[Podcast] The Multicast Renaissance: Broadcast TV, Hybrid Networks, and the Future of One-to-Many Connectivity

Building in IoT is never a straight line. Welcome back to What to Expect When You’re Connecting, the Soracom podcast where we pull back the curtain on the challenges and triumphs of IoT innovation.

I’m Ryan Carlson, and for our fifth season, we’re bringing you the raw stories behind the solutions. We’re talking to the founders, creators, and engineers who are navigating the complexities of global connectivity to build things that actually matter. If you’ve ever wondered how the world’s most ambitious IoT projects actually get off the ground (and stay there) you’re in the right place. New season, new stories. Let’s dive in.

You can find all of our past episodes on Apple Podcast, Buzzsprout, and Spotify, or by clicking this link.

Episode Title: The Multicast Renaissance: Broadcast TV, Hybrid Networks, and the Future of One-to-Many Connectivity

In this episode, we sit down with Conrad Clemson, CEO of EdgeBeam Wireless, to unpack a connectivity model the internet largely forgot it had: one transmission reaching unlimited endpoints. Conrad walks through why broadcast TV infrastructure, capable of covering an entire metropolitan area from a single tower, turns out to be the ideal foundation for the workloads now dominating downstream traffic: video, OTA software updates, map data, and the large language models heading into fleets of connected devices.

From updating a million cars in a single metro area with one transmission to broadcasting RTK-grade GPS corrections to every drone, robotaxi, and construction site within range, Conrad lays out the surprising economics of EdgeBeam’s hybrid network architecture: an ATSC broadcast receiver paired with cellular service from Soracom for handling authentication and the return path. The conversation moves through digital signage, public safety alerting, autonomous mobility, post-quantum security distribution, and the value-based pricing model that replaces “cost per gigabyte” with predictable monthly economics.

Who Should Listen?

• Connected Vehicle & Mobility Architects: Learn how to fit OTA firmware, mapping refreshes, and in-cabin LLM distribution inside the total cost of ownership of a sub-$25K vehicle.
• Digital Signage & Out-of-Home Operators: Discover how flat-rate, multicast distribution unlocks creative territory that per-gigabyte billing has kept off the table – and why context-aware kiosks change the ad model entirely.
• Network & Platform Engineers: Hear how a hybrid network operator pairs broadcast topology with a cloud-native cellular control plane to deliver carrier-grade IoT at a cost curve that flattens as endpoints grow.

“Soracom is money. You help us get to market 18 months to two years faster than we would without Soracom – for a pre-revenue startup, that’s irreplaceable.” — Conrad Clemson, CEO of EdgeBeam Wireless

If You Like Our Podcast, Check Out Our Other Media Projects

The podcast is one of several projects run by the Soracom Media Lab. An initiative with a mandate to create relevant educational and inspirational audio and video content and make it available on the platforms that people already go to get exposure to new ideas about connectivity. Check out long-form videos on our YouTube channel, short-form videos on Instagram, social media platforms like LinkedIn, and how-to videos on various technical forums.

Got a question for Soracom? Whether you’re an existing customer, interested in learning more about our product and services, or want to learn about our Partner program – we’d love to hear from you!