In this episode of Wavelengths, the Amphenol Broadband Solutions podcast, host Daniel Litwin continues his exploration of Europe’s broadband transformation with returning guest Carsten Engelke, Director of Technology at ANGA, joined by Dr. Anthony Basham, VP of Active Products for the EMEA region at Netceed and President of SCTE.

As Europe pushes toward a gigabit future, the path forward is proving far more complex than a simple fiber rollout. Operators across the region are balancing political pressure for universal high-speed connectivity with the commercial realities of legacy infrastructure, fragmented regulatory regimes, uneven investment models, and the ongoing challenge of convincing customers to migrate from networks that still function “well enough.” At the same time, sustainability, interoperability, cybersecurity, and life-cycle planning are becoming just as important as raw speed.

Engelke and Basham bring two complementary vantage points to this conversation—one rooted in the operator and policy conversations shaping Europe’s rollout, and the other grounded in product strategy, standards, and the practical realities of deployment across the EMEA region. Together, they unpack why Europe’s broadband market is moving in multiple directions at once, what hybrid network coexistence means in practice, and why the future of broadband in Europe will depend as much on coordination and standards as on fiber itself.

Key Discussion Highlights:

• Europe Is Not One Broadband Story: Basham makes clear that Europe’s fiber market is not progressing in a single unified direction. Instead, it is evolving across multiple national markets at different speeds, shaped by distinct regulatory frameworks, infrastructure legacies, and investment strategies—from mature Nordic and UK deployments to slower-moving markets still working through transition hurdles.

• Build Phase vs. Execution Phase: The guests describe Europe as being both in build mode and in a more difficult execution phase. While fiber deployment itself is progressing, the challenge now is less about proving the technology and more about persuading customers, operators, and investors to make the leap from still-functional legacy systems to next-generation networks.

• Policy Ambition vs. Commercial Reality: A central theme of the conversation is the tension between Europe’s political ambition for universal gigabit access and the real-world economics of making that happen. Governments can define targets and fund strategic deployments, but operators still have to justify return on investment, pace network upgrades responsibly, and manage the realities of labor, construction, and customer demand.

• The Hybrid Network Reality: Europe’s broadband present remains deeply hybrid—blending legacy copper, DOCSIS, coax, fixed wireless, mobile, and multiple PON architectures alongside new FTTH deployments. Rather than a clean “old-to-new” shift, the market is living through a long coexistence period where multiple technologies must be supported, operated, and monetized in parallel.

• Why Interoperability Matters More Than Ever: Engelke argues that one of fiber’s missing ingredients is the kind of interoperability discipline that helped DOCSIS scale successfully. Without more standardized, broadly usable equipment and cross-vendor compatibility—especially at the customer premises level—Europe risks slowing adoption and increasing complexity for operators and end users alike.

• Sustainability and Circularity as Long-Term Design Principles: Basham emphasizes that Europe is not trying to build a network for the next decade, but for the next several decades. That makes sustainability, circularity, and life-cycle thinking essential—from passive optical infrastructure longevity to the recovery, refurbishment, and replacement strategy for CPEs, ONTs, and other active electronics.

• Legacy Switch-Offs Will Be a Major Inflection Point: One of the clearest accelerants for fiber adoption will be the eventual switch-off of copper networks. As long as legacy services continue working, migration pressure stays muted. But once those systems are retired, markets will be forced to adopt new infrastructure more decisively.

• AI, Automation, and Proactive Network Operations: The discussion also highlights how AI can help operators not just manage future fiber networks, but build and maintain them more intelligently—from route planning during construction to proactive maintenance and customer support once services are live. The opportunity, they argue, is to design automation and resilience into the network from the start rather than layering it onto legacy systems later.

• The Goal Is Clear, but the Path Is Not Simple: Both guests agree that Europe’s destination is not in question: fiber-based, resilient, secure, long-life connectivity. The real challenge is managing the transition without destabilizing the legacy networks millions still rely on today, while aligning operators, policymakers, suppliers, and investors around a more coordinated path forward.

