Q: How is TIA working to establish new industry standards that ensure interoperability as broadband networks evolve, especially with the introduction of Wi-Fi 7 and beyond?

A: TIA has been helping the industry develop and manage standards for many decades. We are agnostic to technology and have driven and supported fiber, wireless, satellite, IoT and data center technical standards, among others. Additionally, our quality management and supply chain security process improvement systems are industry leading. As everything is now connected and as networks expand from the core to the consumer or business it is critical that we holistically look how standards ensure safety, security and interoperability.

TIA brings together industry experts, government policy makers and end users to develop and continuously evolve standards that address the most difficult industry problems. We currently have 5 active standards committees focused on structured cabling, mobile devices compatibility, cell towers, supply chain security, quality, and more.

Q: With increasing broadband demand, what are the key infrastructure challenges operators face today, and how is TIA supporting the industry in addressing scalability and deployment efficiency?

A: There is not a one size fits all when it comes to broadband network needs and designs. At the same time the definition of broadband is still evolving, and we can expect that bandwidth demands and anywhere access will continue to drive technology innovation. The industry is challenged to continually reduce cost while improving service.

There is also a growing gap in skilled workforce in the Tech and Telecom sector. TIA is directly addressing the workforce challenge through our Broadband Nation program aimed at attracting, training, and delivering talent to the industry. We are working with states broadband offices, service providers and community colleges to raise awareness of the training and job opportunities and connecting prospective students and employees to local resources.

Q: What advancements in AI-driven network automation are helping improve broadband efficiency, and how can service providers leverage these innovations to enhance performance and reduce operational costs?

A: Network planning and operations have used machine learning for years and advancements in AI will only speed cost reducing and operations quality improvement capabilities.

Q: As broadband networks become more complex, what strategies should operators prioritize to secure infrastructure from cyber threats, and how does TIA’s work in supply chain security contribute to network resilience?

A: Security needs to be built into products and services, not added on. That means when designing a product or service, the organization needs to have a process to ensure every element, component and software feature can be traced back to its root to ensure it is secure. For example, our industry uses a huge amount of free and open-source software and ensuring it can be trusted is critical.

TIA’s SCS 9000 is a process-based, network technology and device agnostic, independently certifiable standard developed to help evaluate and provide higher assurance that suppliers develop products and services with security built in from conception through the entire product lifecycle,

Given the rise in quality and security issues, we’ve also revitalized our Quality Standard work group to evolve our quality standard TL 9000 to meet the demand of our evolving ICT industry.

Q: What are the top 3 topics you are looking into discussing with your peers across the event?

A: The speed with which the industry will continue to integrate systems from the IoT device into the core and back again, in a way that guarantees safety and security.

Industry collaboration on improving security and quality in our communications infrastructure.

Public and Private partnerships to solve the workforce gap

Q: How does the TIA anticipate the new administration’s policies will impact broadband strategies, and what key areas of investment or regulation should the industry prepare for?

A: They have made clear that effective and efficient use of government funds is paramount while building U.S. competitiveness.