Why a defense-tech giant is the next big player in broadband deployment

What happens when a company trusted with defense, medical, and transportation tech turns its focus to broadband? 

Recorded at the Connected America Conference in Dallas, host Jessica Denson talks with leadership from Kontron about their entry into the telecommunications sector. We explore how their 'fail-safe' background is shaping a new, cost-effective approach to building and maintaining resilient networks. 

Recommended links:

Sutton Underwood LinkedIn

Rok Okorn LinkedIn

Kontron LinkedIn

Kontron website

Transcript

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Jessica Denson, Connected Nation (00:07):
This is Connected Nation, an award-winning podcast focused on all things broadband. From closing the digital divide to improving your internet speeds, we talk technology topics that impact all of us, our families, and our neighborhoods. On this episode of Connected Nation, I talked to two representatives from Contron. The company is well known in the defense, medical, and transportation industries. Now, the company's bringing its services to the broadband sector. Find out the unique approach they're taking that can save networks, money, long-term. I'm Jessica Denson, and this is Connected Nation. I'm at day two of Connected America, taking place in Dallas, Texas, and I'm finally, finally, talking to the company that I've been waiting to talk to all weekend because people keep walking around with light sabers- Yes. ... and beers in their hands, and they're all ... It's all thing to Contron, right? <laugh> Yes. Yes. For sure.

(01:05)
And so I have Sutton Underwood. Um, why does it say Mr. Anderson next to that? Oh, it's 

Sutton Underwood, Kontron (01:09):
Just a fun plan where who doesn't like the matrix?

Jessica Denson, Connected Nation (01:11):
Yeah, I love the Matrix. Yeah. Did you see the Neo networks? They're named after the Matrix. Oh, that's unique. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, so, uh, Sutton Underwood, your role is the director of business development- Yes. ... and operations relations for the US. Yes. I got that right. Yes, you did. Thank you. I know it's mouthful. So, talk about what Contron does, and then we'll hand it over to Rock, and I'll introduce you properly next, okay? Yeah. 

Sutton Underwood, Kontron (01:32):
Yeah, absolutely. So, you mentioned the, uh, the lightsabers. Uh-huh <affirmative>. You know, we, uh, recently for any, uh, techie, uh, access guys, we created a chassis OLT into a beer tap. <laugh> Uh, and I think it kinda is a great, uh, reflection of how we think. We like to think a little bit differently. Mm-hmm. Um, and we also like to keep it fun. Um, but Contron, uh, as a, as a brand, as a company, is actually one of the largest access manufacturers that you probably haven't heard of. Um, so the company in itself- Uh-huh. ... is almost just over two and a half billion in revenue. We're a public company, 6,000 employees, and we are worldwide. Oh, wow. So I'm based out of our San Diego office where we are predominantly in defense, ITAR compliance, military, we're in a medical, we're in aerospace, um, so we're in a lot of under the hood equipment, which is, to our discredit little wire brand's not as well known.

(02:22)
Uh-huh. So I like to say that all of our stuff is truly mission critical. Um, and so we also have a broadband space which has a 75 year history starting its origins in Slovenia, which Rock here, uh, is a- ahead of. And they have a long history there. Now, Contron itself also has its origins from a spinoff of BMW. So you're talking a very long history of very good engineering. Uh-huh. Um, so the broadband side though is predominantly OLTs, ONTs, uh, we do everything, we even do cabinets, so really things end to end, but what makes us different and really separates us from all the other competitors out there, which are all great companies- Uh-huh. ... is that the paradigm in Europe is very much about being open and easy to work with, whereas in my opinion, the current environment with vendors in the US for operators is very locked and controlled.

(03:11)
Um, and if we, uh, think about some of the founding principles of, of the US- Uh-huh. ... I think we believe in choice and freedom, and we're trying to give that choice and freedom back to the operators without locking them in. So we're fully interoperable, truly. I mean, our lab testings can go, for others, might take a couple days. We've done it in 20 minutes. Mm-hmm. Um, and we have people that vouch for that. And then, um, at the same time, we have no licensing, we have no lock-ins, we have no reoccurring costs, no nickel and diming, no nothing. So, um, our goal is for you to be, uh, vendor agnostic, and again, I think in this day and age, especially where it's going to, before I pass it off here to Rock, is that it's very risky to be beholden to one vendor. And I think you should invite competition, and we're up for the challenge, and that's what we'd like to do, to have a chance in the lab. 

