Mile High Momentum from the 40th Expo
By Mark Dzuban
The convergence of our industry at the 40th anniversary SCTE® Cable-Tec Expo® was as exciting and energetic as I’ve ever seen. Expo 2023 returned to Denver and truly delivered a celebration of decades of collaboration and the next generation of innovators who have already begun to evolve our industry. Seamless connectivity and sustainability were two of the most powerful themes on the exhibit floor, fueled by the collective genius of transformative technology working to make both possible.
Among the over 340 exhibits were 75 new vendors who made their debut on the show floor. Of the more than 330 papers that were submitted for the annual Fall Technical Forum, 105 peer-reviewed papers were presented in 35 sessions, organized into five super tracks. Everything from Wireline Networks: 10G and Beyond to Residential Networks, Wireless, Mobility, and IoT. Additionally, the inaugural Innovation Policy Track provided the latest insights on government perspectives on broadband funding, 10G deployment, spectrum policy, energy sustainability, and cyber security. A Strategy Summit, a Security Track which included a CISO Summit, and a dedicated Open RAN Technical Summit all made debuts this year.
Expo also provided programming in two new theaters this year: the Innovation Theater and the Technical Training Theater (T3), designed to showcase the expertise of the industry’s technical workforce and provide hands-on technical training that is informative, interactive, and innovative, bringing products and solutions to life in an educational theater setting. T3 served as a terrific host venue for the International Cable-Tec Games, when the best cable technicians from around the world competed and showcased their skills.
Expo ’23 also featured three new Specialty Pavilions on the show floor. At the Sustainability & Circularity Pavilion attendees learned about the cable industry’s environmental goals, the SCTE Energy 20/20 program, and explored the latest technologies, standards, and best practices that can help reduce waste, increase energy efficiency, and promote circularity. The Mobility Pavilion offered a glimpse into the “here and now” as well as into the future of mobile technology, showcasing the latest advancements in 5G and converged connectivity. Also, at the Innovation Product Showcase, located immediately outside the Innovation Theater, several of our new exhibitors were able to showcase, demonstrate, and discuss their latest innovative products and services.
By adding topics like security, sustainability and policy, we continue to expand the Expo audience and increase its influence as the industry’s flagship event for moving technology forward to create seamless experiences.
We’ve received a flood of positive feedback since Expo. This may be one of my favorite comments, “Building and delivering moonshots demands a strong ecosystem like the one I experienced at this year’s SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. Big ideas aren’t built in a day—they require a future-looking community to share the hard work that’s necessary to turn the unimaginable into tomorrow’s standards that will revolutionize the consumer experience.” Thanks to Dr. William R. Cockayne, author of Building Moonshots, for sharing this perspective.
I also extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made Expo 2023 the electric assembly that it was, powering our progress.
We must buckle up and continue the momentum captured in the Mile High City. Planning for Expo 2024 has already begun. Liberty Latin America President and CEO Balan Nair and Cox Communications President Mark Greatrex have already committed to serve as co-chairs. There is a lot of work to be done between now and then. And we hope to see you September 23-26, 2024, in Atlanta, to heat things up even more.
DOCSIS 4.0 technology is a reality, and we are accelerating on the road to 10G!
SCTE President and CEO Mark Dzuban congratulates the overall winners of the International SCTE Cable-Tec Games. From left to right are bronze medalist Ryan Moss, silver medalist Tom Hawk, gold medalist and overall winner Dosty
Hodges of Cox, and Justin Stiles, Games subcommittee chair. Hodges proudly represented his SCTE Cactus chapter in Mesa, Arizona. And Moss and Hawk, both of Comcast, were competing on behalf of SCTE’s Mt. Rainier chapter in Washington State.
Mark L. Dzuban
President and CEO, SCTE® a subsidiary of CableLabs®
Mark Dzuban is president and CEO of SCTE®, a subsidiary of CableLabs®. SCTE is a global not-for-profit member organization driving the acceleration and deployment of technology in the cable industry. With a career spanning more than 50 years in cable telecommunications, Dzuban has been named a Cable TV Pioneer, Cable Center Innovation Laureate, Cablefax Top 100 industry executive, and has received the Vanguard Award for Cable Operations Management.
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