In this episode of Carrier 2.0, host Steve Saunders looks at how carriers are moving beyond AI hype and into execution. Drawing on new research from Fierce Network and interviews with operators and technology leaders, the episode explores what real Carrier 2.0 transformation looks like in practice—culturally, operationally, and economically.

From Brightspeed’s use of AI to improve deployment accuracy and customer experience, to Google Fiber’s focus on lowering cost-to-serve, the discussion shows how carriers are using AI to modernise fundamentals rather than chase novelty. The episode also examines why owning the customer experience end-to-end, monetising AI for customers, and aligning culture with execution will determine which carriers thrive in the decade ahead.

From AI Hype to Execution (00:42) – Why Carrier 2.0 is about disciplined transformation, not chasing headlines.

Modernising the Plumbing (01:39) – Operators prioritise data foundations, orchestration, edge compute, and backbone upgrades before AI ambitions.

AI as a Deployment Engine (02:05) – How Brightspeed uses AI to reduce uncertainty, improve accuracy, and deliver better customer outcomes.

Clean Data, Narrow Use Cases (03:28) – Why successful AI starts with focus, measurable impact, and execution predictability.

Owning the Experience End-to-End (04:00) – Why the carrier’s responsibility no longer stops at the door, but extends to in-home connectivity.

Lowering Cost to Serve (05:19) – Google Fiber’s view on using automation to create room for innovation without raising prices.

Digital Industrialisation (06:10) – Which industries are leading, which are lagging, and what it signals for telecom’s next phase.

The Inflection Point (08:47) – Verizon’s Yago Tenorio on monetising AI for customers as the defining challenge for carriers.

The Carrier 2.0 Playbook (09:39) – Fix foundations first, start small, prove value, then scale—across networks, data, edge, and trust.

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Credits

Episode Summary

In this episode of Carrier 2.0, host Steve Saunders examines how AI is reshaping security for carriers and widening the threat surface. Cisco’s Tom Gillis and Martin Lund explain why nation-states are increasingly targeting network infrastructure and how security is being embedded into the network fabric itself.

Hawaiian Telcom’s Jason Thune highlights how regional carriers can out-execute hyperscalers, and Brightspeed’s Michel Combes discusses how BEAD funding is accelerating fiber build-outs to hundreds of thousands of new premises. Steve also tackles the question on everyone’s mind: is AI in a bubble, or just early?

Key Talking Points

AI Security at the Edge (02:27) – Cisco’s Tom Gillis explains how AI dissolves traditional firewalls into the network fabric, with security embedded everywhere. This shift requires AI-driven orchestration at massive scale.

Infrastructure Under Attack (04:15) – Nation-states are increasingly targeting routers, switches, and firewalls. Tom highlights Cisco’s “Live Protect,” which applies compensating controls without reboots to protect legacy infrastructure.

Local Advantage Over Hyperscalers (06:16) – Hawaiian Telcom’s Jason Thune shares how deep local knowledge lets regional carriers outpace hyperscalers on deployments. Permitting, shoreline rules, and community engagement become strategic differentiators.

The AI Bubble Debate (09:07) – Steve asks whether AI is heading for a crash or just a timing correction. His take: demand is real, valuations are inflated, and carriers should set their own AI strategy—not follow vendor hype.

BEAD Funding Unlocks Growth (12:11) – Brightspeed’s Michel Combes announces $560M in provisional BEAD awards, unlocking nearly 300k new premises across 18 states. Combined programs now support up to 600k previously unserved homes.

Unified Security Architecture for AI (13:52) – Cisco’s Martin Lund describes a converged IP/Ethernet architecture spanning data centers to edge with security integrated throughout. Agentic AI drives synchronous traffic demands that carriers must prepare for.

Links

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Credits

This show is brought to you by FNTV, supported by Cisco.

In this episode of Carrier 2.0, host Steve Saunders explores what it really takes to build an AI driven network. In a rapid expert montage, Cisco’s Guru Shenoy, Rana El Desouky Kazamel and Masum Mir explain how AI agents will reshape traffic patterns, why the edge becomes critical, and the architectural pillars carriers need to put in place. Verizon’s Yago Tenorio offers a clear-eyed reality check on Open RAN. The episode then shifts to a “Truth to Power” segment from China, asking what AI and automation mean for human workers, and whether a hybrid human plus machine model represents the most ethical and resilient future for Industry 4.0.

Guru opens the montage by explaining how the rise of intelligent AI agents fundamentally changes network behaviour. Instead of short bursts of traffic, carriers will see long-running, task-driven sessions that create more sustained and complex flows. These agents also interact with multiple inference clouds, placing new demands on latency, routing and scalability across the network.

Rana discusses why AI requires a shift in network design. AI workloads sharply increase upstream traffic as data moves toward models, which pushes more processing and capability toward the edge. She highlights the need for platforms where networking, security and automation operate together to support next-generation AI services.

Masum outlines Cisco’s foundational pillars for preparing networks for AI. High-performance, energy-efficient silicon must stretch from the core to the deep edge, while AI driven operations will move carriers closer to autonomous networking. He emphasises integrating security into the network fabric and notes the advantage carriers hold with their distributed data centre and power infrastructure.

Yago offers a grounded view of Open RAN’s progress. He explains what the technology has genuinely achieved, where challenges remain and how Open RAN is likely to fit into an AI heavy future rather than replace existing architectures all at once.

The episode shifts to a segment from China exploring what digital industrialisation means for workers. It highlights that the impact of AI depends as much on leadership philosophy and national regulation as it does on technology. Telecom emerges as an industry actively committed to keeping humans meaningfully involved.

The episode concludes with a more hopeful view, suggesting that the future may lie in hybrid human–machine systems where AI enhances human capabilities rather than replacing them, creating a more ethical and resilient direction for Industry 4.0.

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This show is brought to you by FNTV, supported by Cisco.