Let's Get Digital with Carrie Charles

Over the past few months, the network has faced sudden, unprecedented pressure as work from home and school from home became an instantaneous standard.This has placed new focus on the importance of broadband and the 5G rollout, and the workforce shortages affecting them.This week’s guest is Cari Shyiak, CEO of SAC Wireless. SAC teams work within all facets of wireless projects.For people looking for new careers, telecom holds a lot of promise. The industry will be expanding for years to come. Incredible opportunities will keep opening up. Do you like working outside? Inside? Training? Managing? Serving Customers? Chances are there’s a position that fits what you like to do.In this episode, Cari discussesWhy Veterans are well-suited for transitioning into a telecom career and climbing the ranksHow SAC is handling the move to remote work and what they’ll do nextHis company’s training and retention practices, and moreCari describes 5G as the underpinning technology for civilization to come. And for the people who want to help make that happen, telecom is a great place to be. Listen now!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comInstagramLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

When people talk about the Internet of Things (IoT), they’re often talking about the many devices that can be connected. But we don’t want things to simply connect. We want to have a combined experience with those connected things.This week’s guest, Dr. Derek Peterson, CTO at Boingo Wireless, has thought about convergence a lot. In his “Convergence Manifesto,” he called on the industry to stop competing and start collaborating.In this episode, Dr. Derek shares:What the convergence mindset is and how it can reduce costs and improve opportunities in the industry Why SPIRIT and after-action reviews are important to the Boingo culture How a more personal internet—the “IoMe” instead of the IoT—will reduce everyday friction in our livesAnd you don’t want to miss the way Dr. Derek has incorporated this last point very intimately into his life—with a microchip in his hand!Listen now to hear how this implant is streamlining his life and decluttering his pockets.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

WIA’s premier industry conference, Connect (X), is going virtual this year. Connect (X): All Access will be held May 19, with a Small and Diverse Business Summit May 20-21. All virtual. All free.WIA’s President and CEO, Jonathan Adelstein, is this week’s guest. Listen now as he shares:What you can expect from Connect (X): All Access The exciting new Diversity Summit debuting this year The role the Women’s Wireless Leadership Forum (WWLF) plays in championing diversity The labor shortage pre-pandemic and what we can expect after quarantine restrictions are lifted. How the deployment of 5G has become more critical as we’re all relying on broadband more than we ever did WIA’s Telecommunications Education Center and the ways it’s helping bridge industry knowledge gaps The Telecommunications Registered Apprenticeship Program and the $6M Department of Labor Grant that will help WIA improve workforce developmentThis episode is packed with industry news during this important time. Don’t miss it!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

The number of mobile customers are fairly fixed. And they will all pay roughly the same amount per month for service.If you’re a carrier wanting to recover the cost of implementing 5G, you’ll want to get smart about the opportunities to provide enterprise-class services on the edge.This week’s guest is Simon Crosby, CTO of SWIM.AI. SWIM analyses data as it’s streaming, rather than storing it to analyze later. For carriers, this helps them analyze the quality of their networks and the connections they offer their subscribers.He says the bandwidth of 5G creates opportunities for carriers to experiment with a portfolio of enterprise-class offerings.At the same time they can massively reduce the cost and complexity of their core networks.But it will require skills many mobile providers don’t currently have.In this episode Simon explains some of these business-class services, the challenges carriers will face implementing them, and how carriers can overcome these challenges to come out ahead.Listen now!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

Most companies recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion (D&I). But they may find themselves short of their goals when it comes to implementation. This week’s guests are from a Top 100 Certified Minority Business. They know what an effective D&I strategy looks like.Tom Marciano, CRO, and Iris Dawson, VP of Site Development work at inRange Solutions…A company with high retention rates and a management team that came mostly from backgrounds other than telecom.The company started with a culture of hiring for diversity and inclusion and for drive and integrity. This winning strategy continues through today.Tom and Iris explain why D&I have made inRange successful. They also share the factors inRange looks for in candidates. And they reveal how the company thinks about empowering and growing their people.Listen now!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

