Broadband Breakfast on February 19, 2025 - The New Convergence: Fiber and Wireless
As data demands soar, operators are racing to integrate fiber backhaul with wireless infrastructure.

In 2024, the fiber broadband industry witnessed a wave of high-profile deals, with mobile carriers acquiring fiber providers amid growing recognition of the value of a connected network. As data demands soar, operators are racing to integrate fiber backhaul with wireless infrastructure, fundamentally reshaping network architecture. How will they navigate the challenges of scaling this integration? And as fixed and mobile infrastructure continue to converge, what new services and innovations could be on the horizon?
Panelists
- Carla Shaffer, Vice President, Wireless, Wesco
- Jonathan Chaplin, Lead Analyst, New Street Research
- Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast
Panelist resources


Carla Shaffer began her career during the era of 1G, and has driven solutions into 2G, 3G, 4G, and now the emerging world of 5G. She currently serves as the Global Vice President of Wireless at Wesco, where she leads a team of experts who support the development and distribution of all wireless services within the enterprise and construction channels.
Jonathan Chaplin leads the US Communications Services research team. Prior to joining NSR he led the Telecom, Cable & Satellite research teams at Credit Suisse and JPMorgan where he was recognized as a top ranked analyst and stock picker by Institutional Investor, the Wall Street Journal and Forbes. When he isn’t analyzing the telecom industry, Jonathan is often disconnected from all networks, in remote parts of the world, climbing mountains.
Breakfast Media LLC CEO Drew Clark has led the Broadband Breakfast community since 2008. An early proponent of better broadband, better lives, he initially founded the Broadband Census crowdsourcing tool to collect and verify broadband data left unpublished by the Federal Communications Commission. As CEO and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media community advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage. Clark also served as head of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a state broadband initiative.