This episode expands the earlier conversation on Europe’s fiber future by widening the lens beyond deployment alone. It shows a market in transition—one where technological readiness is no longer the biggest barrier, but where standards, timing, policy alignment, and customer migration will define how quickly Europe reaches its broadband ambitions.

In this episode of Wavelengths, the Amphenol Broadband Solutions podcast, host Daniel Litwin sits down with Charles Dillard and Marion Nowosatko—both Training Managers at Amphenol Broadband Solutions—to share a practical, modern playbook for building broadband training programs that scale.

As networks modernize faster than teams can absorb new tools, workflows, and expectations, training has shifted from a support function to a strategic advantage. Customers demand first-visit resolution, fiber footprints continue to expand, and field teams are expected to master evolving toolchains without slowing production. In this conversation, Dillard and Nowosatko break down how top operators treat training like an internal product—blending in-house capability with vendor partnerships, leveraging third-party certifications, and designing learning formats that actually stick.

Drawing on decades of field and curriculum experience, the guests outline what works today across bench training, guided field time, micro-learnings, and structured mentorship—plus how to balance hands-on realism with the need for consistency at scale.

Key Discussion Highlights:

• Build vs. Buy for Training Programs: Dillard and Nowosatko explain why in-house training sends an immediate signal of investment in employee growth while enabling tighter alignment to company-specific specs, processes, and quality standards—something off-the-shelf vendor training often can’t fully deliver.

• When a Blended Model Makes Sense: Rather than treating it as “either/or,” the discussion frames internal and external training as complementary—especially when vendors can cover specialized equipment while internal teams focus on installation practices, troubleshooting workflows, and the real-world standards technicians are held to.

• Partnering with Manufacturers the Right Way: The guests emphasize treating manufacturer relationships as true partnerships—not just product sales—where training is part of ensuring equipment performs correctly in the field. They highlight practical delivery methods like tech-meeting drop-ins, short-form micro-learning videos, and on-site field support that reinforces learning after initial rollout.

• Why Third-Party Certifications Matter More Now: Certifications are positioned as both a workforce motivator and a transferable industry signal. For technicians, credentials provide recognition and career mobility; for employers, they reduce hiring risk by validating baseline knowledge and discipline. The guests stress the value of pairing certifications with meaningful recognition programs.

• Designing Hands-On Labs That Are Realistic and Affordable: To make hands-on training feasible, they recommend leveraging vendor equipment support, repurposing retired or nonfunctional field gear for mockups, and standardizing lab builds so training stays consistent across locations—even when replicated nationally.

• E-Learning That Actually Works at Scale: The episode makes the case that e-learning is essential for standardizing safety, theory, and specs across geographies—especially for dispersed teams. The guests advocate for e-learning that teaches techs how to find answers (not just memorize them), and for using digital modules as refreshers long after initial training.

• Structuring On-the-Job Training Without Killing Productivity: A standout operational tip: flip the ride-along dynamic by placing new hires into production quickly so the seasoned technician assists on the new hire’s assigned jobs. This reduces metric pressure on mentors and creates more intentional coaching rather than passive shadowing.

• How to Think About True Blended Learning: The conversation closes by encouraging operators to bucket training into what must be hands-on versus what can be standardized digitally. Meeting learners where they are—especially younger, device-native techs—means building lightweight, mobile-accessible micro-learnings that fit into field downtime without forcing a return to the classroom.

This episode delivers a practical checklist for operators building training programs in 2026 and beyond—where the goal isn’t just knowledge transfer, but repeatable, scalable performance in the field.

In this episode of Wavelengths, the Amphenol Broadband Solutions podcast, host Daniel Litwin continues his conversation with Alex Rozek, Founder and CEO of Mac Mountain, to examine how technology shifts, capital discipline, and changing consumer expectations reshaped broadband in 2025, and what those changes lock in for the future.

As the broadband industry closes out 2025, momentum has clearly shifted. Fiber and fixed wireless access accelerated subscriber growth, traditional cable continued to lose ground, and satellite connectivity matured into a meaningful, if supplemental,piece of the ecosystem. At the same time, midstream changes to BEAD funding rules, rising data consumption, and the rapid adoption of AI-driven applications have pushed operators to rethink how networks are financed, built, and operated.

Rozek brings a pragmatic, builder-focused perspective to the conversation, grounded in unit economics and long-term infrastructure thinking. In Part 2 of this year-in-review discussion, the focus turns to technology tradeoffs, capital stack strategy, and the question of what 2025 permanently changed about broadband deployment in the United States.

Key Discussion Highlights:

• BEAD Funding Reality Check: Rozek explains why Mac Mountain ultimately chose not to pursue BEAD opportunities in multiple states, citing complexity, compliance costs, and long timelines that often undermine the apparent appeal of grant funding. He contrasts BEAD with alternative financing paths, such as tax-advantaged revenue bonds and private capital, that can accelerate deployment and improve certainty.

• Unit Economics as the North Star: Rather than leading with subsidies, Rozek emphasizes starting with unit economics all-in cost per subscriber, expected ARPU, and long-term cash flow, to determine whether a project makes sense. He outlines a benchmark model where disciplined costs and scalable operations drive attractive returns on invested capital over time.

• Capital Stack Evolution: The conversation details how healthy broadband capital stacks evolve as networks scale, moving from private equity and term loans to warehouse facilities and, eventually, asset-backed securitizations. Rozek notes that while capital availability remains strong in 2025, discipline and sequencing matter more than ever.

• Fiber vs. Fixed Wireless vs. Satellite: Rozek breaks down the physical and economic realities that differentiate connectivity technologies. Fiber’s superior bandwidth, durability, and long-term cost profile position it as the dominant solution for most homes, while fixed wireless and low-Earth-orbit satellites like Starlink play important supplemental roles in hard-to-serve or low-density areas.

• Why Cable Is Struggling: Rising upload demand, AI-driven workloads, cloud-based content creation, and multi-terabyte monthly usage are straining legacy cable architectures. Even with DOCSIS 4.0 upgrades, Rozek argues coax faces structural limits compared to fiber’s scalability.

• AI and the Bandwidth Inflection Point: From video conferencing to generative AI tools, Rozek highlights how rapidly growing upstream and downstream data needs are redefining what “adequate” connectivity means, reinforcing fiber’s role as essential infrastructure rather than a premium upgrade.

• What 2025 Locked In: Reflecting on the year, Rozek suggests 2025 may mark the moment when the question shifted from “Why do we need this?” to “How do we get it?” For consumers, developers, municipalities, and policymakers alike, high-quality broadband is increasingly viewed as foundational, on par with electrification or transportation infrastructure.

This episode builds on the financing and service-model themes from Part 1, adding a deeper examination of technology tradeoffs and long-term infrastructure strategy. Together, the two-part series captures a broadband industry in transition, moving from experimentation and debate toward clearer standards, expectations, and execution paths.

In this episode of Wavelengths, the Amphenol Broadband Solutions podcast, host Daniel Litwin continues his conversation with Alex Rozek, Founder and CEO of Mac Mountain, to examine how technology shifts, capital discipline, and changing consumer expectations reshaped broadband in 2025, and what those changes lock in for the future.

As the broadband industry closes out 2025, momentum has clearly shifted. Fiber and fixed wireless access accelerated subscriber growth, traditional cable continued to lose ground, and satellite connectivity matured into a meaningful, if supplemental,piece of the ecosystem. At the same time, midstream changes to BEAD funding rules, rising data consumption, and the rapid adoption of AI-driven applications have pushed operators to rethink how networks are financed, built, and operated.

