Telecoms.com Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Vodafone, 6G and AI regulation Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

The lads are delighted to welcome back former Telecoms.com deputy editor Jamie Davies, in his first appearance on the pod for six years. As you would expect of people so familiar with each other, the conversation is exceptionally open and unstructured. Among the major themes are Vodafone, which was going through its bid to merge with Three when Jamie worked there. They eventually move on to look at the vendor prospects for 6G before reflecting on the latest panic about losing control of AI.

Totogi, AI and Bell Labs Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

In their second recording in two days, the lads are delighted to welcome back special guest Danielle Rios, CEO of Totogi. It is also the second day in a row of kicking-off with some bourbon, with Danielle significantly raising the bar with some extra special treats. They start by exploring how Totogi is going about introducing the latest AI developments into much of the telecoms stack. This inevitably leads to a broader AI discussion in the light of recent alarm bells raised by whistleblowers, before they have a quick chat about the latest iPhone and conclude with an Iain scoop about Nokia’s R&D division Bell Labs.

Cohere, ISAC and Huawei Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

The lads celebrate a return to the studio by recording a pod two days in a row, so the lucky audience gets a bonus one this week. They’re delighted to welcome back special guest Ray Dolan, CEO of Cohere Technologies and they start with an update on the clever radio technologies Cohere is involved in. One of those involves the introduction of ISAC (integrated sensing and communication) so they move on to discuss the opportunities that offers, before concluding with an analysis of Huawei’s first new smartphone chip in years, including its geopolitical implications.

5G+, wifi and fair share Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

A studio pod is thwarted once more, this time due to train trouble, so the IRL reunion will have to wait another week. The lads start by talking about 5G+ - the marketing name for 5G Standalone – because Vodafone followed in EE’s footsteps by launching a dedicated slice of the network for super-duper performance. To labour the point they even held an event at a race track, which Iain attended just a few days after going to Tottenham Hotspur stadium with HPE to learn how great the wifi is there, so they go on to chat about that before concluding by noting the death of the telecoms ‘fair share’ debate.

Satellites, network slicing and social media Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

The lads have just about finished their summer breaks but this is still a remote one because Scott is in the Canaries. They start by assessing the plausibility of claims made by super-entrepreneur Elon Musk that his satellite-based mobile communications tech can compete with the incumbent US mobile network operators. Another novel mobile initiative is then put under the microscope in the form of EE’s new ‘Fast Lane’ service, before they conclude by examining the growing moral panic around social media, which is causing it to be blamed for almost anything.

AI, automation and enshittification Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

This special episode of the pod was recorded remotely with tech and science fiction author Cory Doctorow. Cory has recently published a book titled: The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI, so they start by exploring what a reverse centaur is in this context. Spoiler alert – it’s about the relationship between humans and machines. That takes them down a number of timely rabbit holes regarding what’s in store for us as AI becomes ever more powerful and ubiquitous. They eventually move on to discuss Cory’s previous book, called Enshittification, before concluding with a quick look at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Nokia, AI dystopia and Huawei Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

The lads are back after a break for Iain’s summer holiday in Slovakia. After some opening tangents on the country, they get into a review of recent news coming from Nokia regarding AI RAN. The broader topic concerns what role AI should have in the radio access network and thanks to its relationship with Nvidia, Nokia reckons it will benefit from the introduction of GPUs. They eventually move on to discuss several stories that document the looming AI dystopia, as agents escape containment and autonomous devices are increasingly inspired by the Terminator films, before concluding with a look at a GSMA report on the cost of replacing Huawei kit.

CityFibre, broadband and BT Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

The lads are delighted to welcome back special guest Neil McRae, in his first appearance as CTIO of CityFibre. Pausing only for a semi-regular check in on the current state of AI, they get straight into hearing about Neil’s new gig and his plans for the technological side of UK fibre wholesaler CityFibre. This leads naturally to a look at the wider broadband market and the challenges it faces, as well as a review of potential consolidation in the UK market, before they conclude by analysing BT’s latest strategic move.

AI optimisation, DTW and IoT Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

The lads are delighted to welcome back special guest Paul Nolan of PR agency CC Group Hoffman. Pausing only to reflect on the delights of summertime Copenhagen, they start by exploring research Paul’s company has done into GEO – generative engine optimisation. With content increasingly discovered through AI searches, they discuss what it takes to make the most of this new knowledge paradigm. They eventually move on to discuss Scott’s visit to the recent DTW trade show before concluding with Iain’s critique of how the IoT opportunity has been treated.

Rakuten, Ericsson and social media Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

The pod is back after a break for Scott’s summer holiday and the lads are delighted to welcome back special guest Geoff Hollingworth of Rakuten Symphony. They start with an introduction to Rakuten, which is a major player in Japan across a number of consumer technology sectors, which leads to discussion of a recent Rakuten Symphony report critiquing the traditional telco business model and suggesting improvements to it. They eventually move on to talk about Ericsson, which Iain recently visited in Sweden and has announced a new CEO, before concluding with an examination of a UK move to ban social media for under-16s.

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