Jessica Denson (03:55):
So when you say that people feel that a lot of the industry is locked in- Correct. Ex- expand upon that just a little bit. 

Sutton Underwood (04:02):
Yeah. So, you know, we have a model where you, you buy hardware, but then you have to pay to play for, for lack of words, right? And they kind of upsell you with all these different services that you may need, and it ends up just stacking up the margins, um, and maybe you don't need, but you still kind of have to get it. And on top of that, if you have existing equipment, you know, OLTs or ONTs, um, for them to have to operate, fully inter- interoperate with theirs, there often is cost involved, you know? And so, you know, the other thing I, I try to explain is that an operator, their goal is to be in the service industry, and there's a subscription model, um, and to provide basically now, as we mentioned on stage, a utility, that everyone is relying on. I mean, some people can go without power, but they cannot go without internet, or they can go without water for a couple hours, but they need to be stay connected for their work.

(04:51)
So it's a very essential, um, you know, resource. Mm-hmm. Um, and they're in the business of offering that, but not paying subscriptions. And the way it is now is a lot of operators, their margins are getting dwindled by the subscriptions they're kind of forced to do, and we don't believe in that. Uh, so we truly want to let you build it as you need, but we're going to start with a base that gives you all the reliability, all the valuable, all the, um, everything you need in those devices without having to pay for extra anything. And then that's it. That 

Jessica Denson (05:20):
Makes a lot of sense. Gotcha. Yeah. So let's hand it off now 

Sutton Underwood (05:23):
To you. Explain that okay? Yeah, 

Jessica Denson (05:24):
You did great. You did great. I just like when, um, you know, I'm not always the technical person, but I also want to understand what you mean so that I can explain it to somebody else. Can I add one more 

Sutton Underwood (05:33):
Thing? 

Jessica Denson (05:34):
Yeah, 

Sutton Underwood (05:34):
Go for it. So, um, I think what would be really, for anyone that does hear this is, uh, for you to be open minded- Uh-huh <affirmative>. Um, and imagine a world where, you know, you can build the network the way you want, um, and you don't have to pay for that, you know? And again, the, the paradigm from Europe and now coming to the US, um, is changing that. And I think that's where we're ultimately gonna go. 

Jessica Denson (05:54):
You mean you don't have to pay for it after the fact? Correct. After you've already built it, you don't have to then pay additional. 

Sutton Underwood (06:01):
Correct. Yes. Gotcha. And, and on top of that, you know, a lot of the things we'll hear, we'll talk to operators, the things that they, um, are used to paying for, they're quite shocked to find out that we don't have any costs for those. Oh. Um, and so it's a very different model and we're still quite competitive for the actual hardware- Uh-huh <affirmative>. Very much so, but without giving up that value. 

Jessica Denson (06:18):
That's, that's fantastic. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Rock, your turn. Rock Okran, Ocorn. You see, you, you made me mess it up because you said, Jessica, you're not gonna get it right. <laugh> Right? You are the chief of support, uh, chief support officer, correct? Yeah. But, uh, he mentioned Sl- Slovenia. So talk a little bit about your role and what you do and why Slovenia is an important piece of that. 

Rok Okorn (06:42):
So, um, the company that Contra acquired was originally from Slovenia. Uh-huh <affirmative>. So this is how, um, this is where the connection is from. So I joined the company directly from college, so it's my ... I have never written a CV in my life. <laugh> So I got a scholarship at a previous company, and now this is Contron. My role is to make sure that customers are happy. Um, we make sure that, um, when the customer has a need, we pick up the phone, we, um, take a flight, we drive there, and to make sure that the quality that, uh, something before, uh, explained is really met. 

