“One of the biggest challenges we have right now is that technology is outpacing security. You can’t have a quality product, a quality service, a quality network, unless you build in rather than bolt on security.”

– Dave Stehlin, CEO of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)

When most consumers think about telecommunications, they are likely to focus on the devices they use to access it. None of those gadgets would have any value, however, without the vast improvements in connectivity we have seen over the last few years. And because the telecommunications supply chain is so complex, pervasive, international and cross-jurisdictional, companies have to be able to work cooperatively with a number of governments to operate and innovate.

Dave Stehlin (TIA), Chris Poli (CommScope), and Thomas Carter (Dealbox, Total Network Service Corp.) work with firms that play different roles in the telecommunications industry.

In this podcast based on the Supply Chain Now livestream program Digital Transformers, Dave, Chris, and Thomas tell Co-hosts Kevin L. Jackson and Scott Luton:

· About the mind-boggling number of services, components, and teams that are required to make modern telecommunications connectivity possible

· The opportunities associated with the switch from hardware-based programs to software and apps

· How blockchain-based technology may hold the key to advancements in connectivity without sacrificing security