Brenda Boehm

Unlike traditional IP networking, AI workloads demand the highest level of reliability to assure that workloads are not disrupted. Cisco leverages a "platform advantage" through its investment in silicon, optics, software, security and observability. Through our investments in silicon photonics and our unique optics qualification process, we can provide customers with assurance that their AI workloads operate with the highest level of reliability. This blog discusses how Cisco is transforming infrastructure for the AI era.

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Just back from TM Forum Innovate Dallas last week, and here’s my quick take on it in case you missed it. I had to make a call—stay local for Ericsson’s North America Analyst event in Boston (day 2 of TMF), or hop a flight to Dallas to catch up with a dozen clients and meet some new faces. Went with Dallas this round. I hope to attend Ericsson next year. ~800 real attendees (vs. 1,100 registered). Less hype, more honesty. The vibe? Telecom finally confronting the hard truths of AI and autonomy. Reality Checks: Data First, AI Second. Graphs, ontologies, and inventory are the gatekeepers of autonomy. Pragmatic AI. ROI today is in BSS-adjacent tasks (bill shock, call center assist, SLA proposals)—not OSS closed loops. SIs Leveling Up. From lift-and-shift to building models, APIs, and driving change. Delivery isn’t the bottleneck—data quality and culture are. Agents Need Agents. ServiceNow + RADCOM showed multi-agent workflows in action. Google Cloud tackling graph-based inventory. The use of Google Cloud Spanner Graph helps to express network inventory as a topology graph directly on tabular datasets. Vendor Impact. Netcracker Technology, Nokia, Amdocs, Snowflake, IBM, Wavelo—all pivoting from POC to measurable KPIs such as average handle time (AHT), first-time resolution (FTR), net promoter score (NPS), and operating expenses (OPEX). Big shout out to Nik Willetts Dean Ramsay George Glass and the rest of the team for another successful event! Had some great hallway catch-ups with Patrick Lopez Marc Hayden Sreedhar Rao Jean Lawrence Shawn Hakl Rick Lievano all with their ear firmly to the ground. Follow our full team at Appledore Research #Telecom #TMForum #AgenticAI #AutonomousNetworks #AI #Data

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Wholesale isn’t the back office of telecom. It’s the engine of digital economies. Every fiber route we connect and every interconnection we enable strengthens not just networks but the economies and industries they power. From cross-border connectivity to cloud enablement, wholesale is where infrastructure turns into impact and where regional collaboration creates real value. As leaders, our role isn’t just to build. It’s to connect. To align. To make sure every step forward in telecom opens a door for the next generation of innovators, platforms, and economies. This is how we move from infrastructure to lasting outcomes ✌️ #TelecomLeadership #WholesaleStrategy #RegionalConnectivity #DigitalInfrastructure

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Really interesting announcements today from Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) about the ability for emergency calls and security / preparedness communications to connect via #WiFi networks and #OpenRoaming, for resiliency and extra in-building reach. There's a three reports and multiple angles here: - Automated connection of phones and other devices to Wi-Fi for 911 / 999 / 112 calls via OpenRoaming, even if there's normally some other authentication method needed. This is broadly similar to the cross-network roaming for emergency calls across cellular networks, and works irrespective of subscription status - Ability to use #WiFiCalling for #emergency #voice comms. (This is for public calls to emergency services, not for first responders' own critical radio comms) - Prioritisation of public safety and "emergency preparedness" traffic on Wi-Fi networks, despite any network congestion. During critical incidents, there can be a huge surge of traffic, especially if mobile infrastructure is damaged (eg in a hurricane). Being able to dedicate capacity or prioritise usage by key personnel or devices makes both the Wi-Fi network and overall communications more resilient and suitable for first responders. - Better location-awareness and use of the Wi-Fi infrastructure for positioning, especially indoors, and the ability to communicate that to the public-safety dispatchers and systems. Based on a quick scan of the documents, some of these features are dependent on newer #Wi-Fi7 systems, with others designed to function on older variants. In general, I think this is an excellent move - in many emergency situations, Wi-Fi and fixed/fibre networks may be more tolerant of outages than cellular, and there will also be some users with Wi-Fi only devices. It adds to the options for communications and network coverage, and also seems to have been designed in a way to minimise possible user intervention and confusion in stressful situations. However, there will be a need in some cases to have some sort of "emergency profile" included in devices. I'd say this is also a very good way to encourage broader adoption of PassPoint and OpenRoaming by enterprises, building owners, CSPs and device vendors - and could also prompt regulators / policymakers to consider it as mandatory. Lastly, I think this is a step in the right direction to a broader view of emergency communications. As well as different access networks - mobile, fixed, Wi-Fi and soon satellite - I think that there should be a much broader "emergency API" approach, so that calls can be initiated in messaging apps, or even from AI voice platforms, going beyond some limited use of things like smart speakers or in-car eCall today. I'll also be covering emergency aspects of Wi-Fi on my enterprise innovations panel at the WBA #WGCEMEA conference in Paris next week. #publicsafety #firstresponders #criticalcommunications #wifi #telecom #regulation https://lnkd.in/eGkDYVgQ

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Back in September, we shared Volume 1 of the VIAVI Reference Guide to Fiber Optic Testing. Now we’re bringing you Volume 2. This edition takes a deeper dive into advanced fiber characterization, including: 🔹 Chromatic Dispersion (CD) 🔹 Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD) 🔹 Attenuation Profiles 🔹 Best practices for qualifying high-speed fiber links and entire networks As networks evolve to higher speeds and denser wavelength services, mastering these concepts is critical for technicians, engineers, and network planners. Download your copy now: https://lnkd.in/eZzXWrSJ #FiberTech #LearningInTheField #FiberTesting

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Read the press release, "Wavelynx and McObject Announce Partnership to Power Next-Generation Building Access Control Systems". https://t.ly/edU8U Wavelynx Technologies, a leader in secure and versatile reader and credential solutions, has integrated eXtremeDB’s high-performance interoperable embedded database into their next-generation building access control reader for secure and scalable access control in commercial environments. #embeddedsystems #extremedb #databasemanagement #buildingaccesscontrol

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