Jessica Denson (07:19):
Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. What are some things that maybe surprise you about the US market compared to the European market? 

Rok Okorn (07:25):
I would say, uh, closed ecosystems. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So in US, you, basically you choose a vendor and you have to stick with it end to end very often. However, in Europe, this is not the case. In Europe, uh, ISPs are very strictly following the standards which already exist and are written. There are international organizations such as ITU or BBF who define the standards and if you follow them, then interoperability comes automatically. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. However, it's not in everyone's best interest to be interoperable. And this is where Contron is trying to make a big change. So we think that, you know, network, even the optical network, passive optical network, GPON, GSPON should be interoperable. Like, for example, now if you, if you go to Walmart or Best Buy, you buy a router, you expect it's gonna work when you connect it at home. 

Jessica Denson (08:18):
Yeah. 

Rok Okorn (08:19):
So we want to put this also into fiber networks, to your access network. And this is possible. This is not something new and this is very, um, it's a, it's a no-brainer basically, not only in Europe, but the rest of the world. However, not so much in US. And we think we're bringing, bringing something fresh- Uh-huh <affirmative>. ... US market with this approach. 

Jessica Denson (08:39):
So what are you hearing from, um, you know, I would imagine, like you said, uh, like you said, Sutton, that people are kind of surprised by it, but I still mean this question for Rock. <laugh> They're passing the mic back and forth just so y'all know audience. <laugh> Um, but, um, we also have things happening behind us. We're just gonna ignore that and keep on going. But, um, do, what is, what is the question are you're getting from USP, US manufacturers or US networks that are saying, you know, uh, is this really possible? Can we do this? Is, are they confused by it? Are they excited? What, what is the response that you're getting to that? 

Rok Okorn (09:18):
So I was surprised at the beginning about this question because for me, it's strange, you know, this is how we operate for the last, I don't know, 15 years since I'm in the, in the industry. Uh-huh <affirmative>. And here's like, what do you mean why? How, how do we make business? Um, I mean, our answer to this is we try to show the value and we keep on showing the value because if you deliver what the customer expects, they're not gonna switch you. They're still gonna use you. Yeah. 

Sutton Underwood (09:45):
Right? 

Rok Okorn (09:46):
And, uh, even more, they're gonna pass the world on, word on and we're gonna get more and more customers. So it's really about, you know, delivering what you promise. You know, never, um, over promise and under deliver, do the, the, the opposite. Yeah. So do the under promise and over deliver. Make sure that you're a company that's easy to work with. 

Jessica Denson (10:06):
Yeah. Sutton's itching to answer that as well. So go ahead, Sutton. 

Sutton Underwood (10:09):
No, no. Thank you, Rock. <laugh> So one thing I wanted to add, and as someone that's partly responsible for developing relationships- Uh-huh <affirmative>. Um, and I cannot, again, imagine for a minute, anybody, um, that's in a relationship, I mean, I'm married, I have children, we have family and all that. Uh-huh <affirmative>. You have to understand that the number one thing, the most important thing, and it's almost a cliche, but it very much matters to Contron and to us and our team, is to listen. And I know a lot of people say that, but they don't really listen. Yes, very true. Um, and, and I think that's really important. And what we've seen is some of the incumbents have sort of stopped listening a little bit. And one of the, the advantages of having a new vendor do a new market is we are really eager to learn and listen- mm-hmm. <affirmative>.

(10:50)
... to what operates actually need and want. And fortunately, we have a incredibly large company behind us that is able to customize and create those solutions. If we don't have it already, we will create it fast. Um, we've had some ONTs that are reverse POE and they have, uh, FX ports, everything you need, 10 gigs of metrical, you know, um, speed test built and all the, all the bells and whistles, but it didn't exist and it went from paper to prototype in two and a half weeks and then one of our operators ordered about just over 10,000 and we got them out in five months. So in terms of speed, uh, to market, we're able to perform if someone's willing to give us a chance and we're willing to listen to them. Um, and another- So you like to 

Jessica Denson (11:28):
Problem solve then? 

