The Week with Roger

This Week: The iPhone Duo and Don't Count Out Cable

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner discuss the new iPhone Duo and its prospects vs. the Galaxy Z Fold8, as well as the various strides the cable industry is making despite increased competition. 00:00 Episode intro 00:43 iPhone Duo release breakdown 01:59 Apple vs. Samsung device surveys 03:19 Tactile importance when purchasing 04:26 Device insurance and pricing 05:31 Are cable valuations too negative? 07:17 Competition is increasing 08:20 Rising customer satisfaction overall 08:55 Cable pricing models 10:36 The “label tax” and “Wi-Fi tax” 13:03 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Apple, iPhone, Duo, Samsung, Z Fold8, financing, devices, Vision, Black Friday, retail, insurance, AI, cable, Elon Musk, Starlink, speed, FWA, fiber, rural, consolidation, DSL, prices, Verizon

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This Week: Consumer Cellular's Ed Evans on Winning with the 50+ Customer

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner are joined by Ed Evans, Chairman and CEO of Consumer Cellular, to speak about the company's unique strategy for serving seniors in wireless, its successful use of retail stores, and new and innovative product lines for this sometimes overlooked cohort. 00:00 Episode intro 00:26 Consumer Cellular's business model 04:28 Using retail stores effectively 07:07 Knowing the customer 08:24 Tailoring customer service 10:20 Building customer loyalty 10:52 Developing innovative products for seniors 14:14 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Ed Evans, Consumer Cellular, MVNO, seniors, data, customer service, NPS, retail, Target, Walmart, churn, Mint, GrandPad, retention, apps

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This Week: AI Infrastructure Connectivity with Zayo's Bill Long

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner are joined by Bill Long, Chief Product & Strategy Officer at Zayo, to discuss the rapid growth of AI hardware, Zayo’s strategy for capitalizing on the fiber infrastructure needed to support it, and what the next one to two years could bring for the industry. 00:00 Episode intro 00:24 Is AI in a bubble? 02:26 Orders for dark fiber 03:25 The shift from training to inference 04:50 400G and new fiber requirements 06:24 The technical ecosystem needed for operations 07:50 Rapidly accelerating hardware demands 11:18 AI as tech support 12:02 Zayo's unique business model 14:42 Predictions for the next 12 to 24 months 15:26 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Bill Long, Zayo, Sampath, AI, fiber, data centers, lit fiber, dark fiber, training, inference, 400G, cloud, Nvidia, ChatGPT, Verizon, AT&T, cable, enterprise

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This Week: CONX Acquires MobileX and Starlink MVNO Ambitions

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner discuss the recent purchase of MobileX by Charlie Ergen-controlled CONX, as well as its implications for the players involved and for the broader MVNO and satellite markets as well. 00:00 Episode intro 00:25 Details of the acquisition 01:30 How MVNOs fit into the bigger picture 03:03 Implications for Starlink 04:04 Peter and Charlie's working relationship 05:23 Charlie Ergen's future operations 06:15 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, MVNO, MobileX, Peter Adderton, Charlie Ergen, Dish, EchoStar, Verizon, CONX, Boost Mobile, Elon Musk, Starlink, AT&T, convergence, MNO, spectrum

This Week: The FCC's Spectrum Pipeline with Arpan Sura

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner are joined by Arpan Sura, Senior Counsel to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, to discuss the current state of spectrum policy, the changing technological landscape, and the agency’s plans for the future of communications in America. 00:00 Episode intro 00:24 Current spectrum auction policy 02:40 Specific auction timelines 04:59 Growing political support for spectrum 06:57 Upcoming auctions 07:20 Intermodal competition through direct-to-device 08:44 Starlink's reliability and convergence possibility 10:10 Rethinking technical limitations 11:48 Unlicensed spectrum use 12:56 Companies becoming increasingly multi-modal 13:46 Two-year outlook and agency goals 16:27 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Arpan Sura, FCC, spectrum, Brendan Carr, AWS-3, auctions, 6G, upper C-band, NTIA, BBB, satellite, FWA, direct-to-device, Starlink, rural, convergence, BEAD, fiber, cable, EchoStar, Grain

