Broadband Pulse

Arelion’s Fridström on European network expansion and pursuing enterprise services

Arelion enhances its European reach while carving out a position in the ever-evolving enterprise services market.   
As chief evangelist at Arelion, Mattias Fridström is passionate about networking. A nearly 30-year veteran of the service provider, Fridström not only has insights into the networked economy but also into the challenges network providers will face tomorrow in meeting ever-increasing traffic demand and customer quality expectations within the same cost framework. However, his passion is not limited to networks: he has played golf professionally and competed at the national level in football and in in-line hockey (the Swedish name for floorball). 
Arelion has continued to evolve since it began building its network in 1993, when its Autonomous System (AS) 1299 was allocated. The provider has continued to grow organically ever since. The service provider’s network now stretches 77,000 km across Europe, North America, and Asia. Customers connect directly to over 2,900 wholesale customers in more than 129 countries. Also, Arelion has over 450 local access partners worldwide. In 2025, the service provider took a significant step to enhance its European network reach by expanding its Baltic network, constructing a fully diverse, high-capacity route between Helsinki and Warsaw. And while Arelion is a well-known wholesale carrier, earlier this year it began to expand into the enterprise services market. Arelion continues to succeed in selling its products to businesses directly and via agents.
In this podcast, we spoke with Fridström about the service provider’s ongoing network expansion and its move to establish a stronger brand foothold in the enterprise services market.
Here's a timeline of the interview's key moments:
Opening | 0.00
Host introduction of guests | 0:03
Arelion’s recent Baltic to Western Europe network route | 0:27This new network is built to bypass traditionally congested routes, providing resilience for carrier and enterprise customers. 
The EU's Connecting Europe Facility 2 (CEF2) program | 2:07How Arelion is leveraging CEF2 funding to modernize transport networks in underserved areas of Europe, like the Baltics.
Arelion’s European network plans | 3:27Fridström explains how the Baltic expansion fits into the broader European connectivity trends.
Arelion’s network redundancy approaches | 4:22How Arelion’s customers value having multiple network paths to data centers and other critical locations.
Approaching data center opportunities | 5:31Arelion works to provide the best path for extending fiber to new data centers.
Local and regional data centers | 7:03 How new data centers drive Arelion’s network expansion plans.
Arelion’s broad network reach | 8:20The service provider’s network can accommodate customers with global reach needs.
Serving enterprise customers | 9:23How Arelion can apply its wholesale service experience to meet business customer needs.
Establishing an enterprise services brand |10:55Arelion is working to show enterprises that it is a viable provider.
The role of Network as a Service (NaaS) | 12:51While Arelion's view of NaaS is excellent, it faces several challenges.
AI’s influence | 14:32How AI-driven traffic influences Arelion’s network planning process.    
Looking forward to 2026 |16:36Arelion sets its course for carrier and enterprise service opportunities.
Final thoughts and closing |18:32Besides anticipating additional traffic growth, Fridström sees potential upside in the enterprise services market.
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/.

Dobson Fiber commits to fiber internet expansion in Stringtown, Oklahoma; Fidium deepens Rochester, NH fiber broadband presence

In this latest issue of Building Broadband, we’re tracking new broadband deployments from Dobson Fiber, Fidium, Henderson Municipal Power & Light, Metronet Fiber, Omni Fiber, Spectrum, TDS Telecom and Wecom Fiber.
About the Podcast  In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com. 