Sutton Underwood (11:29):
Exactly. We love to problem solve. And it's not just to, you know, earn their business, it's because we actually are tinkers. We like to solve problems. You know, I think that's anyone that's an engineer listening understands that that's your nature. So you don't have, you don't turn it on and off, it's just you're constantly thinking about how to solve. And so fortunately we have a great relationship here where both the business side is like that and the engineering side is like that. Yeah, 

Jessica Denson (11:49):
I love that, especially in the broadband, um, sphere, uh, you can't, first off, you need, it's not getting one way for everything. You have to have different solutions to it. I've, I've seen that time and time again. You have to partner with lots of different people. So I'm kind, I, I wasn't aware that you had to, that they built it and then they had this subscription model. That seems, um, like that would really stop positive development or growth or- 

Sutton Underwood (12:13):
Well, so again, and not to get too much into it, but, um, it's not, not everyone has, has to do that. Uh-huh <affirmative>. There's some competitors that also are a little, not necessarily forcing subscription, but you also have to understand how easy they are to integrate into, um, inner other operators, right? Uh-huh <affirmative>. So also, you know, for anyone on the private equity side, there's a lot of acquisitions going on, right? Yeah. There's a lot of merging is going on. Well, you have to think about that now. So, and I think that's important detail is, you know, is the current access equipment at this company or the incumbent or wherever it is, um, going to integrate well, right? And who's, and so, you know, our people capital's important. So our team like Rock and he has 40 engine plus engineers under him will come in there and help solve those problems.

(12:54)
Uh-huh <affirmative>. Even if our units are not necessarily fully in your system yet. Um, and again, just to give you the last little example, we're with, uh, gotten into a couple PUDs and, um, we've hearing a lot about rural. Uh-huh <affirmative>. So just give you a little example. Um, we've met, you know, a couple PUDs and they didn't really know who we are. We asked to get a chance. We treat the little guy as, as much, respect as the big guy. We listen. We flew into Seattle, drove four hours, sat down with them, uh, Nokia, one of the others was there, were having some challenges, uh, getting interrupt. They had been there for about two and a half days, didn't complete, and we got interrupt in 20 minutes. 

Jessica Denson (13:26):
Wow. 

Sutton Underwood (13:27):
And I think that, again, comes back to the testament of the paradigm shift. We come prepared and we're willing to listen. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. 

Jessica Denson (13:34):
So what's your footprint in the US right now? 

Sutton Underwood (13:36):
Yes. So our footprint is growing, right? One of our largest right now is Planet Networks. Uh, we have a publication. There are several others, which I don't know if we can mention them all. Uh-huh <affirmative>. Um, but we do have, uh, several in different regions. We're also with, uh, working right now with, um, uh, well, we have some blanket ... Yeah, I know. FiberCom. Um, we have, again, Chelan Peaty, um, Okanagan Peaudy. Um- 

Jessica Denson (14:01):
So 

Sutton Underwood (14:01):
Is 

Jessica Denson (14:01):
That mostly in the west side of the US or cross? 

Sutton Underwood (14:03):
They're actually both west and east. West meets. Um, we have, who was your meeting? Iluit, thank you. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Uh, entry point fire. I mean, they're all coming now, but we got a lot. And we're in talks with some other larger ISPs right now. That's 

Jessica Denson (14:15):
Exciting. Yeah. 

Sutton Underwood (14:16):
Yeah, 

Jessica Denson (14:16):
Yeah. 

Sutton Underwood (14:16):
Yeah. And that's only been, you know, really solidly about a year and a half. Uh-huh <affirmative>. And I think that's gonna change very fast. So we're, we're in meetings with a lot of different- 

Jessica Denson (14:23):
So co- the company started in San Diego ... It started overseas, but it came to San Diego in what year? 

Sutton Underwood (14:29):
Correct. Well, it's been in San Diego, um, I would ... Yeah, at least 20 plus years. I'm not this specific. Oh, 

Jessica Denson (14:35):
So a longtime. 

