Data Center POST had the opportunity to connect with Alan Gibbemeyer, VP of Business Development and Sales at Telescent. Alan brings over 20 years of experience in sales, product management and closing significant data center operator design wins/production orders for networking systems. Alan has used this experience to help grow the company’s base of Tier 1 industry-leading customers looking to scale their networks with Telescent’s innovative robotic patch panel. Continue reading about Telescent’s automated solutions in Alan’s Metro Connect USA 23 interview below.
Data Center POST (DCP) Question: Metro Connect USA 2023 is the 22nd annual event. What are you most looking forward to at the event this year?
Alan Gibbemeyer, VP Business Development, Telescent (AG) Answer: Telescent is attending Metro Connect USA for the first time to connect with the wide range of attendees at this conference. The Telescent robotic patch panel has applications across the infrastructure space and by attending Metro Connect USA we can meet with executives from fiber, data center, cloud, tower and cable industries as well as partners from the finance sector all in one place.
DCP Q: This year’s Infrastructure Day (invite only) takes place on January 30. It is a closed-door session exploring such topics as the edge, 5G, and the next generation of edge networks. This is your opportunity to share your opinion on one (or all) of these topics, and how your company is positioned to support these trends and technologies.
AG A: While “Edge” means different things depending on your position in the network, the benefits of the edge, and specifically lower latency, can only be achieved by bringing interconnection to the edge. If the data must travel round trip to a multi-tenant data center in a Tier 1 city to exchange data, then any benefit of locating compute and storage closer to the data source is lost. The Telescent robotic patch panel allows providers to bring interconnection to the edge while allowing remote, unmanned operation to enable the full benefits of edge deployment.
DCP Q: On January 31, the CEO panel will discuss – in part – how the supply chain issues have affected their businesses – how has your company managed through these supply chain challenges, and have you adjusted your procurement strategies, forecasts and plans to adapt to the world’s new order?
AG A: Telescent has worked closely with our contract manufacturer Flex and has minimized any supply chain issues. Our robotic patch panel system consists of fiber interconnects (for latched connectivity) and avoids any unique or custom silicon, which seems to have been a major supply issue for a range of industries – from automobiles to our own industry.
DCP Q: ESG is a hot topic that is also on the agenda at Metro Connect USA 2023. What are your ESG plans and who are they tailored for (customers, prospects, investors, hyperscalers, etc.) – and are there any certifications, groups or initiatives you are part of to help your company achieve its goals?
AG A: Power has always been a concern for hyperscalers. Google has recently shown that by replacing an electronic switch with an optical cross connect, they reduced power use in the networking layer by 41%. The Telescent system extends this approach with greater scale beyond the Google MEMS-based solution with additional benefits due to the excellent optical performance. (e.g. low loss and minimal reflectivity).
DCP Q: Some of the 2023 predictions address FTTH. There are thoughts that as the economies of scale become realized, roll-up opportunities could be in the near-term/mid-term future. What is your opinion about FTTH and is it necessary to create a truly robust edge network?
AG A: FTTH certainly benefits from economies of scale – bringing fiber to a borough of New York City is more economical than a small rural city in California. Since cost is determined by the area covered and customers passed while revenue is based on the number of customers in a region that sign up, roll-ups that combine the subscribers in a region to offset the deployment cost certainly make sense. It will probably require a combination of industry and government (with newly released infrastructure funds such as GoldenStateNet in California) to provide the infrastructure to create a truly robust edge network.
DCP Q: What else would you like for our readers to know that you haven’t already shared about your company?
AG A: Anthony Kewitsch, CEO, and Alan Gibbemeyer, VP of Business Development for Telescent, will both be attending Metro Connect USA and will be available to meet Monday or Tuesday to discuss how the Telescent robotic patch panel can enable remote operation and diagnostics for your network.
If you want to learn more about Metro Connect USA 2023, please visit: here. The event takes place January 30 – February 1, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, FL – registration is still open for those interested in attending.
To learn more about Telescent, click here
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