5:40 PM -- In case you hadn't noticed, some very big cable operators have gotten into Wi-Fi in a big way, whether it involves putting the technology inside home gateways or building out hot spots that let cable modem stay connected while they are on the go. (See Comcast Boots Up Wi-Fi in California , Bright House Lights Up Wi-Fi in Florida and Cable's MVNO Option May Speed Wi-Fi Rollouts.)

Some of the top U.S. cable operators are moving ahead with Wi-Fi roaming deals and backing up those wireless bets by hooking up with Verizon Wireless not just to bundle services but to create new services and apps that can ride on those partnerships. And U.S. cable also has established a growing cellular backhaul business, expected to be worth $600 million by the end of this year, and at least $900 million by 2015, according to Heavy Reading 's latest estimates. (See Bright House Lights Up Wi-Fi in Florida and Cable Goes Big With Wi-Fi Roaming .)

Cable's mobile ventures is sure to be a hot topic at next week's Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) Cable-Tec Expo, and Light Reading Cable is pleased to help stoke it a bit more there when we host a breakfast panel in conjunction with with sponsors Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) and Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) on Wednesday, Oct. 17. It all gets under way at 7 a.m., and we hope to get your day under way with some coffee, vittles and some lively discussion to wash it all down with the help of our fine panel:

They'll be talking about cable's wireless broadband deployments, some of the challenges they've faced, the lessons they've learned so far, and what new technologies are on the horizon. If you're heading to the Expo, we hope you can join us there.

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable