Broadband Nation Expo is heading to New Orleans Nov. 18-20, 2026, with a focus on one of the industry's defining challenges: turning today's wave of infrastructure investment into lasting economic, technological and community impact.
This year's theme, "Broadband & Beyond: The Next Era of End-to-End Connectivity," is organized around three tracks: Hybrid Horizons, Built to Last and No AI Without Broadband. Across the program, speakers will tackle questions around infrastructure longevity, workforce development, converged networks, AI-driven demand growth and the relationships broadband and data center developers must build with the communities they serve.
Broadband Nation Expo speaker lineup
The speaker lineup already includes:
- Rob Ward, SVP of global network engineering at Lumen Technologies
- Justin Colwell, EVP of technology strategy and innovation at Charter Communications
- Phil Read, senior director of global colocation product management at Equinix
- Gino Tozzi, global head of data center infrastructure quality at Google.
Data Center Excellence Summit
A major addition this year is the co-located Data Center Excellence Summit, themed “Scaling the Infrastructure Behind the AI Economy.” The summit brings data center operators, hyperscalers and other digital infrastructure leaders into the conversation as AI drives greater demand for fiber, power, cooling and connectivity. One pass provides access to both programs.
Fierce Network Innovation Awards
Also new: the Fierce Network Innovation Awards will be presented live for the first time during Broadband Nation Expo on Nov. 19. The revamped program will recognize advances across broadband, wireless, cloud, AI and digital infrastructure.
The combined event brings together broadband providers, government leaders, data center operators, hyperscalers, utilities, investors and technology companies. In other words, the groups now facing the same questions about how networks get funded, built, powered and scaled. Early bird pricing ends Sept. 17.
Watch the Broadband Nation Expo preview podcast
David Drain, the show's director, and Tommy Clift, Broadband Nation's editorial content manager and conference producer, got together to discuss the event's unique vision, the industry themes shaping this year's agenda and what people attending can expect: