Broadband Pulse

Fort Collins Connexion, a municipal broadband utility that was created by and for the community, has as its sole purpose to improve life and business in Fort Collins, Colorado through what it says is better, more affordable internet. Connexion offers affordably priced symmetrical multi-gig service with no long-term contracts. In addition to residential broadband, Connexion offers competitive phone and TV services. Also, Connexion has become a key source of broadband and enhanced services for local businesses.
Joining other Colorado communities like Longmont, Montrose, Boulder and Yuma County, Connexion’s emergence is the result of a Colorado State effort to enable local governments to become broadband providers. Signed into law in 2023, Colorado’s Senate Bill 23-183 repealed the restrictive Senate Bill 05-152. Previously, the 2005 law prohibited most local governments from entering the broadband market or using municipal funds for infrastructure without a local voter referendum. SB 23-183 explicitly eliminates this requirement, allowing cities, towns, and counties to deploy advanced communication services directly.
Helping to lead the service charge for Fort Collins Connexion is Josh Hales, Senior Manager of Broadband Sales. When the Broadband Pulse caught up with Hales, who has been with Connexion for four years, he said the effect is clear: incumbent cable and telcos are now responding with new broadband options.
Opening/introduction | 0:03
Fort Collins’ Connexion fiber focus | 0:24Hales talks about how Connexion’s fiber network enables it to move quickly on many of the things residents were asking for that weren’t possible on the legacy copper network.
Broadband evolution | 2:52Connexion’s gigabit-speed evolution is predicated on staying ahead of the competition and on using it for other applications, such as providing connectivity for a community center in Fort Collins.
Incumbent provider’s response | 4:43Traditional providers like AT&T and others are responding with their own fiber-based broadband offerings.
Gigabit speed subscriber adoption | 7:06By preparing its network to handle multi-gigabit speeds, Connexion noted that 33% of its newest customers are opting for them.
Voice and video services | 9:29While Connexion continues to maintain voice and video services because they ease the complexity of switching, it continues to evaluate adoption rates.
Community services | 11:48Connexion is leveraging its fiber network to provide services such as Wi-Fi in city parks and, potentially, smart traffic applications.
PON technology evolution | 14:09Connexion is leveraging 25G PON to support its downtown community center Wi-Fi deployment and local businesses that require higher bandwidth.
Business services growth | 16:00Given the competitive environment for business services, Connexion is focused not just on selling higher speeds but on reliable connectivity.
Greenfield housing developments | 20:09By working with developers during the construction phase, Connexion is helping ensure that every new single-family home or multi-dwelling unit (MDU) is built to be sold in a fiber-ready state.
Final thoughts | 21:55The Broadband Pulse gets Josh Hales' final thoughts about his work at Connexion.
About our guest With over a decade of experience in sales and operations, Joshua Hales is currently serving as the Senior Manager of Broadband Sales at Fort Collins Connexion, contributing to customer acquisition and operational excellence. In previous leadership roles at Comcast and Xerox, Hales honed his expertise in sales operations, project management, and team leadership. He is passionate about driving growth through innovative strategies and collaborative approaches that align with organizational goals. A key focus of Hales is enhancing customer experiences and delivering impactful results in the broadband industry.
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