This Week: When Consumer Perception Does Not Match Network Reality

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner unpack the FCC’s latest developments, examine real-world data on internet providers including Optimum, and discuss ongoing customer service concerns. 00:00 Episode intro 00:24 New FCC nomination news 01:47 FCC's potential satellite expansion 02:42 Ranking internet provider speeds 03:47 Survey information difficulties 06:29 Do devices still matter? 08:04 Optimum's current metrics 10:29 Network status and customer retention 12:12 The state of customer service 13:41 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, FCC, Danielle Thumann, Brendan Carr, satellite, cable, fiber, FWA, DSL, devices, T-Mobile, AT&T, Apple, Qualcomm, Verizon, Android, network, Optimum, SFR, customer service

This Week: Starlink's Wireless Ambitions, the Data Center Boom, and Sampath to Zayo

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner discuss the announcement of Sampath being named CEO at Zayo, their ongoing research into the immense scale of the data center buildout, as well as Starlink's prospects as a wireless operator. 00:00 Episode intro 00:24 Sampath named CEO at Zayo 01:07 Research on data center buildout insights 03:44 Starlink as a wireless operator 05:50 What spectrum will be used? 08:29 Network and satellite predictions 10:14 Scale of the potential network 13:52 Elon's track record and time horizon 16:06 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Sampath, Zayo, fiber, data centers, AI, Starlink, Elon Musk, data, T-Mobile, Grain, spectrum, Dish, FCC, rural, 5G, Grok, Tesla, SpaceX, X, cable, FWA

This Week: Verizon Promotes Alfonso Villanueva and the FirstNet Race Heats Up

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner discuss the leadership changes at Verizon, changes in metric transparency and the shift to ARPA, and what AT&T's 5G standalone core means for the increasingly competitive first responder market. 00:00 Episode intro 00:25 Leadership changes at Verizon 02:00 Effects on company strategy and operations 03:00 ARPA and changes in reporting metrics 05:47 AT&T's 5G standalone core and its impact on first responders 07:55 Network live testing results 08:23 T-Priority and the competition 10:56 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Verizon, Alfonso Villanueva, Sampath, Dan Schulman, ARPA, metrics, Apple, AT&T, FirstNet, 5G, slicing, spectrum, first responders, T-Priority, T-Mobile

This Week: Q2 '26 Earnings - The Carriers Execute Their CEOs' Visions

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner break down Q2 earnings from the major players across telecom and cable, examining key numbers as well as industry-wide trends and developments shaping the market. 00:00 Episode intro 00:30 AT&T Q2 overview 02:46 AT&T's convergence strategy 04:18 Starlink's improving reliability 06:15 Comcast and Charter Q2 overview 07:05 Cable customer satisfaction and strategic outlook 08:01 T-Mobile Q2 overview 10:12 Verizon Q2 overview 11:57 Q2 telecom industry trends and outlook 12:40 Device subsidies and the future of wireless promotions 14:02 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, earnings, AT&T, fiber, net adds, transparency, FirstNet, convergence, FWA, AI, John Stankey, Charter, Starlink, Comcast, cable, T-Mobile, churn, broadband, Verizon, iPhone, devices

This Week: Carrier Repositioning Through Leadership Changes

Analysts Brett Clark and Roger Entner discuss leadership changes at T-Mobile and AT&T, cable's growing role in mobile, and Verizon's retail cost-cutting. 00:00 Episode intro 00:30 Leadership changes at T-Mobile 03:06 Chris Sambar's new role 03:51 T-Mobile for Business positioning 05:27 Mike Katz's impact 06:37 Cable's mobile growth 07:56 Verizon cost-cutting and layoffs 09:15 Retail strategy implications 10:46 Pascal Desroches leaving AT&T 12:31 Restoring investor trust 12:58 C-suite trust 14:04 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Brett Clark, Roger Entner, T-Mobile, Mike Katz, André Almeida, Chris Sambar, AT&T, FirstNet, T-Mobile for Business, Verizon, MVNO, cable, Charter, Dan Schulman, retail, gross adds, net adds, churn, Pascal Desroches, Jennifer Biry, John Stankey, convergence, investors

This Week: The Upper C Band Auction and a Win for American Consumers

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner discuss the FCC’s move to expedite the upcoming Upper C-band spectrum auction, its impact on various companies and industry segments, and why it may represent a win for American consumers. 00:00 Episode intro 00:25 Upper C-band auction overview 02:23 Utility and applications of the spectrum 03:05 Comparison with previous auctions 03:38 Forecasts for Starlink's strategy 04:43 Accelerated timeline and implications for cable 06:04 Industry deleveraging trends 06:30 Historical outcomes of spectrum purchases 06:51 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, FCC, auction, spectrum, Upper C-band, Big Beautiful Bill, Verizon, FWA, EchoStar, Starlink, Elon Musk, urban, rural, cable, deleveraging

This Week: Germany's Hyper Scaler Infrastructure Slow Dance

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner examine insights from the Handelsblatt data center conference in Düsseldorf, covering the rapid expansion of data centers in Germany vs. the U.S., infrastructure and energy challenges ahead, and the implications for telecom networks. 00:00 Episode intro 00:25 Handelsblatt conference overview 01:31 State of the German data center buildout 02:44 State of the US buildout 03:23 Shortages are on the horizon 05:16 Electricity demands 06:06 Repurposing German data center heat 07:38 Cooling challenges 08:39 Why expansion must continue despite challenges 10:03 How data centers are reshaping telecom 11:30 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Germany, Handelsblatt, Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile, data centers, electricity, AI, shortages, BEAD, memory, RAM, routers, cooling, GDPR, regulations

This Week: The Half-Connected America and the Case for Universal Offers

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner discuss Roger's report, "The Half-Connected America," exploring why some people choose not to use broadband and what companies and policymakers can do to address the issue. 00:00 Episode intro 00:25 Who chooses not to connect? 03:00 Privacy and surveillance concerns 03:36 Lack of laptop subsidies hampers connectivity 05:00 Mobile-only internet users 05:37 Seniors and smartphone challenges 06:18 Wireless home internet options 06:55 Affordability for low-income consumers 07:36 Respecting consumer choices & AI integration importance 09:20 Laptop subsidies could bridge the gap 10:06 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, broadband, NTIA, Lifeline, surveillance, BEAD, fiber, smartphone, NPS, hotspots, copper, subsidies, AI, Chromebook, government, privacy

This Week: Verizon’s Simplicity Plan and Another Attempt to Eliminate Device Subsidies

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner evaluate the benefits of Verizon's new Simplicity Plan, discuss the evolving device upgrade landscape, and examine AT&T's announcement of its new CFO. 00:00 Episode intro 00:24 Overview of Verizon's new plan 02:09 The rewards structure of the plan 03:27 Additional features and junk fee elimination 04:18 Device subsidies are being phased out 07:40 Increasing customer value without device upgrades 08:38 Verizon's new plan is a step in the right direction 09:53 AT&T announces new CFO 11:25 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Verizon, plans, Dan Schulman, rewards, T-Mobile, Ronan Dunne, Xfinity, internet, hotspots, devices, financing, Apple, upgrades, Samsung, net adds, Virgin Mobile, AT&T, Jennifer Biry, Pascal Desroches, John Stankey

This Week: 300th Episode with Craig Moffett on Convergence and Fiber Economics

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner celebrate the 300th episode of the show by welcoming telecom legend Craig Moffett, co-founder of Moffett Nathanson, to discuss all things convergence, including the current state of fiber buildouts, evolving bundling strategies, and what market cycles may be signaling for the future. 00:00 Episode intro 01:00 Convergence and the state of the fiber buildout 04:52 Density and overbuilding 06:15 Diminishing buildout returns 09:45 Data center demand and labor questions 11:16 Aerial vs. buried deployment cost concerns 13:43 Is bundling actually profitable? 18:05 Fiber growth at the expense of wireless 20:51 Broadband price compression may signal a coming crisis 23:29 What will future buyouts look like? 25:38 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Craig Moffett, convergence, fiber, FWA, cable, Starlink, BEAD, Cox, Charter, rural, buildout, density, data centers, Verizon, AT&T, Fios, bundling, ILEC, T-Mobile, copper, VoIP, buyouts

This Week: Verizon’s New Network Leader and the Growing AI Memory Crunch

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner examine the newest leadership shakeup at Verizon, as well as explore the escalating computer memory crunch and its potential ramifications for the telecom industry. 00:00 Episode intro 00:37 The latest Verizon leadership changes 02:37 International legal complications involved 03:17 The timing of the transition 03:46 Implications for the company 04:52 The systemic memory crisis is intensifying 06:47 Surging AI demand is driving profound changes 07:31 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Deutsche Telekom, Verizon, Abdu Mudesir, Joe Russo, Germany, Europe, network, NTIA, memory, shortages, RAM, supply chain, AI, routers, Apple, iPhone

This Week: 5 Gig Cable, BEAD Shakeups, and the Starlink Opportunity

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner examine the key domestic telecom developments of the week, including rural cable upgrades, recent BEAD turbulence, the buzz surrounding the Starlink IPO, and more. 00:00 Episode intro 00:25 Mediacom Next-Gen network upgrades 02:07 Cable is steadily improving its reputation 02:54 Speed and reliability are both crucial 03:59 Several BEAD providers are stepping back 05:03 Satellite may swoop in on the market 05:49 New research on consumer choice dynamics 07:29 Upcoming reports on Starlink's future 08:59 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Mediacom, spectrum, DOCSIS 4.0, cable, fiber, Comcast, Charter, FWA, BEAD, rural, satellite, Starlink, Leo, New Street Research, IPO

This Week: Modular Pricing, Network Strain, and California's Copper Standoff

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner unveil insights from Fiber Connect 2026 on data centers and material shortages, and discuss AT&T's new Build-A-Plan rollout as well as their legal fight to sunset legacy copper networks in California. 00:00 Episode intro 00:25 Fiber Connect data center insights 02:51 AI video is driving network requirements 04:41 AT&T's new Build-A-Plan rollout and implications 07:40 Will the plan expand in the future? 08:27 AT&T sues California to sunset copper and DSL 11:00 Satellite has become a reliable backup 12:28 Regulators should embrace the future 13:16 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, Fiber Connect, AI, network, data centers, BEAD, fiber, data, video, DOCSIS 4.0, AT&T, Build-A-Plan, Mint, multi-line, convergence, DSL, California, copper, FCC, satellite, Starlink, T-Mobile, regulation

This Week: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile Join Forces on Satellite Connectivity

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner discuss the new satellite joint venture agreement in principle between Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, exploring its massive implications for satellite providers and consumers alike. 00:00 Episode intro 00:25 Details of the potential joint venture 02:23 Universal connectivity is on the horizon 03:36 Implications for Starlink 05:37 The U.S. may set the global standard 06:18 Are the coverage wars over? 08:22 Future satellite tech upgrades 09:23 Intent does not always materialize 10:13 Episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, D2D, device-to-device, spectrum, satellite, rural, dead zones, AST, Leo, Starlink, Elon Musk, coverage, urban, 5G, VoLTE, video

This Week: Promises, Promises, Promises - Price Locks and the Cost of Predictability

Analysts Don Kellogg and Roger Entner dive into the current state of carrier price locks as well as consumer sentiment, exploring the findings from Roger’s new report on the subject, "Promises, Promises, Promises." 00:00 Episode intro 00:25 Overview of the price lock landscape 01:34 Verizon's price lock landscape 02:56 T-Mobile's price lock landscape 03:09 Carrier price plans are innumerable 04:41 AT&T's price lock landscape 05:22 Charter's price lock landscape 06:06 Comcast's price lock landscape 06:47 Consumers prefer straightforward pricing 07:58 Cable equipment fees as a pain point 09:22 Carrier strategies differ overall 10:07 AT&T OneConnect's pricing 10:54 Fiber vs. satellite 12:03 Carrier reporting frequency 13:14 Report overview and episode wrap-up Tags: telecom, telecommunications, wireless, prepaid, postpaid, cellular phone, Don Kellogg, Roger Entner, price locks, AT&T, Verizon, churn, net adds, T-Mobile, data, Charter, cable, Comcast, inflation, Verizon FiOS, routers, AT&T OneConnect, fiber, FWA, satellite, Starlink, reporting