Welcome to Broadband World News!

Happy new year -- and happy new name here at Broadband World News!

Over my years of covering technology -- going from the indirect computer channel such as system integrators and consultants to interviewing CIOs, CISOs and other C-levels at enterprises and healthcare, then onto high-performance computers, and now telcos and cablecos -- I've rarely been able to explain my job to non-industry friends or family. Sometimes even the titles of the publications were inexplicable, jargon-laden names that "outsiders" struggled with.

I assure you my parents' inability to understand the meaning of UBB2020 was not behind the name change! But greater transparency and a step away from industry lexicon is welcome. Our new name also more accurately reflects our charter of providing global coverage of broadband news.

In large part, the change was designed to better reflect our partnership with Broadband World Forum (BBWF), the Knect365 / Informa sister company renowned for its annual eponymous event in Germany each October. (Register now for BBWF 2018 in Messe, Oct. 23-25.) And don't forget Broadband TV Connect Asia on April 24-25 or NGON and DCI Europe on June 26-28.

Sure, our moniker has changed but our focus on the critically important world of fixed-broadband remains constant. Throughout the year, you'll continue to see content on the topics we've always covered: vital technologies such as Gfast, fiber, XGS-PON, NG-PON2, vectoring and VDSL, for example. You'll still see insight from leading vendors about things like their new products, the supply chain and how they want to differentiate themselves in an era of open source, interoperability and standards.

We'll also carry on sharing operators' stories about implementations, cross-vendor testing and challenges, recruitment and retention strategies, winning sales approaches and powerful partnerships. And of course you'll find analysis of data from analyst firms, including sister companies such as Heavy Reading and Ovum, to help drive your decision making and spot trends that affect your organization.

In 2018 we shall begin experimenting with some different content, including new contributed articles from industry executives, more video, radio shows with service provider executives as guests and more.

Welcome to Broadband World News. We're delighted you're here and look forward to sharing some of this exciting new year with you.

Related posts:

• Broadband World Forum 2017 in Pics
• Chewing the Broadband Fat at BBWF 2017
• 10 Tech Transformation Challenges Operators Face

— Alison Diana, Editor, Broadband World News.