Broadcom is addressing the emergence of 50G PON and fixed wireless access (FWA) with a series of new products and partnerships aimed at helping service providers ensure users experience sound quality of service (quality of service) on their broadband and wireless connections.
While still emerging, the transition to 50G PON delivers the massive network headroom and deterministic latency required for the next era of broadband. According to Market Intelo, the 50G PON market was valued at $3.2 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $18.6 billion by 2034, growing at a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.6% from 2026 to 2034. However, Dell’Oro notes that as services transition from GPON to XGS-PON, the focus has shifted from 10G speeds to reducing latency. The research firm notes that this “approach is fundamentally reshaping PON roadmaps, pushing large-scale 50G PON adoption out by 3-5 years as operators instead invest in XGS-PON enhancements that deliver immediate quality improvements.” 
Nevertheless, Broadcom is moving forward with its 50G plans. The silicon vendor recently debuted its 50G ITU-PON home gateway system-on-chip (SoC), featuring an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) and native Wi-Fi 8 compatibility. It also enhanced its Wi-Fi 8 portfolio with a new trio of highly integrated SoC devices. On the fixed wireless access (FWA) front, Broadcom has partnered with Samsung Electronics to develop a new, cost-optimized reference platform featuring the Samsung B1320 5G Modem and Broadcom BCM6776 Wi-Fi 8 SoC. This platform unifies 3GPP Release 17 connectivity with the emerging Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn) standard.
In this latest podcast, we talked with Chris Szymanski, director of product marketing for the Wireless Broadband Communications for Broadcom, about its latest 50G and FWA developments.
Here’s a timeline for the interview:
Opening/Introduction | 0:03
50G PON market | 0:30Broadcom’s Szymanski addresses how 50G will enable service providers to deliver a much higher level of service.
50G deployment strategies| 2:41Broadcom expects initial rollouts to begin in the central office, then move to ONUs, and finally to the 50-gig PON Wi-Fi gateways it recently announced.
Broadcom’s new BCM 68850 50G platform | 3:21When broadband providers upgrade to a 50G PON gateway, they can reduce latency and improve the user experience at home.
A path from the CO optical line terminal to the network edge | 4:48How Broadcom’s 68850, a 50G gateway device with Edge AI compute and native Wi-Fi support, enables operators to build an intelligent 50G pipe.
Pairing 50G PON with Wi-Fi 8 | 5:48How Broadcom is eliminating the Wi-Fi and WAN bottleneck.
Wi-Fi 8’s streamlined approach requirements | 8:41By integrating chipsets, Broadcom can reduce form factor size and overall bill-of-materials costs for its partners.
Consolidating silicon elements | 10:26Broadcom’s SoCs consolidate the application processor, network processor, radios, and Ethernet PHY onto a single die.
Broadcom and Samsung’s Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) partnership | 11:40The design is ideal for gateways that use the 5G modem as a wireless backup for fixed broadband.
Unifying 3GPP’s Release 17 connectivity and the Wi-Fi 8 standard |12:43Ensuring 5G speeds and reliability are handed off to smart home devices.
Final thoughts/closing |13:37
About our guest
Chris Szymanski, director of product marketing for the Wireless Broadband Communications for BroadcomChristopher Szymanski is Director of Product Marketing for Broadcom Inc.’s Mobile Connectivity Division, with a focus on technology strategy, spectrum policy, regulatory affairs, and standards development. Mr. Szymanski serves as Director on the Wi-Fi Alliance Board and the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Board. Before taking on this role, Mr. Szymanski served as Global Trade Compliance Officer, Director of Global Regulatory Affairs, and Secretary of the Political Activity Committee (PAC) for Broadcom Corporation. Before joining Broadcom, Szymanski lived in China for over four years, serving in a compliance and government relations role for a semiconductor foundry. For the last three of those years in China, he also served as co-chair of the Export Compliance Working Group (ECWG) of the American Chamber of Commerce to improve the U.S.-China high-tech trade relationship. Before working in China, Szymanski served on Capitol Hill for Congressman Don Manzullo, the House Committee on Small Business, and the U.S.-China Interparliamentary Exchange, advising on manufacturing, trade, and defense policies and accompanying and hosting official delegations to and from China. Szymanski received his master’s in business administration (MBA) from the Washington University Olin School of Business, with a focus on leadership in China.
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

