Perspectives

Connect (X): Despite the Dish Wireless demise, U.S. Towercos remain bullish, betting on AI and edge!

I’m just back from Fort Lauderdale, FL—the city where the term “spring break” was coined in the 1930s—where the eighth edition of Connect (X), powered by the U.S. WIA (Wireless Industry Association), took place May 4-6. On Tuesday, May 5, first thing in the morning, I moderated a well-attended panel on how the digital infrastructure is evolving with 5G-Advanced, 6G, fixed wireless access (FWA), satellite, and D2D (direct-to-device).

The panelists included Marissa Mitrovich (Fiber Broadband Association), Keith Williams ( Georgia Power), Sanjay Dhawan (SBA Communications), and Brian Lash (Grain Management), an infrastructure investment firm. Although the title was fully loaded with various types of connectivity, the theme centered on the convergence of diverse connectivity technologies to ensure ubiquitous coverage, high performance, and reliability. Put another way: there is neither wireless broadband nor AI without fiber to the cell towers.

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