1. Monthly archive
  2. March 2025

March 2025

An Industry on Hold

I keep seeing articles or podcasts speculating on what the new administration and Congress might change in the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment grant program. This all seems like speculation to me since only a few people really know what might happen, and I don’t think they are the ones talking. There is one thing that definitely has occurred. A large chunk of the industry that was expecting to participate in BEAD is largely on hold—and feeling the stress. That group includes the many internet service providers that have filed or plan to file BEAD applications.

Lumen Transports 1.2 Tbps Signal Across 1,800 Miles

Lumen Technologies and Ciena have collaborated on a successful 1.2 terabit wavelength service trial across 3,050 kilometers (more than 1,800 miles) on Lumen’s Ultra-Low-Loss fiber network, the longest 1.2 Tbps non-regenerated signal across the globe. Lumen and Ciena used 800G interfaces to successfully test and qualify the services to support wavelength, Ethernet, and IP services over the 1.2 Tbps single carrier channel. According to Lumen, the successful trial is important because artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, and security demands are pushing data transmission speeds to new limits.

Apple and Musk Clash Over Satellite Expansion Plans

Apple is clashing with Elon Musk in its push to eliminate cellphone dead spots with satellite technology. Apple is investing heavily in satellite-based communications that keep users connected in places where traditional wireless signals aren’t available. Musk’s SpaceX, meanwhile, has launched more than 550 satellites that provide cellphone connectivity via its Starlink service. To build capacity, the companies are competing for valuable spectrum rights—airwaves to carry their signals—which are in limited supply.

The AI Data-Center Boom Is Coming to America’s Heartland

Building advanced artificial-intelligence systems will take city-sized amounts of power, which has turbocharged electricity demand projections for the first time this century. Tech companies are pressing into unexpected parts of the country, far from traditional data-center markets such as Northern Virginia.

© 1994-2025 Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. All Rights Reserved.