Debra Freitas, CEO of Light Source Communications (LSC), has a simple view of its role as a dark fiber provider: a primary hyperscale and data-center resource on a growth path. LSC is a carrier-neutral, customer-agnostic provider focused on designing, building, and operating custom dark fiber infrastructure purpose-built to deliver capacity for GPU-dense clusters, minimal latency for real-time processing, and diversity to ensure network resilience.
The dark fiber provider’s metro rings in Phoenix, Tulsa, Las Vegas, Kansas City and Indianapolis, as well as its long-haul route linking Tulsa and St. Louis, are delivering connectivity to support hyperscalers, neoclouds, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and other High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications.
Growth is clearly a priority for LSC. In April, LSC announced its latest dark fiber route, bridging Amarillo, Texas, with Oklahoma City, Stillwater, and Tulsa, Oklahoma — the third new dark fiber build LSC has commenced this year. Construction is currently underway on dark fiber networks in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tulsa. Additionally, in June, LSC completed a 35-mile ring in Kansas City.
Broadband Pulse recently caught up with Freitas to discuss how Light Source Communications is building new fiber routes based on customer demand and how dark fiber can transform the surrounding communities where data centers are located.
Here’s a timeline for the interview:
Opening/Introduction | 0:00
LSC’s dark fiber | 0:39Freitas addresses its role as a dark fiber resource for the hyperscale and data center space.
Prioritizing fiber builds | 3:03LSC is building out new fiber routes based on customer demands.
Regulatory/permitting challenges | 4:50LSC is taking a proactive approach to getting ahead on permitting by engaging regional vice presidents and right-of-way specialists in each market it serves.  
Competitive differentiation | 7:36Freitas notes that it can stand out from other wholesale providers by focusing on supplying dark fiber to hyperscaler data center providers.
Enterprise service opportunities | 8:42While they are slower to adopt, LSC sees the potential to extend dark fiber to local governments and educational institutions.
Smart city potential | 10:03A city could use LSC’s dark fiber for a private fiber backbone.
Workforce issues | 10:17LSC has created a deep staff of experienced technicians and network planners to ensure it can complete projects on time and on budget.
Working with ISPs |12:42LSC notes the potential to provide ISPs with a fiber backbone that would enable them to connect to major data centers and technology hubs.
Network maintenance and co-location services | 13:53How its managed network service capabilities ease the strain for its customers.
Final thoughts/closing | 15:52
About our guest Debra Freitas, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, has led Light Source Communications (LSC) since 2014, overseeing business development, strategic planning, and customer relationships for the dark fiber network owner-operator. A recognized leader in the technology sector, Debra was named to Inc.’s 2026 Female Founders 500 and has received multiple honors from the TITAN Women in Business Awards, including Platinum recognition for Outstanding Chief Executive Officer and Gold for Outstanding Female in Digital Transformation. She was also recognized by the TITAN Business Awards in 2025 for her leadership and impact in digital transformation. She earned a Bronze Stevie® Award for Best Female CEO of the Year that same year, when LSC was additionally named a Silver Stevie® Company of the Year. A University of Michigan alumna, Debra is an active member of the Arizona Technology Council, Women’s Tech Forum, and iMasons. She lives in Michigan with her husband and three children, where they enjoy traveling and supporting Michigan football.
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

In the third and final episode of the Fiber Connect 2026 show-daily podcast, we're chronicling the last day and wrap-up of the Fiber Connect 2026 trade show.
Here’s a breakdown of the episode’s key moments:
0:00 Opening/Introduction
0:13 | New market researchFiber Broadband Association research highlights the requirements for fiber broadband in precision agriculture.
1:30 | Fidium’s Fiber DriveSarah Davis, Vice President of Marketing Development at Fidium, discussed its community-centric approach to expanding its fiber network presence.
2:27 | Quantum and AI We noted that our colleague Matt Vincent, Editor-in-Chief of Data Center Frontier, covered Fiber Connect’s focus on quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
4:07 | Keynote Dr. Michio Kaku gave a speech on the connection between fiber and quantum computing technology.
4:38 | Final panelThe Infinity and Beyond AI Quantum and Telecom panel featured speakers from Gigapower, Cisco and Emtelle.
5:14 | Wrap up and Closing
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

In the second episode of the Fiber Connect 2026 show daily podcast, we're tracking key trends during the show. 
Here’s a breakdown of the episode’s key moments:
0:00    Opening/Introduction
0:50    Florida’s broadband promiseLeo Garcia, Director of the Florida Commerce Office of Broadband, opened the second day of Fiber Connect, highlighting Florida’s progress in connecting underserved and unserved communities.
1:16    Editor’s panelsOur colleague Matt Vincent, editor of Data Center Frontier, hosted “A Data Center Without Connectivity is an Expensive Warehouse” with DC BLOX CTO Jeff Wabik.
1:36    FBA’s Fiber FeudFBA’s Fiber Feud finalists then competed for the championship title, and the Guardians of Connectivity Team proved that instant communication and quick response are advantages both on the broadband network and in game-show teamwork. 
2:15    Broadband Forum’s QoE effortCraig Thomas, CEO of the Broadband Forum, on developing standard mechanisms to ensure Quality of Experience in broadband.
3:01    MCNC’s Tracy Doaks, president and CEO of MCNCDuring our conversation, we discussed how broadband is essential for telehealth and for connecting research institutions to data centers in rural areas.
4:06    Fiber Broadband Association’s (FBA) annual awards programThis year’s winners were celebrated at the 25th Anniversary Awards Gala on Tuesday evening at Fiber Connect 2026. 
4:48    ISE’s Connect the Unconnected AwardPresented by Lightwave’s colleagues at ISE Magazine in collaboration with Corning, the award was presented to Chris Brooks, Senior Director of Operations at GoNetspeed.
6:29    Closing
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

