SCTE’s TechExpo may be the only thread that links the grand conferences of the past, such as the National and Western Cable shows, with the present and future. The excitement and buzz of the show floor had the feel of those conferences from the days of yore. As much as a show like TechExpo is about new technologies, the ultimate value is the human connections it enables.

People and Proactiveness #
People were the focus of the Camilla Formica moderated panel, Intergenerational Insights: Building a Culture That Works for All. Formica pointed out that most of a person’s waking hours are spent at work. So, building a culture that works for both the business and staff is critical for productivity and individual work satisfaction.

Although the panel was about bridging the gap between generations, a common theme is that people are looking for a purpose. Good communication is key, as well as meeting people where they are. It is about embracing change or, as Dr. Carol Dweck (2014 Ted Talk, but still relevant) might suggest, it is about adopting a growth mindset.
The panel, “PNM Live! 2024: Showcasing Efficiency in Proactive Network Maintenance,” was a great reminder of the challenges of containing radio frequencies (RF) within the coaxial cable. Fortunately, the tools demonstrated by the panelists allow technicians to identify, diagnose, and fix problems in the outside plant faster than ever. Kudos to the panelists for their engaging videos that showed the real-world implementation of the technologies.

Real world troubleshooting showing the benefits of SCTE’s Proactive Network Management work
Good Data is the Common Denominator for Future Success #
Finally, anchor tenants, culture, and automation were three words that might be used to describe the panel From Residential to Multi-Service Fiber Access Networks, moderated by yours truly. The panelists, Ladi Astrab, Andreas Bergman, Doug Blue, and Tom Williams each brought a unique perspective that provided an end-to-end view of the challenges and opportunities in converging multiple services onto a single network.
Anchor tenants are important for providing a revenue stream to justify a network expansion. Company culture may present a roadblock to maximizing the value of the network. Automation is ultimately needed, particularly as the service mix becomes more complex with the ever-growing number of services and customer types on a given network.

For a more comprehensive panel summary, check out Ladi Astrab’s LinkedIn post.
Building a Services-Platform Beyond Simple Connectivity could almost be considered an extension of the multi-service fiber access network panel.
The conversation turned to how to monetize services once a service provider and its network are in the home or business. Time to market, product-market fit, and automation were takeaways from this panel, featuring Russell Leake, Jeevithan Muttu, Dave Pratt, and Randy Zimler
Containerization of services allows operators to prototype, test services, and adjust to meet market demands. The separation of application and the lower levels, thanks to middleware from the groups such as RDK and Prpl, and the smart home management capabilities of TR-369 and associated TR-181 data models. Like the earlier panel, good data is key to automating the ordering, provisioning, and lifecycle management of various applications and services that may reside on the residential gateways.
Stay tuned for the recordings of the Broadband Forum sessions at TechExpo 2024.

Ken Pyle, Dave Pratt Jeevithan Muttu, Russell Leake, and Randy Zimler (image courtesy of Rhonda Heier)
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