The Week with Roger

Latest Episodes:

This Week: Comcast’s Xfinity Membership and the True Nature of Rewards Programs Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner discuss Comcast’s new loyalty program, Xfinity Membership, and whether it will work as intended for the cable giant.

00:00 Episode intro

00:25 Xfinity Membership overview

02:18 Loyalty plans actually drive acquisitions

04:04 Tangible vs. vague rewards

05:17 Verizon and T-Mobile's loyalty programs

06:49 Will these programs work for cable?

07:58 Customer care as a potential perk and episode wrap-up

Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Comcast, Xfinity, cable, loyalty, T-Mobile, Peacock, Verizon, churn, NPS, customer-centric, support

This Week: Verizon — Two Major Wins and One Temporary Setback Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner discuss several Verizon-related topics, including the recent outage, new rules on device unlocking, and the Frontier acquisition, plus HHS's plan to study cellphone radiation.

00:00 Episode intro

00:25 Verizon outage diagnosis

03:23 What's the proper recourse?

04:28 FCC rescinds Verizon's 60-day phone unlocking requirements

07:13 Implications for competitors

08:37 California clears Verizon's acquisition of Frontier

11:31 Convergence is back on the table

12:19 HHS to study cellphone radiation

15:37 Episode wrap-up

Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Verizon, outage, 5G, network, FCC, spectrum, net neutrality, devices, cable, AT&T, BYOD, churn, Frontier, DSL, convergence, FWA, radiation, safety, HHS, CTIA

This Week: T-Mobile’s Better Value Plan & Who Loyalty Plans Really Target Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner discuss T-Mobile's new three-line Better Value family plan, what it means for retention, and how competitors might respond.

00:00 Episode intro

00:26 T-Mobile's new family plan overview

01:42 Loyalty plans as acquisition tools

03:26 Who is actually switching?

04:48 FWA and cable retention

05:35 T-Mobile's strategy and episode wrap-up

Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, T-Mobile, Better Value, plans, satellite, loyalty, tenure, switching, Verizon, AT&T, cable, FWA

This Week: The Anxiety Premium and the US Device Insurance Market Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner are joined by Recon's XJ Wang to share insights from the new report on device insurance and discuss the changes carriers must make to retain their customer base.

00:00 Episode intro

00:26 Device insurance market overview

02:32 The “Income Paradox” and market disruptors

06:05 Innovative strategies in the space

07:58 Carriers should seize opportunities

11:15 Changes are key to customer retention

12:35 Report overview and episode wrap-up

The Anxiety Premium: Structural Disruption and Behavioral Economics in the U.S. Device Insurance Market: https://www.reconanalytics.com/products/the-anxiety-premium-structural-disruption-and-behavioral-economics-in-the-us-device-insurance-market/

Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, XJ Wang, devices, insurance, switching, Spectrum, AKKO, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, ARPU, Charter, MVNO, churn, retention

This Week: Genius Myopia - Why Smarter Models Aren't Enough Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner are joined by Recon's CEO of AI, Joe Salesky, to discuss his new report on the obstacles to mass AI adoption and what the industry may look like in 2026.

00:00 Episode intro

00:25 AI adoption has stalled despite model improvement

02:17 First-party data's role in adoption

03:58 Model Context Protocol is needed

05:55 Navigating privacy concerns

07:28 When will mass adoption occur?

08:18 Google and Meta's prospects

09:14 Predictions for 2026

10:31 Report overview and future AI research

12:03 Episode wrap-up

Report link:

Genius Myopia: Why Smarter Models Aren't Enough - Digital Product Reports

Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Joe Salesky, AI, LLM, NPS, data, OpenAI, Google, Gemini, Microsoft, Claude, MCP, Apple, privacy, Facebook, Meta, 2026

This Week: Christmas Episode - A Spirited Discussion on Wireless Industry Economics with Peter Adderton and Ronan Dunne Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

On the Christmas episode, analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner are joined by Peter Adderton, founder of Boost and MobileX, and Ronan Dunne, former CEO of Verizon’s Consumer Group and O2, for a spirited discussion on MNOs, MVNOs, and the current state of the wireless industry.

00:00 Episode intro

00:27 MVNOs vs. their host carriers

04:42 Segmentation as a powerful market force

07:42 Wholesale vs. retail

12:31 A lack of choices in the U.S.

14:30 Is price the key concern?