In the first episode of the Fiber Connect 2026 show daily podcast, we're tracking key trends during the show. 
Here’s a breakdown of the episode’s key moments:
0.00    Opening
0:47    Editor’s panelsOur colleague Hayden Beeson, editor of ISE, and I moderated panels during the first day of the show: Common Construction Roadblocks and How to Avoid Them and Edge Compute and Digital Transformation Across Sectors.
1:33    Broadband Forum activitiesThe Broadband Forum hosted four BASe workshops focused on the latest key industry topics.
1:50    Broadband Forum CEOLightwave spoke with Craig Thomas, CEO of the Broadband Forum, about wholesale fiber broadband and quality-of-experience (QoE) visibility across different networks. 
3:08    FBA researchFBA’s Technology Committee developed a white paper, Upgrading MSO Networks to Fiber to the Home (FTTH): A Technical Perspective, examining deployment models, technology options, and operational considerations for Multiple System Operators (MSOs) evaluating long-term network upgrades.  
4:40    Workforce developmentHow the FBAs' on-demand platform delivers scalable education to support the workforce needs of fiber infrastructure deployment.  
5:32    New fiber broadband productsDuring the event, we’re seeing new customer premises equipment, MoCA gear and PON from Adtran, Calix, Clearfield, Harmonic, InCoax, and Vecima.
7:20    Fiber Broadband 2026 Coverage page Lightwave will have a coverage page of the Fiber Connect 2026 event on our site at www.lightwaveonline.com.
7:43    Closing Tune in each day during Fiber Connect 2026 for more insights into the fiber broadband industry's key trade show. 
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

If you want a broad look at the evolution of today’s optical networking industry, look no further than Lawrence Gasman, president of CIR.
In this latest episode, the Broadband Pulse sat down with Gasman, who has been conducting forecasts on enterprise computing, telecommunications, optical components since the late 1970s when he founded the firm. One of his latest pursuits has been quantum technology.
During our time together, we talked about his view of the OFC trade show, co-packaged optics, quantum computing, data center powering issues, optical M&A and, of course, AI.
Key moments in this episode
0:00    Opening
0:24    Introduction of our guest
0:30    CIR backgroundLawrence Gasman, president of CIR Research, provides an introduction about the evolution of the research company.
3:36    OFC 2026 Gasman shares his thoughts about the optical industry’s premier trade show.”
6:39    Co-packaged optics potentialGasman sounds off on the role and commercial potential of co-packaged optics for data centers and other environments.
10:05 Community data center battles How optical innovations can alleviate power issues and the political issues surrounding data centers.  
16:28 The M&A FactorSuccessful M&A is not about technology, but rather effective management skills.  
18:38 Quantum technology Addressing the connection between quantum computers and quantum networks.24:03 Final thoughts/closingGasman shares his final thoughts on where the optical industry is headed.  
About our guestLawrence Gasman is President of CIR, the technology forecasting and market analysis firm he founded in 1978. For more than four decades, CIR has provided authoritative guidance and market forecasts covering enterprise computing, telecommunications, optical components, and—more recently—quantum technology. In 2025, CIR expanded its coverage of emerging technologies by acquiring the publications division of Inside Quantum Technology, further strengthening its position as a trusted source of market intelligence in advanced technologies. CIR’s research is known for going beyond industry hype to explain how new technologies create real business opportunities. Its reports analyze how innovations generate new revenue streams, simplify complex processes, and deliver measurable value to organizations. CIR studies also include detailed profiles of leading suppliers, analysis of key legislation and public policy developments, and coverage of important investment and funding trends shaping the technology landscape.
Lawrence Gasman has been widely quoted in leading industry publications and has written numerous articles and four books on technology markets and technology policy. He is a frequent speaker at major industry events, including the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) and conferences organized by Inside Quantum Technology. He has also helped organize IQT conference programs and has presented in webinars hosted by Lightwaveonline and other industry organizations. In addition to his work as an analyst and author, Gasman has testified before the U.S. Congress and has advised the White House on technology and industry policy issues. Gasman holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Manchester and advanced degrees from the London School of Economics and Political Science and the London Business School. He lives near Richmond, Virginia, with his wife Cynthia, a university professor. He travels widely and has delivered talks and consulting engagements across North America, Europe, and Asia.
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com/podcasts and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

