Insights

Data-driven insights that executives and policymakers actually need to make critical decisions in the telecommunications, technology, airline and AI industries.

Cooperation in the Sky, Competition on the Ground: Why the Big Three’s Open-Spec Direct-to-Device Joint Venture Is Good for America

AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have chosen to cooperate for the American customer. The three carriers announced an agreement in principle this morning to form a joint venture that…

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115 MHz Off the Shelf: Reading the EchoStar Transaction

On May 12, the FCC approved two transactions that move approximately 115 megahertz of mid- and low-band spectrum out of EchoStar’s strategic holdings and into operators that have…

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Promises Versus Prices: Five Carriers, One Question

Every warning sign has a story hidden behind it When you see a “Don’t feed the crocodile” sign, someone fed the crocodile and it did not end well.…

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What T-Mobile Stopped Telling You About Q1 2026

The Thesis Companies do not retire disclosure when business is accelerating. They retire it when they fear the optics. T-Mobile’s Q1 2026 investor factbook is the first one…

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Convergence Isn’t About Bundles. It’s About Ownership.

Marketing has been calling it convergence for twenty years. Every carrier’s annual investor day has featured a bundle slide. Most of them have been wrong about what they…

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Walmart Is the U.S. Wireless Industry’s Most Important Store — And Nobody Controls It

The wireless industry has a Walmart problem. Not because Walmart is hostile to carriers or OEMs, it’s quite the opposite. The problem is that Walmart has quietly become…

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T-Mobile’s SuperMobile will Super Charge its Business Ambitions

Thanks to its “Un-Carrier” program and acquisition of Sprint, T-Mobile has gone from an “also ran” in the U.S consumer market to one of its dominant service providers.…

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The Smartphone Industry Is Marketing AI To People Who Just Need a Phone That Works

Device OEMs and carriers spent much of 2025 positioning AI as the defining reason to upgrade. On-device intelligence, Smarter cameras, Conversational assistants baked into the operating system. The…

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Apple’s Smartphone Stranglehold Just Got Tighter, and Samsung’s Problems Are Worse Than You Think

ANALYSIS | US SMARTPHONE MARKET The US smartphone market loves good narratives. Apple versus Samsung. Premium versus value. Loyal fans versus deal-hungry switchers. A new deep dive from…

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VERIZON’S JANUARY OUTAGE: BUSINESS CUSTOMER IMPACT

Verizon’s nationwide wireless outage on January 14, 2026, was the kind of event that doesn’t just disrupt a Tuesday: it hands every competitor field rep a talking point…

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Podcasts

Join us every week for an analyst's perspective on the world
of telecommunications, technology, airlines and AI.

#295: Promises, Promises, Promises - Price Locks and the Cost of Predictability

5.11.2026 — The speakers discuss the use of telecom, media, and technology by unaffiliated technology companies, including Verizon and T-Mobile. They explain that customers may be charged for taxes and fees if they are not using the current plan, and suggest avoiding playing stupid games and raising prices if they need to. They also discuss the importance of protecting customers from billing and the need for a long-term service plan. They emphasize the need for research and research on reports and suggest picking up the freebies. They plan to talk again next week.
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#294: Q1 '26 Earnings - Verizon, T-Mobile, and Key Takeaways from Deutsche Telekom

5.4.2026 — During a conversation between Roger Entner and Don Kellogg, T-Mobile and Verizon reported a net adds of over 100,000, but lost accounts and customers. Verizon lost accounts and customers due to loss of accounts and customers. T-Mobile is working to reengineer all of these numbers and provide better data reporting for their clients. They also discussed the success of postpaid phone net adds and churn rates, as well as the potential for Charter and Comcast to sell their business in the US and Europe. The German government was a constraint, and the potential for Deutsche Telekom to be a strategic partner is discussed.
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#293: Q1 '26 Earnings - AT&T, Comcast, and Charter and the Rise of Fiber Castles

4.27.2026 — The conversation between Roger Entner and Don Kellogg covers the potential benefits of the company's convergence strategy and the acquisition of Luminim and Comcast, which is designed to be an FWA killer. The company's success in broadband service and revenue is discussed, with a focus on the positive impact of fiber infrastructure on people's satisfaction scores and revenue. The impact of Comcast's plans to merge with DT and T-Mobile USA is also discussed, with a potential net positive for customers. The success of Comcast on customer satisfaction and revenue is a topic of future discussion.
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#292: What Comes Next When All Networks Are Good Enough?

4.20.2026 — In a conversation between Roger Entner and Dan Scheler, they discuss the importance of network capabilities and the importance of delivering a frictionless experience for customers. They also touch on the topic of competition and the importance of network reliability. The conversation ends with a discussion of the importance of network capabilities and the need for a comprehensive bundle approach.
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#291: Churn and the Future of Loyalty with Jay Cary and Dave Whetstone

4.13.2026 — The CEO of television and technology company disconnected from the industry and spent billions of dollars on networks and loyalty plans. The podcast is designed to make customers understand that loyalty is a difficult word and loyalty plans are not just a marketing background mindset. The importance of building trust and creating a loyalty initiative is emphasized. The need for a culture change in the industry is also emphasized. The success of Visible and the potential for growth in the digital industry are discussed, along with the importance of serving a specific customer and delivering tailored rewards offers.
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#290: AT&T’s OneConnect Plan

4.6.2026 — The new plans for AT&T's OneConnect include a bundle of three flavors with various features, including a watch, tablet, and fiber. The price of a plan with 10 lines is a flat rate, and the ARPU will drop through the T-Mobile network. The Fiber plans include bundling services and increasing prices for family members, but keep ship steady and not change price plans for customers. Roger suggests discussing the plans with Speaker 2 next week.
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#289: The Telecom Value Story, The FCC Router Ban Threatens a New Digital Divide

3.30.2026 — In a conversation between Roger Entner and another analyst, they discuss the potential risks of a router ban and the cost of wireless service. They also discuss the cost of data usage and the cost of wireless service. The conversation ends with a discussion of the benefits of wireless service and the need for a new router.
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In The News

Latest in the press and news.

futurism.com Favicon Futurism
5.14.2026

Elon Musk's Attempts at AI Are Falling Apart

The number of new users installing Grok has fallen off a cliff as Elon Musk's xAI flounders on the world stage.…
www.fierce-network.com Favicon Fierce Network
5.14.2026

Verizon CEO Dan Schulman is playing to win

Verizon CEO Dan Schulman has been in the top job for more than six months. What’s he got to show for it?…
www.techloy.com Favicon Techloy
5.12.2026

Grok Downloads Crash 60% as Musk Rents AI Infrastructure to Rival Anthropic

Elon Musk's Grok chatbot downloads fell from 20 million in January to 8.3 million in April while company adoption remains under 10%.…
www.newsbytesapp.com Favicon NewsBytes
5.12.2026

Musk's Grok AI loses steam amid rise of ChatGPT, Claude

Elon Musk's Grok chatbot has seen a dramatic drop from 20 million to 8 million downloads in just three months, as competitors like ChatGPT and Claude continue to dominate.…
fudzilla.com Favicon Fudzilla.com
5.12.2026

Grok losing the AI wars – Fudzilla.com
www.rawstory.com Favicon Raw Story
5.12.2026

Elon Musk's AI effort is flopping as he rents out data centers to competitors: WSJ

For all his claimed brilliance as a tech wizard, billionaire Elon Musk’s foray into the multi-billion-dollar race for artificial intelligence (AI) supremacy is, at best, floundering with users, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.Late Monday, the Journal reported that Musk’s AI chatbo...…
mezha.ua Favicon mezha.ua
5.12.2026

Musk’s Grok lags behind in AI race as SpaceX outsources computing power to Anthropic
enterpriseai.economictimes.indiatimes.com Favicon ETEnterpriseai.com
5.12.2026

Elon Musk’s Grok falls behind ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini in AI race

Elon Musk's Grok is facing challenges in the AI market, lagging behind competitors like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, despite Musk's strategic moves and integration efforts. Learn about the latest trends and market positions in AI development.…
www.odaily.news Favicon ODaily
5.12.2026

US Media: Musk's Grok is Falling Behind in the AI Race

Odaily Odaily reports that Musk's artificial intelligence model, Grok, is lagging far behind its fast-growing competitors. Furthermore, a massive computing pow……
phemex.com Favicon phemex.com
5.12.2026

Elon Musk's Grok AI Model Faces Growth Challenges | Phemex News

Grok, Elon Musk's AI model, sees stalled growth as competitors surge ahead. User willingness to pay remains low, raising questions about its future.…
bbcmag.com Favicon Broadband Communities
5.11.2026

Verizon cuts hundreds more jobs as slimdown continues - Broadband Communities

The latest move from Verizon follows the announcement of 15,000 job cuts last year, as was previously reported.…
www.lightreading.com Favicon lightreading.com
5.11.2026

Your carrier’s price lock may not lock your price – Light Reading
www.telcotitans.com Favicon telcotitans.com
5.8.2026

Will the FCC be forced to decide whether satellite counts toward spectrum buildout?
www.phonearena.com Favicon phonearena.com
5.7.2026

Secret T-Mobile numbers show three ways it’s getting thrashed – PhoneArena
www.fierce-network.com Favicon Fierce Network
5.6.2026

Starlink’s MVNO prospects are hot topic right now

Verizon made it official that it’s not interested in doing an MVNO with Elon Musk’s Starlink. Where does that leave everyone?…