LightRiver on the value of factory-built networks

While LightRiver, a network integrator, operates in multiple customer spheres—telecom providers, data centers and the public sector- the one thing they all have in common is that they operate high-reliability communications networks. The company is focused on building networks that they sell services to every fund from the Internet at your house to multi-terabit networks between data centers and enterprises of all sizes in between.
Out of its main customer segments, the largest of the networks that it builds is in the service provider sector. As a result, LightRiver keeps a keen eye on what's happening there and what's happening in the other areas so it can bring value to our customers by sharing ideas that it has learned as best practices across different areas.
In this episode, we talked to two experts at LightRiver about providing a seamless experience for their provider customers:
Walt Paskowski, SVP marketing and sales operations for LightRiver
And
Matt Briley, Senior VP of global sales for LightRiver
Here is a timeline of the episode:
0:03    Opening and introduction of guests
0:26    Customer diversity The unique elements of the three main industries LightRiver serves—service providers, data centers, and the public sector.2:04   LightRiver’s factory-built networks approachHow LightRiver’s approach to building a network in its own facility minimizes disruption for its customers.
4:41    Customer examplesLightRiver shares how it helped Gigabit Fiber build a new network for interconnecting about 12 different data centers in Dallas and other markets.
5:56    Integrating network assetsHow LightRiver can help service providers integrate assets they purchase.
8:02    Cable’s coax and fiber transitionGiving cable customers a common view of their assets.10:59 The evolving data center industryLightRiver’s factory-built network process is finding resonance with data center providers.
12:33 AI’s growing influence How LightRiver has incorporated AI to help its customers track assets, network data, and building agents into its software.
15:16 Light River’s geographic reachThe company has personnel in 26 out of the 50 states across the US and 150 team members in North America and the UK to respond to its diverse customer set.17:46 Final Thoughts/Closing Walt Paskowski and Matt Briley share their final thoughts with Broadband Pulse host Sean Buckley.
About our guests
Walt Paskowski, SVP marketing and sales operations for LightRiverWalt Paskowski oversees LightRiver’s marketing and sales operations, reporting to the CEO. He originally joined LightRiver in 2013 as Senior Vice President of Sales, focused on Utility, Transit, State & Local Government, Public Safety and Research & Education market verticals. He brings over 20 years of experience driving client-centric, mission-critical technology and business solutions, sales leadership and bottom-line revenue contributions to LightRiver and its customers from best-of-breed transport equipment manufacturers, like Alcatel-Lucent and Harris Corporation. Walt has a background in finance, manufacturing, operations and sales. Walt has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Strayer University and another Bachelor of Science in Finance & Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.
Matt Briley, senior VP of global sales for LightRiverMatt Briley is at the helm of LightRiver’s Global Sales and Network Solutions Engineering teams, where he oversees both the business and technology aspects of providing customers and partners with problem-solving technology. His primary focus is empowering companies to automate, modernize, and optimize their communications networks, ensuring they stay ahead in the ever-changing industry. With over two decades of experience, Matt has held crucial roles in the industry, including leading Nokia’s Optical Networking business in North America. He also made significant contributions in sales and engineering management positions at Infinera and Ciena, expanding businesses across multiple geographies and sectors. Matt’s passion for the industry is entwined in his background, holding a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Oklahoma, and beginning his career with the MCI engineering development program. When he’s not shaping the future of telecommunications, Matt enjoys spending quality time with his family in Heath, TX, just outside Dallas. Together, they relish activities such as biking, sporting clays, golf, and Jeeping.
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com. 

Optimum makes a call for smart consumer online data habits

With most people being distracted during the holidays, online scammers are ready to pounce on consumers. According to Optimum, the most common online scams identified by Optimum’s cybersecurity team this season include phishing websites, smishing scams, non-delivery schemes, charity fraud and travel scams.
The company shared these insights in October during the worldwide Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Today, Optimum’s network blocks thousands of malicious attack attempts daily for our customers, ranging from phishing, smishing, spam, malware and other scams. 
Optimum is in an interesting position to help consumers with battling online threats. Consider that over the last three years, the cable MSO has been transforming its business, which includes investing heavily in its network to expand service across its 21-state footprint. This year, the company has surpassed 3 million Fiber passings and has seen 50% fewer network outages.
In this episode, we talked to Ben Smith, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Optimum, about the top security threats consumers face and how to avoid potential traps.
Here is a timeline of the episode:
0:03    Opening       
0:40    Optimum’s celebration of Cybersecurity Awareness Month       How scam artists and hackers ramp up their attacks on consumers during the holiday season.
6:54    Scammers leveraging AI.             Using AI to conduct phishing to spoof the look and feel of an email that might come directly from a company.
8:09    Optimum’s cybersecurity effortsThe service provider is scaling its security controls, visibility and governance.
10:31 Bundling security with broadband   Optimum is developing an advanced security offering that will allow consumers to manage their own Internet security.
12:09 Regulatory compliance and resilience. Optimum continues to hold operational testing of its cybersecurity operations.
14:09 Final thoughts/wrap up
About our guestBen Smith serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Optimum, where he leads the company’s enterprise cybersecurity, governance, and IT risk management strategy. With over 20 years of experience across telecommunications, healthcare, and financial services, he has built and led security and IT risk management programs that align technology with organizational strategy, operational resilience, and regulatory requirements.
He serves on the Board of Directors of Hudson Valley Credit Union as Board Secretary and is a member of the Governance and Nominations Committee as well as the Finance Committee. In the past, he has served on multiple not-for-profit and community Boards and Advisory Committees.
A seasoned advisor to leading cybersecurity organizations, Ben leverages his executive and board experience to drive product strategy and market expansion within regulated industries. He holds both an MBA and a B.S. in Management Information Systems from Rochester Institute of Technology, along with CISSP and CHCIO certifications. 
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com. 

Alabama Fiber Network’s (AFN) middle-mile network nears completion; Breezeline launches 2.5G internet with promotional wireless offering

In this week's episode of Building Broadband, we're tracking new broadband builds from Alabama Fiber Network (AFN), Breezeline, Brightspeed, eX² Technology, Home Telecom, and Ziply Fiber.  
These providers are all using a mix of public and private funding for a host of new broadband build-outs across a diverse set of communities.
Lightwave is tracking service providers' ongoing efforts to extend broadband to more homes and businesses via our Building Broadband series.
If you want to share a new broadband build, contact Lightwave Editor in Chief Sean Buckley at sbuckley@endeavorb2b.com.
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com. 

Global NaaS Event Day One Roundup

In this special edition of the Broadband Pulse podcast, we're in Dallas, Texas, covering this year’s Mplify (formerly MEF) Global NaaS Event GNE 2025 show.
For this episode, we’re taking a look at the key highlights of the first day of the event: 
Mplify’s leadership transition
Mplify Market Brief Positioning NaaS as Foundation for Agentic AI
Mplify’s Carrier Ethernet for AI certification
Advancing Mplify's certification efforts in wireless through aligning with the GSMA
Addressing standardized automation for enterprises
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com. 
 

Brightspeed fires up fiber for three new Virginia Communities; Cleveland's DigitalC connects nearly 7,000 households

In this week's episode of Building Broadband, we're tracking new broadband builds from Brightspeed, Digital C, Ezee Fiber, Fidium, Greenlight Networks, Junction Internet, Lyte Fiber, Metro Communications, Metronet, and Vero Fiber are all using a mix of public and private funding for a host of new broadband build-outs across a diverse set of communities.
As part of this mix, we also saw three service providers move to expand their footprints through M&A: 
Greenlight Networks to acquire FastBridge Fiber
Metro Communications’ Clearwave Fiber Southern Illinois deal bolsters its FTTH plans
Vero Fiber extends its Southeast reach with the acquisition of Telephone Electronics Corporation (TEC) acquisition
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com. 

Arkansas's $1B BEAD broadband moment

In late August, the Arkansas State Broadband Office released the state’s final proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, officially opening the plan for public review and comment.
According to the Arkansas State Broadband Office, the state's $1 billion BEAD program represents the largest public broadband investment in Arkansas history. The state's BEAD program garnered a strong response. Arkansas' State Broadband Office received 730 applications from 33 internet service providers (ISPs), and 23 providers were selected by the broadband office for preliminary awards. 
During this Broadband Pulse podcast, we talked to Glen Howie, director of the Arkansas State Broadband Office, about how it will apply the BEAD program to bring broadband to its communities.
Here is a timeline of the episode:
Opening
0:39    Arkansas's Broadband EffortsHow state and federal grants like Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) are helping the state expand broadband availability.
2:12    Arkansas's landscapeHow the state can extend broadband to rural and urban areas.
3:06    Final BEAD proposal for public comment Howie sees BEAD as the true blueprint to achieve universal broadband access across the state.
5:04    BEAD provider diversityArkansas’s BEAD proposal drew a wide swath of service providers: 29 from Arkansas and 19 from outside the state.
7:55    Navigating BEAD uncertaintyEven with the change of the White House administration, Arkansas continued to move with a sense of urgency.
9:26    Sharing BEAD experiences with other statesArkansas continues to talk to other states about its best practices.
9:56    Digital skills trainingAs the state wires more locations with broadband, it is also focusing on helping people acquire digital skills to access and use the service for employment and education opportunities.
14:30 Communicating with communities How the state and the BEAD participants are working with local leaders to provide information on how the BEAD program will impact their communities.
16:55 Final thoughts/wrap up
About our guestGlen Howie is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. A proud native of a small town of about 12,000, he understands the sense of pride and "community" that permeates Main Street USA, as well as the concerns and challenges facing rural Arkansas. In his current role as Director of the Arkansas State Broadband Office, he is leading an "all-of-state" effort to provide "all-of-state" solutions for the "all-of-state" issue of broadband. With a once-in-a-century opportunity to transform the Arkansas economy, Glen's vision, and the Arkansas State Broadband Office's mandate, is to be a leader in the South and a Top Ten state in the country, in all things broadband. Glen earned an undergraduate degree in finance and a master’s degree in public administration from LSU. After he completed the MPA program, he was selected as the recipient of the David B. Johnson Award for Academic Excellence, highlighting his academic achievement, critical analysis of public policy issues, and commitment to improving public management.
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com. 

Ethernet Alliance on how 200G per lane will support AI and cloud computing innovations

In this episode of the Broadband Pulse, we talked to the Ethernet Alliance about the upcoming High-Speed Networking (HSN) Plugfest that will be held from December 8-12, 2025, at Keysight Technologies in Santa Clara, CA.
The Plugfest will feature interoperability testing for Ethernet devices ranging from 200GbE to 1.6TbE, covering various interconnects and transceivers. The event supports the transition to 200Gbps per lane, enabling breakthroughs in AI, cloud computing, and high-performance data centers.
Besides the Plugfest, the Ethernet Alliance is also hosting the TEF 2025: Ethernet for AI. Taking a page from the TEF 2024: Ethernet in the Age of AI event, held in October 2024, the new event will take a deeper exploration into 400 Gbps electrical and optical signaling in response to the industry’s need to address the growing demands of AI workloads.
During the podcast, we talked to two key members of the Ethernet Alliance: 
John D’Ambrosia, a Distinguished Engineer with the Datacom Standards Research team at Futurewei and Ethernet Alliance TEF ChairAnd
Sam Johnson, HSN Subcommittee Chair for the Ethernet Alliance and manager of the Link Applications Engineering team within Intel’s Networking Solutions Group
Here’s a timeline of the episode:
Opening
0:03    Host introduces guestsBroadband Pulse host Sean Buckley introduced John D’Ambrosia and Sam Johnson
1:08    Ethernet Alliance Plugfest eventThe details of the Ethernet Alliance’s High-Speed Networking (HSN) plugfest event in December at Keysight Technologies’ headquarters in Santa Clara, California.
5:16    200 Gbps per laneHow 200G is the next building block speed in the evolution of Ethernet.
7:34    Seeing the potential in 1.6 TbpsThe HSN interoperability tests will look at Ethernet devices ranging from 200GbE to 1.6TbE.
11:15 Coalescing around the Ethernet standard and the IEEEHow vendors and the Ethernet industry are trying to find commonality.
12:14 TEF 2025: Ethernet For AIHow the TEF 2025 for AI will address how to help the Ethernet industry address increased bandwidth, faster signaling, power delivery challenges, advanced packaging technologies, next-generation test equipment and methodologies, and new approaches to cooling.
15:05 AI networking based on 400Gbps signalingHow the next generation of AI networking, based on 400 Gbps signaling, is likely to diverge significantly from today’s architectures.
19:14 Final Thoughts/ClosingJohn D’Ambrosia and Sam Johnson give their final thoughts about the ongoing evolution of Ethernet.
About our guests:John D’Ambrosia, a Distinguished Engineer with the Datacom Standards Research team at Futurewei and Ethernet Alliance TEF ChairJohn D’Ambrosia is a Distinguished Engineer with the Datacom Standards Research team at Futurewei Technologies, a U.S. subsidiary of Huawei.  John has over 25 years of experience supporting standards development.   John is currently the chair of the IEEE P802.3dj 200 Gbps, 400 Gbps, 800 Gb/s, and 1.6 Tbps Task Force.  Previously, John chaired the IEEE 802.3 Task Forces that developed 40 GbE and 100 GbE, 200 and 400 GbE, and 800 GbE. Additionally, he chaired other IEEE 802.3 task forces, as well as the IEEE 802.3 New Ethernet Applications Ad hoc.  John is also a member of the IEEE 802 LAN / MAN Standards Committee and is an IEEE Senior Member.  In addition to his multiple roles in IEEE 802, John is one of the founders of the Ethernet Alliance and served as Chairman from 2011 to 2019.  John served as an advisor to the European Photonics Industry Consortium from 2019 to 2022c. His previous work experience includes Dell, Force10 Networks, and Tyco Electronics.
Sam Johnson, HSN Subcommittee Chair for the Ethernet Alliance and manager of the Link Applications Engineering team within Intel’s Networking Solutions GroupSam Johnson is an Engineering Manager with Intel Corporation, leading the Link Applications Engineering team within the Network and Edge Group. Sam started at Intel in 2010 with a focus on 10G Serial Ethernet debug and has built a career based on High Speed Serial Ethernet PHY and pluggable media behavior, configuration, and interoperability. He and his team work to define and develop the Ethernet hardware control infrastructure and to enable and support Intel customers' Ethernet solutions. Sam holds multiple patents related to Ethernet interoperability and is a co-chair of the High Speed Networking subcommittee within the Ethernet Alliance, with a focus on L1 protocol and interoperability testing. Outside of work, Sam enjoys spending time with his family, woodworking, and all forms of outdoor recreation.
About the Podcast In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com. 
 