In this new Broadband Pulse podcast, we talked with Matt Langman, SVP and general manager of infrastructure solutions at Phononic. 
About the PodcastIn the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com/podcasts and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

Wireless network operators are in an ongoing evolution. Traditional wireless operators are expanding their 5G footprints while exploring new converged wireline/wireless bundles. They are also facing new competition from cable companies that are getting very involved in building out wireless network services to complement broadband.
At the same time, Tier 1 wireless operators like Verizon are finding other avenues to enhance their reach by offering private wireless networks to a host of manufacturing companies, airports, ports and healthcare providers. Verizon Business, for example, won a contract to build multiple private 5G networks at Thames Freeport, one of Britain's busiest shipping and logistics centers.
But the wireless industry overall faces a key challenge with Microsoft’s decision to wind down the Affirmed Networks application portfolio, which it initially acquired in 2020. This has placed new urgency on both large and regional carriers that relied on these platforms for 4G and 5G service delivery. 
In this latest Broadband Pulse podcast, we talked to Jim Collier, Vice President of Sales at Axyom.Core about how it can help wireless operators upgrade their networks in a way that will create even stronger wireless competitors.
Key moments in this episode
0.00    Opening
0:03    Introduction of our guest
0:33    Axyom.Core’s focusJim Collier provides an overview of Axyom.Core’s approach to helping wireless operators develop a 5G core.
2:49    Addressing Microsoft’s telco transitionsHow Axycom.Core can help wireless operators affected by Microsoft's offloading of telco applications, including Affirmed Networks, to focus on telco cloud.
7:40    Wireless core network transitionHow the company can help 5G wireless operators manage multiple network elements and keep their networks up and running.
9:29    Consolidating 4G and 5G networks The company can support hardware or cloud platforms as a 3GPP-compliant private network.
11:52 Market opportunities Wireless operators, not just MVNOs, are benefiting from network disaggregation.
15:40 Private wireless network opportunities Axycom.Core is working with systems integrators to provide software technology for network slicing and analytics.
19:34 Final thoughts/ClosingJim Collier shares his final thoughts on the evolution of the next-gen wireless network opportunity with Broadband Pulse.
About our guestJim Collier is a senior technology executive serving as the Vice President of Sales at Axyom.Core, a company specializing in 5G core and radio solutions, is based in Morristown, NJ. As VP of sales, Collier focuses on strategic sales and business development, particularly regarding 5G technology, according to Axyom.Core. As a seasoned professional with expertise in driving revenue, building service provider relationships, and managing sales operations in the telecommunications industry, he held management positions at Casa Systems and has been involved in industry transitions at Affirmed Networks. 
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com/podcasts and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.

Whether the focus is on enhancing a network foothold in additional markets, expanding an existing product line, or refocusing on serving a market segment such as fiber-based broadband, vendors and service providers actively pursued new M&A deals to meet these goals.  
PwC noted in its Media and telecommunications: US Deals 2026 outlook that in the second half of 2025, M&A activity “saw a marked uptick” that was “driven by more favorable financing conditions, strategic portfolio realignments, and a rejuvenated investor appetite for premium intellectual property.”
In 2025, AT&T, Charter, and Verizon announced three large deals. AT&T reached a deal to acquire Lumen’s consumer fiber assets, while Verizon acquired Frontier, and Charter is working to complete its merger with Cox Communications.
By acquiring Lumen’s mass-market fiber business for $5.75 billion, covering about 1 million existing and 7 million planned locations, AT&T puts itself on a path to reach  to reach 60M fiber locations by 2030. Likewise, Verizon’s acquisition of Frontier enables it to scale its fiber reach and create new converged service capabilities. Finally, Charter’s pending deal with Cox will create a larger provider with 69.5 million locations passed (57.2 million for Charter and 12.3 million for Cox).
In this new Broadband Pulse podcast, we talked to Daniel Hays, principal, Consulting Solutions at PwC about the telecom M&A landscape.
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address key issues affecting the optical and broadband industries. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com/.