Ep 146 - Eutelsat’s AI in the sky (Dr. Mariam Kaynia)

It’s hard to manage a network in space. That constraint shapes everything Dr. Mariam Kaynia thinks about as chief data and information officer at Eutelsat, Europe’s only LEO alternative to Starlink in orbit today. The company runs more than 600 satellites at 1,200 kilometers alongside a geostationary fleet parked even higher. When Eutelsat launches a satellite, the intelligence running it has to be right before it leaves the ground: self-calibrating, self-healing, and autonomous by design, not by choice. I sat down with Mariam to unpack why satellite is becoming core connectivity instead of the backup layer, how Eutelsat federated its data platforms instead of ripping them out, and where AI decisions should—and should NOT—live inside an operator. **Listen now to hear:** - Where satellite fits in telco connectivity strategy \[04:03]; - Why Eutelsat connected its data platforms \[06:47]; - The customization trap—and knowing when to say no \[08:49]; and - Four guardrails for AI—including one everyone overlooks \[13:25]. **Links and Resources:** - See how Eutelsat delivers a “mobile network from the sky” with higher speeds and lower latency. - Read about the next-generation sovereign constellation Eutelsat has filed for, its sovereignty and critical-infrastructure play. - Explore the TM Forum Catalyst Team Awards, where Eutelsat’s multi-orbit AI prototype won the “Tech for Good” award. Then learn about the SATCOM with an Edge – Phase III project behind that win, championed by Airbus, Bell Canada, Eutelsat, and MTN Nigeria. - Track Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO constellation in real time, the fleet that has to keep itself alive once it’s in orbit. - Learn how Eutelsat is connecting remote communities across Greenland, where population density can’t cover the cost of terrestrial networks. - Read my blog “Where do decisions live?,” which argues that decisions belong in an ontology, not at inference time, where they hallucinate at scale. - Want AI that can explain itself? Check out the Totogi Ontology, which keeps decisions in one governed model so you can show which rule fired and why. - Mariam and I got into the challenge of being working parents with big jobs. Read two of my recommendations on the topic, Anne-Marie Slaughter’s 2012 Atlantic essay “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” on fixing broken workplaces and Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” on the importance of personal ambition. - Check out this episode on our YouTube channel. - You can find the episode transcript here. Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value they can bring.  **Follow DR:** - Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in! - Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know. - Follow DR on X @TelcoDR The Telco in 20 podcast is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts globally by Listen Notes! 🎉 We’ve won 2026, 2025, and 2024 Hermes Creative Awards, and 2025 and 2024 MarCom Awards. We are also recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a review? It takes seconds to do in your app and really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews! **This week’s guest:** Mariam Kaynia is Eutelsat’s chief data and information officer and a member of the group’s Executive Committee. She oversees IT, data, and AI for the group. She brings extensive telecommunications expertise from VP roles at Telefónica Germany, where she led digital transformation, strategy, and data analytics, and from her time as an associate partner at McKinsey & Company. Named among the Top 50 Women in Technology in Germany, she holds a Ph.D. in Wireless Communications and Electrical Engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. **Podcast Credits:** - Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDR - Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media - Senior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing - Audio Editor: Andrew Condell - Supervising Producer: Amanda Avery - Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio - Music: Dyami Wilson