Tech, services and culture: Lumen, Alianza take on telco transformation

Recapping a panel from Network X Americas, Light Reading's Phil Harvey discusses telco transformation with Lumen Technologies' VP Crystal Dowds and Alianza CEO Brian Beutler to get a bullish take on where telcos can thrive.

Phil Harvey, Pierre Landriau

May 23, 2024

Light Reading's Phil Harvey discusses telco transformation with Crystal Dowds, VP of Architecture, Engineering and Technology (AET) at Lumen Technologies, and Brian Beutler, the founder and CEO of Alianza, at Network X Americas in Irving, Texas.

Beutler discusses his company's role in helping use cloud-based core communications solutions to simplify their operations and reduce costs without losing the qualities and features that have kept telco business and consumer customers loyal to their wired phone and voice services.

Dowds gives the service provider a view of tech transformation, highlighting a successful effort in the Lumen access network. The carrier built its own Wi-Fi 7 capable device for its fiber customers, as opposed to buying a vendor solution off-the-shelf.

With its own device and a common software stack, Lumen introduced what Dowds calls a cloud-based digital twin, which helps the carrier manage the device and securely manage the connection to the customer's home network. This move is one of many Dowds said is proof that Lumen isn't just building a great network, but is "starting with the customer and what they need and working backward."

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About the Author(s)

Phil Harvey

Phil Harvey

Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading

Phil Harvey has been a Light Reading writer and editor for more than 18 years combined. He began his second tour as the site's chief editor in April 2020.

His interest in speed and scale means he often covers optical networking and the foundational technologies powering the modern Internet.

Harvey covered networking, Internet infrastructure and dot-com mania in the late 90s for Silicon Valley magazines like UPSIDE and Red Herring before joining Light Reading (for the first time) in late 2000.

After moving to the Republic of Texas, Harvey spent eight years as a contributing tech writer for D CEO magazine, producing columns about tech advances in everything from supercomputing to cellphone recycling.

Harvey is an avid photographer and camera collector – if you accept that compulsive shopping and "collecting" are the same.

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Pierre Landriau

Pierre Landriau

Video Producer and BBQ Expert, Light Reading

Pierre Landriau, a.k.a. "Le French Producer Extraordinaire," knows his way around B2B video marketing after working at three major UK publishing companies: Haymarket, UBM and now Informa. Pierre edits and produces all of Light Reading's podcasts, maintains that he's listed on IMBD, and claims he once wormed his way into MTV for a day or two.

Pierre is based in London and can be reached at [email protected].

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