Adtran

Stephan Rettenberger, SVP of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Adtran discusses AI's continued industry dominance constrained by power consumption; digital sovereignty and security advances including post-quantum cryptography; and service providers evolving beyond infrastructure into digital platforms.

Adtran’s Stephan Rettenberger joined Converge Digest’s Jim Carroll for a 31-minute deep-dive into next-gen optical infrastructure while riding through San Francisco in a Waymo robotaxi.

Robert Conger, SVP of Technology and Strategy at Adtran, explains how the company connects optical core to customer premises through solutions ranging from Wi-Fi 7 to 50G PON and 800G transport speeds. He highlights their approach to combining network data from multiple sources to enable intelligent decision-making and simplified management, particularly beneficial for rural broadband providers seeking efficient operations.

Adtran’s Stephan Rettenberger joined Converge Digest’s Jim Carroll for a 31-minute deep-dive into next-gen optical infrastructure while riding through San Francisco in a Waymo robotaxi.

Stephan Rettenberger, SVP of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Adtran, forecasts that by 2025, bandwidth demands will surge due to streaming, gaming, and AI, while networks shift from 10G to 100G using coherent technology. His analysis indicates the residential broadband market will maintain strong growth, especially in underserved regions, with XGS-PON and software automation leading deployment strategies.

Ryan McCowan, VP Global Technical Sales at Adtran, examines how AI will advance network management and customer support while enabling more automated operations across network domains. He explains that 50G PON deployment will let providers deliver faster speeds and merge multiple services onto unified infrastructure.

Robert Conger, SVP of Technology and Strategy at Adtran, explores advancements in fiber technology across the network, including the transition to multi-gig speeds in the access network and the implementation of intelligent monitoring systems. Conger highlights the industry's shift from focusing solely on speed increases to improving network operability and enhancing user experience through technologies like fiber monitoring and cloud-based analytics.

Ronan Kelly, CTO for EMEA at Adtran, predicts three key trends in service provider networking: better inventory alignment will improve cash flow and allow expanded investment in connectivity, improved efficiency to reduce high capital costs and reduce energy and resource consumption, and interoperability to consolidate networks from different vendors at low cost.