{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Carrier 2.0","title":"Masum Mir of Cisco on AI Data Gravity, IT/OT Convergence, and the Edge Opportunity","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":945,"description":"Episode Summary\nIn this episode of Carrier 2.0, host Steve Saunders talks with Masum Mir, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Provider Mobility Business, about the next wave of transformation for carriers. Masum explains how AI’s “data gravity” is reshaping the network, why IT and OT convergence is accelerating, and how service providers can claim a central role in the new AI-driven economy. From breaking internal silos to bridging enterprise and carrier ecosystems, this conversation explores what it really takes to move beyond connectivity and into intelligence.\n\nKey Talking Points\nThe Existential Question (01:36) – With most of humanity already connected, the next challenge for telecoms is linking the physical and digital worlds—and deciding what kind of companies they want to become.\nBeyond the Five Nines (02:59) – Why reliability alone isn’t enough anymore, and how service providers can capture value in the digital economy without losing their traditional strengths.\nThink Outside-In (03:08) – Masum’s advice to carriers: start small, build from your existing assets, and avoid greenfield silos.\nSignal or Noise (03:35) – Quantum computing? Noise. 6G? Signal. Human-level AI? Too early. Masum calls it like he sees it.\nIT/OT Convergence (05:15) – How industrial networks are merging IT, OT, and security by design and what it means for telecoms looking to play in vertical markets.\nBreaking Silos at Cisco (06:38) – How Cisco is reorganizing internally to bridge enterprises and service providers, uniting cloud, connectivity, and AI operations.\nAI’s Data Gravity (11:01) – As AI creates and consumes massive datasets, carriers have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to host, connect, and optimize the infrastructure that underpins the AI economy.\nFrom Chat to Agentics (12:35) – Masum predicts a world where intelligent agents talk to each other, placing new demands on networks and making the edge more valuable than ever.\nOne Bold Prediction (13:59) – The...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/2XrqCxof4jj7dZZ0ry0NZk8SuplZwQK_hNRJRua9sAE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS85NDMy/NmEzYTZkMzUwMzcx/ZWQyZTljMzY1MjYw/MjM2ZS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}