Rozek brings a pragmatic, builder-focused perspective to the conversation, grounded in unit economics and long-term infrastructure thinking. In Part 2 of this year-in-review discussion, the focus turns to technology tradeoffs, capital stack strategy, and the question of what 2025 permanently changed about broadband deployment in the United States.

Key Discussion Highlights:

• BEAD Funding Reality Check: Rozek explains why Mac Mountain ultimately chose not to pursue BEAD opportunities in multiple states, citing complexity, compliance costs, and long timelines that often undermine the apparent appeal of grant funding. He contrasts BEAD with alternative financing paths, such as tax-advantaged revenue bonds and private capital, that can accelerate deployment and improve certainty.

• Unit Economics as the North Star: Rather than leading with subsidies, Rozek emphasizes starting with unit economics all-in cost per subscriber, expected ARPU, and long-term cash flow, to determine whether a project makes sense. He outlines a benchmark model where disciplined costs and scalable operations drive attractive returns on invested capital over time.

• Capital Stack Evolution: The conversation details how healthy broadband capital stacks evolve as networks scale, moving from private equity and term loans to warehouse facilities and, eventually, asset-backed securitizations. Rozek notes that while capital availability remains strong in 2025, discipline and sequencing matter more than ever.

• Fiber vs. Fixed Wireless vs. Satellite: Rozek breaks down the physical and economic realities that differentiate connectivity technologies. Fiber’s superior bandwidth, durability, and long-term cost profile position it as the dominant solution for most homes, while fixed wireless and low-Earth-orbit satellites like Starlink play important supplemental roles in hard-to-serve or low-density areas.

• Why Cable Is Struggling: Rising upload demand, AI-driven workloads, cloud-based content creation, and multi-terabyte monthly usage are straining legacy cable architectures. Even with DOCSIS 4.0 upgrades, Rozek argues coax faces structural limits compared to fiber’s scalability.

• AI and the Bandwidth Inflection Point: From video conferencing to generative AI tools, Rozek highlights how rapidly growing upstream and downstream data needs are redefining what “adequate” connectivity means, reinforcing fiber’s role as essential infrastructure rather than a premium upgrade.

• What 2025 Locked In: Reflecting on the year, Rozek suggests 2025 may mark the moment when the question shifted from “Why do we need this?” to “How do we get it?” For consumers, developers, municipalities, and policymakers alike, high-quality broadband is increasingly viewed as foundational, on par with electrification or transportation infrastructure.

This episode builds on the financing and service-model themes from Part 1, adding a deeper examination of technology tradeoffs and long-term infrastructure strategy. Together, the two-part series captures a broadband industry in transition, moving from experimentation and debate toward clearer standards, expectations, and execution paths.

In this episode of Wavelengths, the Amphenol Broadband Solutions podcast, host Daniel Litwin sits down with Alex Rozek, Founder and CEO of Mac Mountain, to unpack the defining shifts that shaped the broadband industry in 2025 and what they signal for the years ahead.

As the industry approaches the end of 2025, broadband looks markedly different than it did just a year ago. Fiber and fixed wireless continue to challenge cable’s long-held dominance, BEAD funding has been rewritten midstream, spectrum has changed hands at historic scale, and satellites have emerged as a more viable connectivity option for a growing number of users. At the same time, new operating and financing models are reshaping how networks are built, owned, and operated.

Rozek brings a builder’s perspective to this year-in-review conversation, drawing on his experience investing in, operating, and scaling broadband businesses. In Part 1 of this two-part discussion, the focus centers on financing trends, content shifts, and the growing momentum behind broadband-as-a-service models that treat connectivity less like a one-time construction project and more like a long-term utility.

Key Discussion Highlights:

• The 2025 Financing Landscape: Rozek outlines how broadband remains a capital-intensive business, but one where capital continues to flow, from private credit and municipal bonds to large-scale satellite investments, highlighting how financing structures are evolving alongside network deployment strategies.

• BEAD’s Mid-Flight Reset: He discusses how changes to BEAD funding rules in 2025 expanded eligible technologies and altered expectations around grant availability, forcing operators and communities to rethink how projects are financed and prioritized.

• Content as a Catalyst: Rozek explores how cord-cutting, streaming adoption, and ESPN’s move to a direct-to-consumer streaming model represent a major inflection point—reducing friction for data-only broadband adoption and reshaping how consumers think about connectivity.

• Broadband as a Service Explained: Drawing from firsthand experience with municipal networks and tax-advantaged financing, Rozek explains how separating network assets from operations unlocks lower-cost capital, operational scale, and more sustainable long-term economics.

• Efficiency Through Scale: He details why consolidating billing, network operations, customer service, and systems across multiple networks creates meaningful efficiencies, allowing operators to manage larger footprints without linear cost increases.

This episode sets the foundation for a deeper exploration of how service models, partnerships, and differentiated customer acquisition strategies are redefining broadband deployment. In Part 2, the conversation continues with a closer look at competition across fiber, cable, fixed wireless, and satellite, and how operators can position themselves for long-term success in a rapidly evolving connectivity landscape.

In this episode of Wavelengths, the Amphenol Broadband Solutions podcast, host Daniel Litwin connects with Carsten Engelke, Director of Technology at ANGA, to deliver a comprehensive primer on the European fibre market as it undergoes a major transformation ahead of ANGA COM 2026.

As Europe accelerates its fibre-first strategies, operators, vendors, and policymakers are navigating shifting standards, rising resilience requirements, and changing customer expectations. Engelke brings deep expertise from the intersection of policy, engineering, and operations to break down how Europe’s market differs from the U.S., why the last 100 meters remains a critical challenge, and how emerging tools like AI-supported monitoring will redefine network performance

This conversation offers clarity on where the European market stands today, what is driving its next phase of growth, and how the industry should prepare for the standards, technologies, and operational shifts reshaping fibre deployment and management across the region.

In this episode of Wavelengths, the Amphenol Broadband Solutions podcast, host Daniel Litwin sits down with Chuck Girt, Chief Technology Officer at FiberLight, to explore how broadband innovation is shaping the future of education.

As schools embrace 1:1 devices, cloud-based curriculum, and even emerging AI-driven learning tools, their networks are under more pressure than ever. Girt brings over 35 years of experience deploying enterprise-grade and nonprofit anchor institution networks to the table, offering a roadmap for districts looking to future-proof their connectivity strategies.

This conversation unpacks how fiber-first thinking can unlock new opportunities for students, especially in rural communities where connectivity gaps can make the difference between opportunity and isolation.

Key Discussion Highlights:

Fiber as the Anchor: Girt explains why fiber optics are the foundation for sustainable school networks—delivering the speed, reliability, and scalability needed to support everything from cloud LMS to immersive VR and AI-driven teaching.

Designing for Dynamic Demand: He outlines how to build networks that handle heavy spikes in usage—like statewide testing bursts or lunchtime video surges—through redundant paths, resilient infrastructure, and local content caching.

Choosing the Right Architecture: The episode breaks down the pros and cons of dark fiber vs. lit wave services, and why solutions like MPLS remain a practical, future-ready approach for many districts.

Tackling Rural Roadblocks: Girt shares strategies to overcome the biggest hurdles in rural deployments—political resistance, cost justification, and tech debt—and how partnerships can turn small communities into connected hubs.

Planning for Funding: With E-Rate and BEAD funds becoming clearer, he emphasizes why districts should build for long-term growth, not short-term bandwidth fixes, and how to align funding with scalable infrastructure plans.

This episode offers timely insights for district CIOs, operators, and education decision-makers working to close the digital divide. From designing resilient, scalable networks to navigating funding realities, Girt lays out a blueprint for turning connectivity investments into tangible student outcomes.