When companies shift to remote work, they usually do it gradually, with a plan in place. But over the past few weeks, many companies have gone from little remote work to almost 100 percent remote.Our guest this week is Stephan Dohrn, co-founder of Radical Inclusion. His company helps leaders manage their teams in remote environments. He’s here to offer advice for leaders who may be struggling with this sudden switch.In this episode, you’ll discover what leaders and managers should know to keep teams motivated and productive. Like how to:Create rituals, Set expectations, Establish protocols for communication, Manage meetings, Connect with team members, Remain flexible and compassionate about life situations during this unique time, and Understand how you can help and what resources your team needs.Stephan then shares a new, pro-bono initiative of remote work experts prepared to help leaders learn to manage their suddenly remote teams.Listen now and subscribe.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

The past few weeks have been uncertain and scary. In our industry, essential personnel are out there working to keep us connected, which is both worrying and inspiring.In spite of this reality, our worries and concerns haven’t dampened the hope and optimism for the robust recovery of telecom.Our guest this week is Brett Chester, VP of Marketing for Sitetracker. On March 25, the company published its Telecom Infrastructure Provider Outlook.The report is based on survey responses from the industry, pre-COVID-19. And it includes updated information from after the outbreak. Both data sets yielded some interesting—and sometimes counterintuitive or contradictory—results.In this episode, Brett shares some of the surprising findings about growth, margins, project accuracy, hiring, competition, efficiency and meetings.Brett also talks about the industry response to COVID-19, the risks, and the positive outlook most companies are sharing.Listen now, and don’t forget to subscribe to future episodes.And keep an eye out for a new LinkedIn Group called “Telecom Strong.” The group will provide connection, support, and inspiration to the telecom infrastructure industryLove the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

Our guest this week is Will Townsend, Senior Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. He travels the world spending time with enterprise infrastructure providers and operators. So, he understands the technology and the services that get layered over it.And he’s got solid ideas about what is coming next.Many of the most disruptive transformations will happen in industries that are still “old school.” Like how ride sharing disrupted the for-hire car industry. And many of the disruptions we can’t even imagine yet.But we can see signs of what is coming with the newest generation of technology:Industry 4.0- Cloud and edge computing are already improving manufacturing through wireless connectivity.5G- Fast throughput and lower latency allow efficiencies like extended Subject Matter Experts. These efficiencies will be cost disrupters that can help employers scale their workforce.Wi-Fi 6-This next iteration of indoor wireless supports multiple devices and the IoT to create better user experiences.Will also shares what’s going on with private networks, as well as the job opportunities that will come up even as old jobs disappear.Listen now to catch up on the latest “by the numbers.” And to hear how these technologies can help us cope with disruptions like COVID-19. And be sure to sign up for future episodes!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

If you’re in vertical telecom, you’re familiar with permitting delays and workforce shortages. Your counterparts in horizontal deployments face similar challenges: more applications than governments can handle; uncertainty with regulation, and not enough workforce to install the conduit.But fiber faces other challenges specific to its underground environment.This week’s guest is Chad Rasmussen. He’s the President and CEO of the North American division of Cable Runner International.He explains:The negative effect small cell fiber applications have on enterprise applications; The outside-the-industry workforce shortages that slow down deployments; and The lack of space in the ROW—where can all that fiber go?For that last one, Cable Runner takes advantage of an under-utilized existing network of conduit: sewer mains and storm drains. This disruptive technology aims to help support the entire telecom industry.Listen now to learn how using storm and sewer pipes streamlines the deployment process. And hear Chad’s thoughts tackling the 5G deployment challenges, including the importance of public and private leadership, collaboration, and educationLove the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube

Finding and retaining talent are twin challenges facing our industry. Add in rapid company growth, and those challenges get more critical and severe.And yet Leaf Communications isn’t struggling, in spite of impressive growth. In fact, candidates actively seek positions within the company.So how are they doing it?In this week’s episode, CEO Dan Leaf, shares the key factors to Leaf’s success, including:Searching for candidates with the right character rather than particular skills. Focusing on internal training (and Leaf’s target ratio). Committing to military recruiting. Giving employees the flexibility, tools, and autonomy, they need to succeed. Managing growth to retain quality of product, service, and culture. Retaining culture and energy through company growth.Then he digs into what you can do if your culture needs improvement—and what your first steps should be to get the momentum going.Listen now and be sure to subscribe to future episodes. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the 5G Talent Talk Community today:broadstaffglobal.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookYouTube