November 2026, SCAS Podcast Series
Throwaway Infrastructures: Dismantling Communication Networks
Theme: Infrastructures
Keywords: Infrastructure, copper networks, telecom engineering, universal access, interdisciplinarity
Recorded and produced by Natalie von der Lehr

Abstract: In this episode of SCAS Talks, media scholar Julia Velkova explores what happens when communication infrastructures reach the end of their lives. Drawing on her interdisciplinary research, she examines the dismantling of Sweden’s copper telephone network—a system that connected communities for more than a century and supported services beyond voice calls. Julia Velkova traces how decisions to replace legacy networks with newer technologies reflect changing market priorities and visions of the future. While newer services offer speed and capacity, their uneven coverage can leave rural and remote communities without reliable access, raising questions about universal connectivity and national sovereignty. The conversation also challenges research’s focus on how technologies emerge, urging attention to how they disappear and what their removal means. Julia Velkova connects this issue to the possible future ruins of today’s AI and data-center infrastructure.