Beyond Fiber Expansion: Building Broadband Networks for the AI Era

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Summary 

As the broadband industry enters a new phase of network evolution, the challenge is no longer simply deploying more fiber. It is ensuring networks can scale to support unprecedented demand driven by AI workloads, hyperscale data center expansion, cloud connectivity, edge computing, and ongoing broadband initiatives.  

As operators push more traffic across existing infrastructure, fiber routes are becoming denser, transport networks are carrying greater loads, and expectations for network performance, reliability, and operational efficiency continue to rise. Meeting these demands requires advances across both the physical fiber infrastructure and the optical transport network. Carriers, utilities, and infrastructure providers are responding with new approaches to fiber densification, optical transport modernization, and lifecycle management that improve network visibility, resilience, and long-term scalability.  

This webinar will explore the infrastructure trends shaping broadband connectivity in 2026 and beyond. Panelists will discuss how service providers, hyperscalers, utilities, and data center operators are preparing networks for the next wave of growth—balancing capacity, performance, speed of deployment, and long-term reliability while extending connectivity to underserved communities.  

Key discussion points will include:

• Impact of AI, cloud, and data center growth on broadband network design.
• Fiber densification strategies and emerging approaches to increase capacity.
• The evolving role of long-haul and regional optical transport infrastructure.
• How utilities are leveraging fiber investments to support broadband expansion.
• Network testing, visibility, and assurance requirements for increasingly complex architectures.
• Preparing broadband infrastructure for next-generation services and applications.

Whether responsible for network planning, engineering, operations, or infrastructure investment, attendees will gain practical insights into emerging fiber and transport architectures, strategies for maximizing existing infrastructure investments, and the testing and assurance practices required to maintain network integrity as complexity increases.