16:54 Why consumers actually change carriers

18:42 Networks depend on MNO pricing

20:44 Verizon, Visible, and subscriber growth

24:23 MVNO strategy must differ

26:20 Upselling lower-income customers

27:40 Cable's free line strategy as a model

28:51 Is Total relevant or not?

31:10 Price vs. value

31:57 The current landscape is unsustainable

33:36 Which metrics matter?

35:52 MVNO branding is falling short

39:45 Business models should be customer-centric

41:23 Episode wrap-up

Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Peter Adderton, Ronan Dunne, Christmas, MobileX, O2, Verizon, Boost, MVNO, MNO, carriers, Visible, cable, Comcast, Charter, Europe, Straight Talk, FWA, Mint, pricing, T-Mobile, giffgaff, data, network, Consumer Cellular, TracFone, ARPU, churn, Total, net adds, KPIs, value

This Week: Super Owner Economics - Comcast & Charter’s Network Jiu-Jitsu Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner share insights from Recon’s new Super Owner Economics report as Comcast and Charter look to reshape the wireless industry through CBRS deployment.

00:00 Episode intro

00:25 Comcast and Charter build out CBRS networks

02:57 Implications for Verizon and other MSOs

04:59 Cable's strategy and service bundling

06:41 FWA vs. fiber

07:51 Charter's approach to customers

08:48 Exploding prices are still around

10:35 Consumer satisfaction insights

11:51 Christmas episode teaser and episode wrap-up

Super Owner Economics: Charter & Comcast's Network Jiu-Jitsu - Digital Product Reports

Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, cable, Charter, Comcast, spectrum, CBRS, network, AT&T, T-Mobile, rural, Verizon, bundling, FWA, fiber, DOCSIS 4.0, pricing, NPS, Spectrum Mobile

This Week: Starlink’s Victory Lap, Amazon’s Sprint, and GEOs Crashing Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner break down the satellite market’s shift toward three dominant players, as well as the complex mix of big personalities and government regulation shaping it.

00:00 Episode intro

00:25 The state of satellite and Starlink alternatives

03:01 Amazon Leo's status

03:40 The rise of the three-player market

04:18 Backstopping BEAD and rural access

06:27 Direct to Consumer questions remain

08:19 Shadows of Charlie Ergen

08:55 Episode wrap-up

The “Starlink’s Victory, Amazon’s Sprint and GEOs crashing: The divergent realities of Satellite Broadband” is available at:

https://www.reconanalytics.com/products/2027-november-satellite-report-vf/

Starlink’s Victory Lap, Amazon’s Sprint, and GEOs Crashing: The Divergent Realities Satellite Broadband - Digital Product Reports

Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, satellite, Starlink, BEAD, Amazon, Leo, AST, AT&T, Verizon, Elon Musk, FCC, DoD, Golden Dome, rural, T-Mobile, B2C, spectrum, 5G, Charlie Ergen

This Week: A New C-Band Auction & What It Means for Wireless and Satellite Dec 01, 2025

Show notes

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner examine the FCC’s forthcoming C-band spectrum auction and its broader implications for both the wireless and satellite sectors.

00:00 Episode intro

00:30 Spectrum auction news and analysis

02:18 Who will be the likely bidders?

03:09 Uses for unlicensed spectrum

04:54 Increased competition in broadband

07:08 How much is the spectrum worth?

08:52 Christmas episode update and episode wrap-up

Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, spectrum, C-band, FCC, auction, Dish, Elon Musk, unlicensed, FWA, Wi-Fi, BEAD, satellite, rural, Amazon, Leo, Starlink, fiber, Verizon

This Week: Vegas Baby! T-Mobile Easy to Switch Un-carrier Event Nov 24, 2025

Show notes

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner share insights from T-Mobile’s recent Switching Made Easy event in Las Vegas and explore how the Un-carrier’s bold strategies could shake up the industry in the new year.

00:00 Episode intro

00:36 T-Mobile's Switching Made Easy event overview

03:17 Utilizing apps to simplify switching

05:17 Carrier switching pain points

07:24 Including devices in the process

09:46 Upselling and device insurance

13:53 How will the competition respond?

15:29 Ongoing research insights

17:36 2026 industry outlook

18:00 Episode wrap-up

Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, T-Mobile, Un-carrier, switching, Srini Gopalan, Verizon, Dan Schulman, Comcast, Dennis Strigl, T-Life, devices, DoorDash, retail, insurance, Charter, gross adds, research, net adds, 2026

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