Sutton Underwood (14:36):
Okay. No, we're very long standing company. Like I said, it started almost in the 50s, so- Gotcha. Yeah, it's been around a long time. Gotcha. And we're worldwide, so. 

Jessica Denson (14:43):
Gotcha. So, uh, Rock, hand it to Rock for just one moment. I wanna ask you, what's your most interesting challenge that you've had to solve within the broadband space so far? As the engineer type. <laugh> 

Rok Okorn (14:56):
As an engineer type. So difficult or interesting. 

Jessica Denson (15:03):
Either. It's your choice. 

Rok Okorn (15:05):
Mm. 

Jessica Denson (15:07):
There's gotta be something that came up to the top of your head when I asked that, right? <laugh> 

Rok Okorn (15:12):
I mean, because I'm, I'm ... Yeah. Yeah. 

Jessica Denson (15:15):
<laugh> 

Rok Okorn (15:15):
Yeah. The most difficult things I think are not the engineering part. So, you know, as an engineer, engineering problems are simple or very well defined. Uh, it's more like talking with people, you know, um, asking people to give us chance. Uh-huh. I would think this is more difficult than actually solving engineering part. We have an extremely strong engineering banker bankground. Uh-huh. So contrary is like, um, very ... People cooperate a lot, right? Different divisions cooperate, different departments inside the same digital cooperate. So when a problem or engineering challenge comes, you have lots of help and things are solved fairly quickly. Uh-huh. So that's why I cannot really think of an engineering, uh, problem. But, um, an interesting one probably would be, uh, where we try to fit our existing devices into ... Sorry, our devices to existing enclosures, right? So if a customer already has deployed some enclosure in fr- on, on the side of their houses, and they don't want to get new wiring, they don't want to get new enclosures, they just want to, you know, like snap into their existing infrastructure.

(16:21)
We did some, you know, custom designs that are, I think, pretty awesome, and customers are very happy, you know, that we can do the- That sounds cool. 

Jessica Denson (16:29):
Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, so Rock, you told me a little bit about your background, but Sutton, what's your background? How did you end up with Contron? 

Sutton Underwood (16:37):
Yeah. So, um, my background's pretty broad actually. Uh-huh. So I have ... My earlier days, I was, uh, in finance, so I'm originally from Connecticut now in San Diego. 

Jessica Denson (16:46):
Uh-huh. 

Sutton Underwood (16:47):
Um, did a couple things there, which meant to real estate of all things. And then, uh, that introduced me quite a bit about the NBU space and all that, which fell into this. Yeah. Uh, then I got, uh, into Cox, so I was working with Cox for a period. Uh-huh. And then, um, I discovered Contron here, and that was kind of the rest of it. So I've been doing that for- 

Jessica Denson (17:07):
Awesome. ... 

Sutton Underwood (17:07):
For now for a couple, several years. 

Jessica Denson (17:09):
Are, so are you both based in San Diego? 

Sutton Underwood (17:11):
No. So I'm San Diego and rocks and ... 

Rok Okorn (17:14):
Yeah, so actually I just moved to Charlotte from Europe five years ago. 

Jessica Denson (17:18):
Charlotte, 

Rok Okorn (17:19):
North Carolina? Six, six days ago, yeah. Oh. 

Jessica Denson (17:21):
So 

Rok Okorn (17:21):
I'm a new, new alien of- 

Jessica Denson (17:22):
Wow. Charlotte's a beautiful city too though. I do agree. San Diego's fun. Yeah. <laugh> 

Sutton Underwood (17:28):
Yeah. So the one last thing I'll, I'll say, I know you might have one other question is I think it's also, you know, humans are a little bit resistant to change. Yeah. And I think the biggest hurdle you asked what isn't ... I agree, it's not so much on the engineering side. It's getting, um, you know, the right years of the right people open to a little bit of change. And often I think the misnomer is that change involves more work, more time, and it's actually not the case. Um, and one of the reasons that we want the chance to get to the, the lab is just show them that it can be made much easier, transition whether it's GPON or XGSPON or whatever you're doing. Um, and, you know, I think, uh, you have to be open to that if you want to succeed and if you're not, um, I think you're gonna realize, uh, and it's too late.

