2026 Agenda

Digital infrastructure is a staple to modern society, from fiber optics to data centers, it is the backbone that being at the forefront of the AI revolution depends upon.

2025 ignited the new era of consolidation in the fiber market. AT&T's acquisition of Lumen's mass market fiber connectivity reflects this broader trend of strategic realignment. This panel will examine previous acquisitons and activity going forward.

This is a dedicated session for data center operators, hyperscalers, neo-cloud, construction and engineering leaders with 1 hour of roundtable discussion followed by 30 minutes of refreshments and networking. Please contact charlotte.westerling@techoraco.com to register your interest.

Consumer demand for high-speed, reliable internet continues to escalate, with UBS predicting FTTH growth from ~50% to ~80% of US households by 2028. As competition intensifies and infrastructure cost climbs, fiber providers seek creative solutions to gain their share of the pie.

This is a dedicated session for data center operators, hyperscalers, neo-cloud, and fiber providers with 1 hour of roundtable discussion followed by 30 minutes of refreshments and networking. Please contact charlotte.westerling@techoraco.com to register your interest.

Demand still outpaces supply across both core and emerging data center hubs. Google alone is set to invest $25 billion into AI data centers over the next two years. This panel will explore how the financing landscape is evolving and assess the outlook for an industry that keeps booming.

The US holds global dominance in the data center landscape, with reliable energy, strong connectivity and a favourable regulatory environment. 

Fiber and data center ABS has emerged as a compelling funding solution in digital infrastructure, with Zayo entering the space in February 2025. This panel will discuss the key considerations surrounding securitization and the timelines for entering the mainstream.

This is a dedicated session for AI platform providers, hyperscalers, neo-cloud and data center operators with 1 hour of roundtable discussion followed by 30 minutes of refreshments and networking. Please contact charlotte.westerling@techoraco.com to register your interest.

Rapid expansion of AI training and inferencing infrastructure is continuing the surge of investment into high-performance networks. As data center developers shift to a power-first strategy, long-haul deployment of fiber is reaching new markets presenting huge opportunity for operators.

As ISPs and FTTH operators are exploring additional revenue streams beyond basic internet services, this panel will explore the opportunities in value-added services including video, cybersecurity, open access models, and leveraging fiber for smart home applications.

This is a dedicated session for utilities, energy companies, hyperscalers, data center operators and investors with 1 hour of roundtable discussion followed by 30 minutes of refreshments and networking. Please contact charlotte.westerling@techoraco.com to register your interest.

 

 

The recent wave of Wireline M&A in the US has triggered a multi-year consolidation trend that will reshape the industry as both operators and investors race for scale and maximal penetration against a dwindling pipeline of unbuilt high ROI passings. Looking forward, 500+ small and mid-sized Operators will be on the M&A playing field and looking to maximize value, either to acquire to gain scale, or be acquired by another operator, or strategic investors. In all cases, the game is on to transform and streamline the operators into an attractive asset and maximize valuations - the question is how? 

This panel will explore how the consolidation trend is expected to play out, how operators are evolving their businesses, and how the future of fiber financing is evolving including the rise of ABS.

Demand for digital infrastructure shows no sign of slowdown but delivering on-time and at scale is vital to satisfying both investors and users of connectivity.

This is a dedicated session for fiber operators, network designers, network construction, State Broadband Offices and key technology vendors with 1 hour of roundtable discussion followed by 30 minutes of refreshments and networking. Please contact charlotte.westerling@techoraco.com to register your interest.

Data center demand is ramping up globally, with the US poised at the forefront, growing from 25 GW to 80 GW in 2030 according to White & Case. This itself presents a broader megatrend towards both power generation and utilities and investment in transmission infrastructure and battery storage.

Mobile network operators are increasingly purchasing fiber assets to increase capacity on existing, and new, networks. It is both a commercially and technologically attractive structure, even more so with the looming shortage of available spectrum in the industry.

Public funding is a key driver of broadband deployment across the US, notable BEAD’s 42.5 billion deployment. This panel will explore allocations across state beneficiaries and how the program has developed since its inception.

Space-based technology is emerging as a solution to digital infrastructure both in connectivity and data centers, with Axiom Space and Lonestar Data Holdings as the latest in extending compute capacity beyond earth. This panel weighs up the pros and cons of this opportunity and its position versus terrestrial offerings.