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NewsGlobe: Interviews
Ross Ireland looks forward
Telecom to become a communications and experience industry
by Sean Buckley
Throughout his 40-plus year career — one that spanned various technical and executive positions at the former SBC Communications — it's safe to say Ross Ireland knows a thing or two about the telecom industry. Prior to his retirement in 2004, Ross served as the Senior Executive Vice President of Services and Chief Technology Officer of the former SBC Communications, Inc. Currently, Ross serves on the board of directors at a number of emerging telecom vendor companies, including Matisse Networks, ASSIA and Neustar. Telecommunications Executive Editor Sean Buckley sat down recently with Ireland to talk about his views on how the telecommunications industry has evolved into what he calls a communications industry.
In this Audiocast interview, Ross Ireland answers the following questions:
In a multi-decade career you finally rose to the role of CTO of
SBC, now AT&T, clearly one of the largest telecom companies in the U.S.
Given your tenure there, what are the most significant events of that
career and any other insights on the evolution of the telecom industry?
You are a board member of a number of new vendors, including Matisse
Networks, which is targeting new opportunities in the optical and
Ethernet market. Do you see a continued uptick in Ethernet and optical,
and what is driving those innovations?
In addition to Matisse, you’re also a board member of ASSIA, a company
founded by John Cioffi, an early DSL pioneer, that’s developing solutions
around DSM (Dynamic Spectrum Management). Albeit DSM is still in its
formative stages, what’s your perspective on that technology and the
value it could bring to service providers in getting more out of their
copper plant?
Of course, one service that you helped to pioneer was IPTV. What’s your
perspective on IPTV in terms of a consumer service and the benefits it
can bring?
Finally, are there any lessons learned from your tenure at SBC that you
would want to share with someone starting out today in the telecom or
communications industry?
Click here to listen to the Audiocast
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