Letter from the Editor
Autumn is here, and it's a reminder of the natural evolution surrounding all of us. The perpetual cycle between the old and new; death and rebirth; what was and what will be.
There is no finality to this cycle. It's a natural, incremental refinement of what is and what will become. Some things—from individuals, to species, to technology and enterprises—will
cease to be; as they are no longer integral to the natural order. Others will evolve and thrive, incorporating the adaptability to a changing environment with a deep-rooted instinct to
survive and the wisdom that could only be gained though a tangible experience with the past.
This is not dissimilar to our industry or the topics contained within this issue of Pipeline. Some technologies simply fall by the wayside, like leaves from a tree, while others
incorporate the old with the new to reemerge anew. Some enterprises cling to their legacy technologies, like winter leaves whose inevitable demise is obvious to everyone except the tree and the
leaf. Others still are simply sowing their seeds so that the next generation can emerge.
But regardless of the impetus behind or consequence of this cycle, it's one of my personal favorites to witness. Both in nature and in our industry. With each cycle of evolution new things
emerge. There is a beauty in this process. And to observe it combines a nostalgia that incorporates both cherishing the past and the youthful optimism of the things to come.
In this issue of Pipeline, PacketFabric teaches us how we can navigate the hybrid
network journey, CommScope discusses the evolution from 4G to 5G wireless technology, and
Openwave explores the streaming video wars and its implication to network technologies. Dr.
Cummings walks us through the stages of maturity for artificial intelligence and its potential applications.
He also reports from Deutsche Telekom's Zero Touch Automation conference in Bonn, Germany and discusses key obstacles that may be holding the industry back from achieving its potential. Altran discusses best practices for 5G Automation, the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance explores the sharing of unlicensed spectrum for 5G, and Aryaka Networks outlines key considerations for selecting an SD-WAN provider. We also hear from NJFX on the importance of cable landing stations in today's uncertain political, infrastructure, and security environment and we also take a look back at the month's top news stories and much more.
We hope you enjoy this and every issue of Pipeline,
Scott St. John
Managing Editor
Pipeline
