scte member focus
What memories really stand out for you over the years you’ve been involved in this industry? My time at CableTel and the transition into ntl:, which was followed by the acquisition of other cable franchises. At that time I was head of product delivery, when we launched many successful projects where I responsible for working out how to configure analogue headend controllers to allow launch of ever intricate services, particularly pay per view channels, before writing engineering notes for the regions. Working with ntl: teams in Crawley Court on designing and migrating analogue head ends to networked digital headends. Implementing cable modems, carrying out the first trials in Guildford, then working with the regional engineers, who were a great bunch. The sector has changed a lot; what for you is the biggest shift? Time and technology has moved more quickly than I thought would happen, from my early days in the industry with the engineering skills and time involved in maintaining an analogue service, through to digital, then IP headends to what is now a business moving to streaming services from the cloud. This has made it a lot easier and quicker to get services out to customers and running equipment off prem comes with many advantages to the service provider, although the sustainability and pricing considerations of using large data centres is now being questionable. What do you get out of being a member of the SCTE ® ? What would you like to see more of? The SCTE is a great place to network and catch up with old friends; the in-person events and Broadband magazine articles are always interesting. It would be good to see more operators and a broader range of companies at the SCTE ® Presents days. There are not so many people from VM nowadays, it would be good to see someone from Sky and perhaps some broadcasters Disney, NBCU, Disney. Maybe Amazon or Netflix, Arqiva…
How do you see the industry evolving in the next 2-5 years? I am thinking that more services will be moving to IP distribution over the internet, Sky will drop their satellite feed, VM their DOCSIS network and Digital Terrestrial will be switched off. What makes you nostalgic? Music of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Being able to drive without having to negotiate potholes or a poor level of driving skills. As for the industry; businesses and management spend a lot of time having meetings, to a point where their role becomes about attending meetings. There is little time for fun or exploring interesting/work relate topics (or attending SCTE ® Presents days). There was a time when you could go to the office (any day of the week) and actually have ad-hoc meetings or call someone and meet up for a coffee. Now you need to know who is in on what days, only to find they have back-to-back meetings! Have you had any mentors over the course of your career and how did they help you? I would say Stephen Close, he helped me transition from the RAF into a civilian work life and was also a very knowledgeable engineer. I followed him into CableTel and he was instrumental in pushing me into new and interesting technology areas. What would you tell a young entrant just about to get started in this industry? Don’t be an engineer, there is little money or excitement left. Sales is where the money is. What is the best thing about this sector? The technology is always changing and there are always new problems to solve. Staying abreast of developments and working out how best to implement new technology presents interesting challenges.
The SCTE is a great place to network and catch up with old friends; the lectures and Broadband magazine articles are always interesting. It would be good to see more operators and a broader range of companies at the SCTE ® Presents days.
SEPTEMBER 2025 Volume 47 No.3
25
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