scte member focus
What memories really stand out for you over the years you’ve been involved in this industry? It amazes me how far the industry has come, yet how much of the underlying mission remains the same. My proudest moments are seeing businesses and teams grow from small groups into scaled, motivated organisations delivering real value for customers. I’ve especially enjoyed the early cable start ups at NTL (including ComTel and Telecential), the establishment of Isle of Wight Cable & Telephone (now WightFibre), the growth of SeaChange International in IPTV and VOD, the expansion of Flomatik and Teleste’s ANS division in services and FttX, and most recently building Ogi — a Welsh Altnet created from scratch. Each chapter brought different but related challenges, where technology and services were honed and deployed to solve real world problems. That sense of purpose — moving society forward through connectivity — has always stayed with me. The sector has changed a lot over the last 10–20 years; what for you is the biggest shift? Technology and business models are always evolving, but the most significant shift has been in customer expectations combined with stagnant pricing. Today’s empowered end user expects huge capacity, rock solid reliability and exceptional customer experience — yet many services haven’t increased in price for years. The recent wave of fibre investment has been enormous, but slower than expected take up and depressed ARPUs are creating real pressure. The sector’s structural resilience is being tested, and the lack of sustainable investor returns is a growing concern. This tension is reshaping how operators think about value creation and long term strategy.
What do you get out of being a member of the SCTE? What would you like to see more of? The SCTE has done an excellent job of reinventing itself — evolving from a cable-centric engineering association into a broader, multi sector learning and networking community. I’ve been impressed by the magazine, the breadth of the lectures, and the diversity of members now involved. The increased collaboration with INCA and others has been particularly valuable. Looking ahead, I’d love to see even more cross sector engagement — especially between fibre, wireless and content delivery communities — to reflect the converging nature of our industry. It must have been difficult to step away from Ogi after everything you built. What have you learned? It has been hugely disappointing to see full fibre plans and businesses slowed by blanket funding constraints. Banks appear unable to differentiate regional, rural, vertically integrated Altnets from urban, heavily overbuilt wholesalers — unless vouchers are involved. I understand why confidence has been shaken by macro under-performance, but the lack of nuance is frustrating. That aside, I wouldn’t change much about the Ogi journey. It was thrilling to build a telecoms company from scratch and to tackle the challenges across build, marketing, sales, care and operations — each with its own systems, processes, stakeholders and people complexities. I believe we created something purposeful that will matter to the people and businesses of Wales for generations, whatever form it ultimately takes. My only wish is that we could have done more. Personally, I learned a huge amount — about leadership, resilience, clarity of purpose and the importance of building teams that can thrive long after you’ve stepped away.
Volume 48 No.1 MARCH 2026
7
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker