The Future of CPE is Bright at CommScope

After 18 years in our industry and knowing CommScope well from “the other side,” I’m proud and excited to join the company as CommScope’s new head of the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) business.

The CPE business here has an enduring history and a legacy of leadership and innovation that I’m excited to build on as the senior vice president (SVP) and segment leader. This business has always been respected and characterized by an ability to win customers at a scale that no one else could match. We will continue that tradition by redoubling our efforts to lead the market in products and innovation, adding value for our customers and end consumers alike.

CLICK TO TWEET:  In this blog, CommScope introduces you to the new leader of its CPE business, Joe Chow.

My background is steeped in developing and deploying CPE. I delivered software services, DVRs, and broadband gateways. I started the IPTV business at Cisco. Later, I became the general manager for its entire CPE business. And as the culmination of that role, I oversaw the business’ integration into Technicolor, following its divestiture by Cisco. Most recently, I was the SVP of Product and Program Management at Quantenna, managing the Wi-Fi® portfolio and was directly involved in the deployment of Quantenna’s Wi-Fi chipset in the Comcast XB6. I’ve been through all types of company experiences, including multiple mergers and acquisitions, consolidations and integrations—as CommScope, ARRIS, and Ruckus are going through now—and it’s given me a strong perspective on how to distill a company’s strengths and build competitive positioning.

That’s important because our industry is in a complicated place. Everyone is facing challenges across many fronts. We’re contending with far more diversity and product fragmentation than in the past. Speeds are getting faster. Devices are more connected. Experiences are converging.  Connected homes are becoming a reality. But the big question is how this all ties together.

How do we take everything we know and create elegant solutions for the future? How do we improve profitability through innovation that straddles the network, content and capabilities in the cloud, and new applications in the connected home? How do we create an advanced, yet compelling and intuitive consumer experience that drives value for our customers and that delights consumers?

No one is better prepared to answer these questions than CommScope. 

It’s true: We’ve had to adjust our strategy and our supply chain to navigate the market, geopolitical headwinds, and refine the focus on our strengths. But we have a lot of them. We have one of the strongest portfolios in the industry. We have an incredible breadth of expertise. We have global scale. We can innovate and take solutions to market better than anyone else. And that’s a great place to start.

I’m delighted to be a part of the CommScope team and equally excited about collaborating with the extended team to lead the CPE business to a bright and prosperous future.

About the Author

Joe Chow

Joe Chow is senior vice president and segment leader of the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) business at CommScope. He’s responsible for its overall vision and strategy and for extending CommScope’s legacy of leadership in transforming the connected experience for millions of consumers around the world. The CPE business comprises a broad portfolio of connected home solutions, including Gigabit broadband devices, Wi-Fi 6 home networking technology, and advanced video set-tops and whole-home hubs.  

Mr. Chow joined CommScope in August 2019 following a stint at Quantenna, where he served as senior vice president of Product and Program Management, overseeing the end-to-end delivery of advanced Wi-Fi chipsets to the world’s leading service providers. Prior to Quantenna, he was the vice president and general manager of Cisco’s Connected Devices business unit, managing the company’s $2.5 billion portfolio of set-tops, modems, gateways, and IoT products. Previously, he was the founding general manager of Cisco's IPTV business—growing it into the largest IPTV business worldwide.  

Mr. Chow holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of California, Irvine and a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.