Carrier Earnings, Starlink D2D Data, and Early 6G Calls (AI-RAN), mmWave, and Apple 6G Modems)

Anshel Sag and Mike Dano review U.S. carrier earnings, noting generally solid results (AT&T postpaid ARPU up 4% and wireless service revenue up ~5%, plus the sale of its Mexico business; strong T-Mobile EPS; FWA and fiber net adds across carriers) while discussing SpaceX/Starlink as a persistent “boogeyman” topic with uncertain timelines, costs, spectrum needs, and core-network requirements. Dano summarizes Ookla findings on Starlink direct-to-device activity in Latin America, showing growth with Entel in Chile and Peru, usage concentrated in rural mining regions, and about half of samples occurring outside reported cellular coverage or at the cell edge; Entel also cited D2D as a driver of net adds. They cover accelerating 6G momentum with Nokia/T-Mobile/NVIDIA AI-RAN work, Verizon/Ericsson’s outdoor pre-standard 6G call at 7 GHz, and ongoing 5G voice-quality maturation. The episode also highlights Verizon’s renewed focus on millimeter wave (Starry acquisition) and edge/AI transport and inference deals, Apple hiring for 6G modem roles, and speculation about satellite broadband bundles that could include streaming plus edge caching.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

00:35 Carrier Earnings and Starlink

05:37 D2D Data in Latin America

08:50 Mining Demand for Starlink

10:35 6G Calls and AI RAN

13:44 Verizon Edge and mmWave

16:30 Apple Eyes 6G Modems

18:25 Satellite Bundles and Streaming

20:37 Smart Caching and Wrap Up

22:42 Closing and Next Week