As the global race to 6G heats up, telecom providers, governments, and tech companies are investing billions to advance the next generation of hyperconnected infrastructure. European operators urge regulators to release more spectrum to stay competitive, while U.S. programs like the USDA's ReConnect have funneled over $1 billion into rural fiber backhaul. Meanwhile, companies like NVIDIA, T-Mobile, and Cisco are developing AI-native 6G stacks, embedding intelligence into every layer of the network. The stakes are enormous: success could enable real-time autonomous vehicles, remote surgeries, and city-scale sensor networks.

But with so many threads to weave together—from fiber backhaul to AI-driven edge compute—the critical question emerges: How do we build a wireless ecosystem capable of supporting the demands of tomorrow's hyperconnected world?

On this episode of Wavelengths by Amphenol Broadband Solutions, host Daniel Litwin sits down with Swarun Kumar, the Sathaye Family Foundation Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and Director of the WiTech Lab. Their conversation explores the cutting-edge research reshaping wireless protocols, powering low-energy IoT devices, and bridging the long-standing gaps between infrastructure and application development.

Key discussion points include:

The future of low-power IoT: enabling decade-long battery life for tiny, inexpensive sensors across industries from smart homes to healthcare.

Why the industry's obsession with "Gs" may soon end, as software-driven networks evolve continuously rather than in rigid generational jumps.

The urgent need for tighter integration between fiber and wireless infrastructure, plus how AI-driven edge compute will transform aggregation points into intelligent network hubs.

Swarun Kumar is the Sathaye Family Foundation Professor at Carnegie Mellon University and leads the WiTech Lab, which pioneers next-gen wireless protocols, resilient edge architectures, and AI-powered resource orchestration. Prior to CMU, Kumar earned his PhD from MIT, specializing in Wi-Fi, cellular, and IoT communications. His interdisciplinary work is helping industries across healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing push wireless innovation from academic research into real-world deployment.

As the global race to 6G heats up, telecom providers, governments, and tech companies are investing billions to advance the next generation of hyperconnected infrastructure. European operators urge regulators to release more spectrum to stay competitive, while U.S. programs like the USDA's ReConnect have funneled over $1 billion into rural fiber backhaul. Meanwhile, companies like NVIDIA, T-Mobile, and Cisco are developing AI-native 6G stacks, embedding intelligence into every layer of the network. The stakes are enormous: success could enable real-time autonomous vehicles, remote surgeries, and city-scale sensor networks.

But with so many threads to weave together—from fiber backhaul to AI-driven edge compute—the critical question emerges: How do we build a wireless ecosystem capable of supporting the demands of tomorrow's hyperconnected world?

On this episode of Wavelengths by Amphenol Broadband Solutions, host Daniel Litwin sits down with Swarun Kumar, the Sathaye Family Foundation Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and Director of the WiTech Lab. Their conversation explores the cutting-edge research reshaping wireless protocols, powering low-energy IoT devices, and bridging the long-standing gaps between infrastructure and application development.

Key discussion points include:

The future of low-power IoT: enabling decade-long battery life for tiny, inexpensive sensors across industries from smart homes to healthcare.

Why the industry's obsession with "Gs" may soon end, as software-driven networks evolve continuously rather than in rigid generational jumps.

The urgent need for tighter integration between fiber and wireless infrastructure, plus how AI-driven edge compute will transform aggregation points into intelligent network hubs.

Swarun Kumar is the Sathaye Family Foundation Professor at Carnegie Mellon University and leads the WiTech Lab, which pioneers next-gen wireless protocols, resilient edge architectures, and AI-powered resource orchestration. Prior to CMU, Kumar earned his PhD from MIT, specializing in Wi-Fi, cellular, and IoT communications. His interdisciplinary work is helping industries across healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing push wireless innovation from academic research into real-world deployment.