 

Semtech’s Kimber on advancing Linear Pluggable Optics (LPO) standards

As bandwidth demand accelerates and power consumption issues become more acute, the emergence of Linear Pluggable Optics (LPO) has become a welcome technology. LPO is a technology that creates low-power optical modules for ultra-short-reach data center connections by removing the complex DSP (Digital Signal Processor) chip from the module. This design reduces power consumption, cost, and latency, making it ideal for AI clusters and hyperscale data centers. Industry standards groups have focused on two main developments: electrical interface standards and testing and optical link performance and deployment. The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) is moving forward with electrical interface standards while the LPO Multi-Source Agreement (LPO MSA) is addressing optical link performance and deployment challenges.In this podcast, we talked with Mark Kimber, the senior principal product definition specialist for Semtech.Here’s a timeline of the episode:
Opening
0:05    Host introduces guests Broadband Pulse host Sean Buckley introduced Kimber to the program. 
0:38    LPO’s emergenceMark Kimber addresses emergence of LPO and Semtech’s role.  
1:54    The LPO Multi-Source Agreement (MSA)How the new LPO MSA is establishing a specification and a methodology to make LPO work.
3:40    LPO standards efforts How the LPO MSA and the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) call for creating optical and electrical standards.
4:56    Semtech’s direct edge portfolio Semtech’s LPO platforms can help data center providers accommodate AI’s new power, latency and size requirements.
6:31    LPO plug and play operationsPlug-and-play is key to help simplify large data center operations and management.
11:04 OIF’s Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS) roleCMIS manages the LPO module's diagnostic capabilities, including monitoring the optical and electrical interfaces.11:35 200G per lane technologyHow LPO can save power at higher speeds like 200G per lane.14:10 Final Thoughts/ClosingMark Kimber offers his final thoughts on LPO.
About our guestMark Kimber is the Principal Product Definition Specialist at Semtech Corporation. Mark received the BE (Elect) degree from the University of Queensland in 1984.  Since then, he has worked on research and product development at GEC Hirst Research Centre, STC Laboratories, Bell Northern Research, Nortel, Bookham, Gennum and Semtech. Mark currently works on product definition for Semtech products and is a contributor to various standards groups.
About the Podcast In the Lightwave+BTR Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com.