at the current telco environment and tried to extrapolate where it is going, leveraging seven decades of combined life in telecoms, and openly talking about our hopes and our fears. It felt like a cathartic experience, as Chris put it after we recorded it, and we left nothing untouched. And we went on a tangent about why mobile operators may want to be like FIFA, but they are unlikely to succeed. And that's a good thing. We talked about Wi-Fi, enterprise, private networks, NTN, utilities, data centers, hyperscalers, 5G, 6G, AI, AI-generated traffic, monetization, IT, China, and the need for better storytelling and efficiency in telecom. And I certainly left out some other topics we covered. You can watch the video of this podcast on Substack’s Sparring Partners. All content and subscriptions are free. More on Senza Fili at https://senzafili.com

  5. Jul 1

    Small cell’s new definition includes all non-macro infrastructure. With Simon Fletcher, Small Cell Forum

    Small cells have come of age. They are no longer the rebellious teenager on the fringe. They have reached a more mature stage, offering multiple complementary solutions to address insufficient coverage, capacity and reliability in indoor venues and dense outdoor environments. These are the locations where the macro infrastructure is not well-suited to provide both the performance and cost efficiency we need. In this Sparring Partners, Simon Fletcher, CSO at the Small Cell Forum and CEO at Real Wireless, and I reflect on what we heard and talked about at the Small Cell Forum Summit, and how that fits into the evolution of small cells. We covered a lot of ground: Reliability, not just capacity, crucial for indoor coverage Neutral hosts and shared infrastructure Small cells and macro cells Small cells and DAS Small cells and Wi-Fi The need for a new regulatory approach You can watch the video of this podcast on Substack’s Sparring Partners. Subscriptions and content are free to all. More on Senza Fili at https://senzafili.com

  6. Jun 21

    Customers, not technologies, drive telco monetization. With Faiq Khan at Rakuten Symphony

    Clearly, we have not nailed down monetization in telecoms. After decades of double-digit CAGR, revenues have flattened or declined. 4G did not reverse the trend. 5G did not either. AI and 6G will likely be more of the same. Why is it so? And can we change it? Faiq Khan offered an intriguing view on monetization, drawing from his work across different countries, with vendors and operators and, finally, at Rakuten, an operator with a distinctive approach to monetization. We talked about how in telecom, we focus more on technology than on its users, and what we can learn from other verticals and services: Prioritizing business strategies over technology innovation Learning from coffee shops: Monetizing experiences, not connectivity. Capturing wallet share with airline-style loyalty plans. Developing skills to unlock non-telecom revenue streams. More on the topic in this report from Rakuten Symphony You can watch the video of this podcast on Substack’s Sparring Partners. All content and subscriptions are free. More on Senza Fili at https://senzafili.com

  7. Jun 12

    Scalable AI and token reduction with data curation. With Rick Fulwiler, NETSCOUT

    AI promises higher efficiency, more automation and greater user experience. Yet it may also fail to scale or to deliver, or require more resources than it saves. How to get the good sides of AI and protect network operations from its challenges? In this Sparring Partners, I talked with Rick Fulwiler, Senior Director Product Management at NETSCOUT, about how to make AI efficient through token reduction and how this is done primarily by curating the data to make sure the AI models and agents don’t get sidetracked or tempted to hallucinate. Data curation is not just about selecting accurate data. It is about figuring out which data sources, and at what granularity, are relevant to the user's intent. In a way, this is an art steeped in human expertise, but it has to recognize that the data is used by AI rather than humans. These are some of the highlights of our conversation: Why AI struggles with traditional network KPIs Packet data versus alarms and dashboards Data curation reduces cost and improves accuracy AI agents need governance and transparency More from NETSCOUT   More on Senza Fili at https://senzafili.com Sign up for the mailing list at https://senzafili.com/senza-fili-mailing-list/ to receive invitations to Sparring Partners events and updates on what we do.

  8. Jun 5

    Resiliency, quantum security, and sovereign clouds: A holistic approach to network de-risking. With Caroline Chappell at CC Squared

    AI and quantum can strengthen network security and resilience, but can also amplify vulnerabilities and expand the scope for security attacks. We need a new approach to cybersecurity in an era of geopolitical tensions, AI and quantum, and increased reliance on telecom networks to protect us. In this Sparring Partners, I spoke with Caroline Chappell, a fellow independent analyst and founder of CC Squared, about how a holistic approach to derisking network infrastructure can improve security and resilience and create new services and revenue streams for operators. Resiliency coming to the forefront Security and resiliency as a unified strategy that works across network elements and services Sovereign cloud and infrastructure tradeoffs Premium resiliency and security as revenue-generating enterprise services More on Senza Fili at https://senzafili.com Sign up for the mailing list at https://senzafili.com/senza-fili-mailing-list/ to receive invitations to Sparring Partners events and updates on what we do.

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About

Opinionated conversations in telecoms with Monica Paolini, Senza Fili, and her guests. Networks should be open, and so should our discussions on them.

Information

  • Creator
    SenzaFili
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    108
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Senza Fili Sparring Partners

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