Agenda

A highly anticipated staple of Metro Connect, hear from leading executives as they share their vision and strategy for the year ahead. Discover:

• Are we coming out of the high cost of capital environment, and what does that mean for operators seeking growth?
• Where are the biggest opportunities and challenges for operators in the year ahead, and what potential pitfalls exist?
• The outlook for the industry over the coming years

M&A activity has been suppressed by inflation and higher interest rates. As these come down, we are beginning to see more activity, including T-Mobile and KKR's JV to acquire Metronet, and Talen's data centre sale to Amazon. Find out:

• What can we learn from recent transactions, and are other significant announcements likely?
• How do leading investors and bankers see the year ahead across digital infrastructure? And can we expect distressed M&A?
• Why are alternative deal structures, like JVs, growing in prominence compared with traditional M&A?

The demand for data centres continues to boom, with evolving workloads driven by AI creating increased density requirements needing more efficient cooling. Access to power continues to be the primary constraint for new data centre capacity. This is driving builds into secondary markets with available power. Panellists will discuss:

• How are operators adapting to power constraints in core markets?
• What challenges are operators facing as they chase power into new markets and closer to generation sites?
• Is liquid cooling becoming a requirement to meet growing power densities?

The growth of the data centre sector continues, with BCG predicting a tripling in capacity from 2022 - 2030. Meeting this demand will require ever-increasing volumes of capital from existing and new innovative sources. This session will explore:

• How the evolving understanding of rating agencies is expanding the role of asset-backed securitisation, especially into colocation.
• The growing impact of private credit in meeting data centre's demand for capital.
• How investors are viewing the risk posed by lower-quality AI tenants taking up large amounts of capacity.

Demand for digital infrastructure remains high, placing pressure on suppliers throughout the ecosystem, from generators for data centres to the impending demand driven by BEAD. Overcoming potential bottlenecks remains critical to completing projects on time, avoiding penalties and delivering the connectivity customers expect. This panel will discuss: 

• Where are the most critical bottlenecks in digital infrastructure and how are we working to resolve them? 
• What impact are bottlenecks having on companies across the industry? 
• How can operators gain end-to-end visibility of the supply chain to enable effective project management?  

Fibre to the Home offers a huge advantage to the first to build. While the race to build is still ongoing, few markets can sustain multiple operators. We will see a shift towards operational efficiency and driving uptake on deployed networks. You will gain insights on: 

• How are operators managing the risk of overbuild when evaluating new markets? 

• What strategies are operators pursuing to increase uptake and growth? And How are operators improving their operations to enhance customer experience and margins? 

• What the main challenges and opportunities for the yeat ahead? 

Across the US, there are numerous sources of public funding available, including the famous $42bn of BEAD. As these programs mature and BEAD distributions begin, we will see its impact on fibre markets. This session will Explore:

• The progress of different states in distributing funding and timelines for initial deployments.
• How we can overcome the challenges facing applicants, from pre-qualification requirements to securing credit.
• The potential bottlenecks and mitigation facing new deployments in construction and supply.

We have seen significant investment into fibre, driving new deployments and rapid improvement in connectivity across the US. However, the penetration rates for some ISPs have been lower than expected, reducing the rate of return. Find out:

• How are investors evaluating their investments across fibre infrastructure?
• What could it take to see a return to 20x multiples for FTTH assets, or is the current 10-14x multiple here to stay?
• When can we expect to see consolidation and what impact is the cost of capital having on M&A activity?

As data centres chase power into new markets, they are deploying beyond the well-connected tier-one markets like Ashburn, Virginia. New deployments coupled with the evolving demands of AI workloads are requiring new and higher-capacity fibre routes. This session will discuss:

• As power becomes the primary driver of DC builds, how are fibre operators adapting?
• How are the connectivity requirements of hyperscalers and AI players evolving?
• What challenges are facing operators building to less connected sites through rural areas?

The separation of network and services has clear advantages, from reducing the costs for service providers by distributing the cost of infrastructure to promoting increased network utilisation. In Europe, it is well established, but the US has been slower in adoption. Find out:

• Why has the US been slower in adopting the open access model, and what is currently driving its adoption?
• Will recent investments, like the recent Tilman Fiber announcement in Florida, demonstrate the value of the model and lead to wider adoption?
• What lessons can we learn from earlier open-access models in the US and beyond?

Meeting the demands of digital infrastructure will require more talent with a wider range of skills. Securing and developing the best talent is vital to the success of all companies in digital infrastructure, from construction to service providers. Our speakers will explore: 

• Where are the current skill gaps most acute, and what solutions exist?How can telcos plan for the skills required by AI through hiring, reskilling and automation? 

• What initiatives are proving most successful in creating inclusive environments to attract the best talent from all backgrounds? 

• How is the BEAD program driving apprentice programs, employment and labour training? 

Across digital infrastructure, there is pressure from the public and investors to be more sustainable. With US data centre power consumption potentially reaching 260 TWh by 2026 and leading hyperscalers like Google committed to reaching net zero by 2030, reducing emissions and securing green power is imperative. This session will discuss:

• Will the global pushback against the energy transition impact digital infrastructure?
• What is the progress in measuring impact through scopes 1-3 and how are companies reporting on their ESG objectives?
• Which strategies are operators pursuing to increase sustainability, and what role can green financing play?

Even as the recent wave of 5G investment begins to slow, towers are still an attractive asset within digital infrastructure and are showing M&A opportunities, including the recent Shenandoah Telecommunications. We are also seeing TowerCos expanding and diversifying into fibre and data centres. This session will discuss: 

• How are the needs of mobile operators evolving, and what do Tower COs need to do to meet them effectively? 
• Where are we likely to see the most builds over the next year? 
• How are TowerCos evaluating opportunities in adjacent verticals and international markets? And what are the pros and cons of diverification? 

5G FWA is reshaping the US broadband market, creating the opportunity to compete for market share without making the massive investments required by fibre networks. With leading operators like Verizon and T-Mobile growing their subscriber bases, FWA is gaining more and more attention. This session will discuss:

• How FWA is moving from a rural solution to a mainstream competitor and driving increased competition.
• Why concerns around network quality with FWA are dissipating rapidly
• How will overbuilding by FWA operators impact FTTH market share?