2026 Fiber Connect
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Content from Sponsors and Thought Leaders
Views expressed are those of the presenting individuals and companies and may not necessarily represent views of Converge! Network Digest or AvidThink.
Fiber Infrastructure Unlocks Community Growth
Rich Williams,President of Connect2 Communications, explores Fiber Connect’s “light years ahead” theme, explaining how fiber deployment enables communities to serve anchor institutions, attract businesses, and retain young talent through remote work opportunities.
Optimism Returns at Fiber Connect 2026
Anis Khemakhem, Chief Commercial Officer at Clearfield, shares his optimism from Fiber Connect 2026 about the fiber industry’s expansion beyond homes to machine connectivity, fueled by private investment and anticipated public funding, while highlighting his company’s focus on solving supply chain and workforce challenges.
US Fiber Investment Surges in 2026
Jeff Heynen, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group, reports that 2026 marks a significant upward trend for US fiber infrastructure investment, driven by private operator expansion, cable operator HFC upgrades with fiber buildouts, and BEAD funding flowing to early-qualifying states like Louisiana, Nevada, and New Mexico.
EPB’s Commercial Quantum Network
Evann Freeman, Director of Government Relations at EPB, discusses how the Chattanooga municipal utility launched the first commercially available quantum network in the U.S. in 2023, partnering with the Department of Energy and Qubitekk to enable industry, academia, and government to test quantum technologies on a live network.
Fiber Infrastructure Powers AI, Quantum & Future Tech
Lukas Pietrzak, Director of Public Policy for the Fiber Broadband Association, discusses how fiber infrastructure serves as the foundational fabric enabling AI, quantum computing, and advanced technologies while delivering the speed, latency, and reliability needed across all communities.
Fiber Broadband's Next 25 Years: AI, Telehealth & Data Centers
Jessica Koch, Chair, FBA Conference Committee at the Fiber Broadband Association, introduces the “Light Years Ahead” theme for the 2026 conference celebrating 25 years of Fiber Connect.
ISPs Can Activate Subscribers Faster with AI-Native OSS/BSS
Stephen Farnsworth, CRO of Gaia, explains how the ISP industry’s main challenge has evolved from fiber infrastructure deployment to the speed of subscriber activation and billing, with many providers underestimating this operational hurdle until implementation timelines stretch to nine to eighteen months.
Bringing Smart Home Solutions Through the Mail
Kajsa Arvidsson, Chief Marketing Officer at Genexis, discusses how the company delivers connectivity to homes through smart optical network terminators with open, interoperable solutions that enable customer self-installation.
Breaking Down Data Silos
Mike Roddy, CEO of GoCare, explains how his company’s customer experience platform consolidates data from billing, workforce management, network operations, and customer care into a unified system where AI analyzes conversations, outages, and service touchpoints to provide comprehensive insights beyond traditional digital channels.
Why Universal Gigabit Access Is Essential for the AI Era
Stefaan Vanhastel, Head of Marketing & Innovation at Nokia, explains how universal gigabit connectivity is essential as AI becomes pervasive in daily life, with peak speeds necessary to ensure cloud-based AI agents respond as quickly as local applications and prevent new digital divides.
M&A Trends, Supply Challenges & Network Future
Jaimie Lenderman, Research Manager & Principal Analyst at Omdia, reports from Fiber Connect 2026 that while BEAD funding discussions have diminished, the industry now focuses on access network viability and M&A activity driven by private equity interest, with operators facing decisions about acquiring or being acquired.
How Fiber Industry Jobs Are Being Reimagined with AI
Stephen Rose, CEO of Render Networks, discusses at Fiber Connect how AI-first workflows are being integrated across design, build, and construction processes, creating an entirely new class of jobs in back office and field operations.
Service Providers Are Investing in AI for Customer Experience
Conor Skipper, Director of Sales at RouteThis, attends Fiber Connect 2026 to explore how service providers are implementing AI in their operations, including voice AI applications for customer experience in tech support, billing, and marketing.