(18:13)
Yeah. So I think, you know, we're a fresh, fresh breath of air and a fresh breath of, uh, solutions and we just want people to give us a chance. And if so, I think if you give us a chance, then you won't be, you won't be disappointed. 

Jessica Denson (18:25):
Well, don't leave me just yet. I have another ques- question or two for you both. Uh, <laugh> one, you know, you talk about being open. AI is out there right now. How are ... You both can answer this one. How is Contron looking at it and how are you guys putting that into your workflows? Do you wanna go first, Rock? Okay. 

Rok Okorn (18:43):
Yeah. So Content is very strong on AI, but not necessarily in this broadband division. So we have a special separate department, right, who's doing edge AI. I know that there's one division who is doing, uh, local AI for the vehicles, I think for BNW or Toyo. I'm not sure for which ... Yeah. Um, in terms of broadband, uh, we see AI more in the management perspective or in management, um, ecosystems. So, um, AI trying to not, not only, you know, solve the problems, but pr- try to prevent the problems, try to predict that something might happen and not only notify the user or the ISP, but to prevent it so it doesn't actually ever happen. Yeah. So this 

Sutton Underwood (19:30):
Is where 

Rok Okorn (19:30):
I see. The second one is probably the prioritization of traffic. So AI could help that, you know, over the internet, many things are passed to your home. For example, I know Netflix or YouTube, but on the other hand, you also have work from home where you have a Teams call, where you have a Zoom call, Zoom meeting, and so on. So sometimes it's important that, you know, the Teams call or Zoom call are the highest possible quality, especially on WiFi. And if you get your next Netflix, you know, movie or a serious half of a second later, it's not gonna be the end of the world, but your teams should not lag, right? Your, uh- Yeah. ... video should be crisp, your voice should be real time and so on. So this is where we see AI embroidement. 

Jessica Denson (20:15):
Yeah, we all work remote pretty much at Connect to Nation, so I'm definitely picking up what you're putting down that <laugh>. Yeah. And what about you, Sutton? How, how would you address the AI question? 

Sutton Underwood (20:24):
Yeah. So Jessica, I mean, I think Rock on the, on that side answered it very well, but I think we can all appreciate the fact that AI is going to put more, uh, pressure on reliability of networks. And, um, you know, it's almost, uh, we're entering a world and we're obviously, uh, even more of a global world of, as we're all seeing on the main stage, um, with certain countries not totally agreeing with each other, um, not having the edge can be risky. Yeah. And so having a reliable infrastructure, right, and which is everyone in the industry, not just Contron, um, I think is really essential. Um, and so that's why, again, going back to some of our offerings, being open-minded to talk, considering different vendors that have different propositions and solutions, uh, more now than ever is gonna be key, other than just doing what you've always done.

(21:11)
Um, and so I think we invite the AI wave, and I think it's gonna be tremendous for everybody, and it's here to stay, and we're ready for it. Uh, 

Jessica Denson (21:20):
Are you guys in any talks at all with any of the groups that are working on data centers or anything like that? Or is that like hush-hush right now? No. <laugh> 

Rok Okorn (21:29):
Yeah. We, we are trying to stick with broadband. Uh, we believe that it's important, you know, that you don't cover too many- Yeah. ... things, you should be experts, you know, where you are an expert, and so the focus is not lost. So we want to put all our focus into broadband and deliver best possible broadband. Uh, we think there are lots of great players for data centers and networking inside data centers, but at the, at, for the moment, this is not what we are pursuing. We're trying to improve end customer experience, so residential is where we try to, you know, put the best engineering into, so home wifi, wifi coverage, quality of service, quality of experience at home, and then up to the ISP score network. This is what we do. 

Jessica Denson (22:16):
Fantastic. And, uh, Sutton, on the business development side, are you, are, is your company working with an E of the state broadband offices with Bead? 'Cause Bead's out there, obviously- 

Sutton Underwood (22:26):
Yes. ... that's 

Jessica Denson (22:26):
Billions of dollars. 

Sutton Underwood (22:27):
Yes. 

Jessica Denson (22:28):
So are you pursuing any of that or looking at any of that? I mean, I know what you could talk about and not, maybe you can't talk about some of it, but- 

Sutton Underwood (22:35):
Yes. ... 

Jessica Denson (22:35):
What could you share? Is there any of that? 

Sutton Underwood (22:37):
That's a great question. Uh-huh <affirmative>. So, uh, we actually have a facility that we own in Huntsville, Alabama. Uh-huh <affirmative>. So to answer your question, we are prepared and ready for BEAD and, uh, yeah, it's just a matter of what operators need that. Um, the truth is, as we might all know, it's been a slow process. Yes. <laugh> Yeah. Um, unfortunately, you know, um, government can be slow at times. Uh-huh <affirmative>. So I, we find that most of the opportunities with the ISPs and the operators we're working with have their own finding or private equity funding or wherever it may be- Uh-huh <affirmative>. ... or self-funded. So it hasn't been really a hurdle, but if it's needed, we are positioned and ready to do that. 

Jessica Denson (23:11):
All right. Well, last question, and both of you can answer this while we have rock, rock start and then sudden you could, you could round us out and wrap us up. So where would you, in your mind, do you see Contron two years, five years, 10 years down the road? 

Rok Okorn (23:29):
Mm <laugh>.

(23:33)
I mean, from the US perspective, um, I expect that we will get much, we will get much more traction and we'll be more known in the industry. So I think this is my biggest, um ... I think this is gonna, this is gonna be the biggest change. So because now we, we are very known around the world, but not so much on US market. So we're putting a lot of effort also visiting, you know, all the shows where we're now is, um, putting in that direction. Um, we don't think we have a product gap, but we do think we have a marketing gap. 

Jessica Denson (24:11):
Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And for you, Sutton, how would you answer that? 

Sutton Underwood (24:14):
Yeah, you know, I would say we can't forget that Contron removed from just broadband is a very long, large, established brand. Yeah. Okay? Again, um, anyone in, in other sectors will, I'll, I'll come across and be like, "Oh, we know Contron." Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. It's just lesser known here. Um, you know, we, we have to understand, like, our technology, as I opened up with, is, is very much mission critical. We're in drones, we're in tanks, uh, I mean, you know, we have modules that are in, uh, for 5G and airplanes. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So there's a lot of stuff that people are using that are touched by Contron, they might not be aware. So I would say four or five years out from now, Contron will continue to, to be known in other channels, but we will definitely, and our goal, I think, is to be one of the top three considerations in the broadband space. 

(24:56)
And I think our merits will lead with that, and it's gonna be inevitable at one point. And we're starting to reach, even as, you know, small as we are at the moment on the broadband channel, we're now coming to more and more of these shows and more and more operators, and we're starting to touch and see the same people and getting invited to several RFPs because they're like, you know what, I've heard about you guys for a year or two and, you know, what you got? And they're quite impressed. And I'll say that the best compliment we ever get is, uh, the RFPs that are underway and they say, "You know what? I wish I met you sooner." Oh, that's fantastic. And so I would invite anyone that's hearing or considering to say, "Hey, you know, let's meet, let's connect." And, uh, you never know whether it's now or if we're down the road, you won't regret it and at the least, you'll learn something new. 

Jessica Denson (25:35):
Okay. I will include a link to your company and to your LinkedIn, so you both on LinkedIn- Thank you. ... um, in the description of this podcast so people can get ahold of you if they'd like, all right? 

Sutton Underwood (25:43):
Jessica, thank you. 

Jessica Denson (25:43):
Yeah. Thank you, Sutton Underwood and Rock Oakhorn with Contron. <laugh> 

Sutton Underwood (25:49):
Thank you. 

Jessica Denson (25:58):
That concludes our coverage of Connected America, which took place in Dallas, Texas in April. I'm Jessica Denson, and this is Connected Nation. If you wanna know more about us, head to connectonation.org or look for us on your favorite podcast platform.