WGC Americas 2026 – Wi-Fi Innovation: Connecting our Digital World
Please click on each day below to see the full agenda for the Working Sessions or Conference Programme.
Wi-Fi Innovation - Connecting Our Digital World
Moderator: Tiago Rodrigues, President & CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
9:30 AM
WGC Welcome and CEO Introduction
Tiago Rodrigues, President & CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
9:45 AM
Investing in Connected Communities to Drive Growth and Social Engagement
Coming Soon
10:00 AM
Developing a Resilient Infrastructure with Mission Critical and Emergency Services
Sri Gundavelli, Principal Engineer, Cisco
10:20 AM
Connected Communities Forum: Smart Wireless Infrastructure as the Catalyst for Urban Transformation
Vincent DePalo, CEO, The Telecom Company
Philip Powell, Regional Director BEAD Funding, NTIA
Sri Gundavelli, Principal Engineer, Cisco
11:00 AM
JOINT COFFEE & NETWORKING
Enterprise Connectivity Re-invented for Hospitality, Retail and Venues
Moderator: Steve Namaseevayum, VP Industry Engagement, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:30 AM
Moderator Introduction
Steve Namaseevayum, VP Industry Engagement, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:35 AM
Service Provider/Hospitality Enterprise Address - Serving the Demand for Elevated Guest Experience
Operator Service Provider/Hospitality
11:50 AM
Fireside Chat: Scaling Secure Wi Fi Across Hotel Properties: Identity, Policy, and the Path to Operational Excellence
Marc Charney, Senior Principal Consulting Engineer, HPE
Rodney Linville, Head of IT Infrastructure, Nobu Hotels
Jeff Parker, VP Property Technology, Sage Hospitality Group
12:10 PM
Role of Wi-Fi for Itau - Brazil's Largest Retail Bank
Diego Turi Oliveira, Itau Unibanco
12:25 PM
From Managed Wi-Fi to Continuous Compliance: Turning Networks into Operational Systems
Diwakar Kasibhotla, CTO, Eleven Software
12:45 PM
PANEL: Enterprise Connectivity Re-invented for Hospitality, Retail and Venues
Hannah Greenberg, CEO, Eleven Software
Jeff Parker, VP Property Technology, Sage Hospitality
Mark Grayson, Cisco Fellow, Cisco
1:15 PM
Lunch & Networking
Enterprise Networks: Open, Secure and Automated
Moderator
2:10 PM
Moderator Introduction
Pedro Mouta, Senior Progam Manager, Wireless Broadband Alliance
2:15 PM
Enhancing the Guest Experience Inflight
Chip LaCorte, Head of Distribution Strategy and Strategic Partnerships, AT&T
2:30 PM
Ready for What’s Next – Laying the Groundwork for Wi-Fi 8, 5G Advanced, and Edge Services
Sponsor
2:50 PM
Enterprise Wi-Fi Reinvented: Driving Agility with Hybrid Architectures
Service Provider/Guest
3:10 PM
The Security Layer Wi-Fi Never Had
Taylor Swanson, Advisor, IronWifi
3:25 PM
PANEL: Connecting the fabric and architecture for Enterprise Technology Innovation 2030
Vaseem Kazia, Silicon Labs
Bradley Kalgovas, Senior Manager, Detecon
Mittal Parekh, Senior Director Product & Solutions Marketing, HPE
4:00 PM
Coffee & Networking
Innovation Forum: Visioning the Future
Moderator: Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
4:30 PM
CTO Welcome and Introduction to Innovation Forum
Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
3:35 PM
Analyst Address: Wireless Trends and Impacts for the Wi-Fi Industry
Ruth Brown, Principal Analyst Mobile Analyst, Omdia
4:55 PM
Moderator: Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance PANEL: Innovation Forum by CTO Group Interactive industry roundtable/Q&A – Audience participation invited
Dr. Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo
Matt MacPherson, Wireless CTO, Cisco
Dr Necati Canpolat, Snr Staff Wireless Systems Architect, Intel Corp
Ruth Brown, Principal Analyst Mobile Analyst, Omdia
6:00 PM
End of Day 1
WGC Americas and Network X Americas
Joint Keynotes
Moderator
8:45 AM
Informa Welcoming Address
Informa
8:50 AM
Chair's Welcome Address
Chair Phil Harvey, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading
9:00 AM
Building America’s Future: A Service Provider’s Network Evolution Strategy
Yigal Elbaz, SVP – Technology & Network Services, Network CTO, AT&T
9:15 AM
Diamond Sponsor Address
Sponsor
9:30 AM
Convergence in Action – Competing, Scaling and Winning in the AI-Driven Connectivity Market
Keynote Panel Discussion
Moderator: Ruth Brown, Principal Analyst, GTM Telecom Insights and Advisory, Omdia
Dr Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo Wireless
Tim Fell, VP, Network Technology & Services DevOps, Telus
Josh Goodell, VP, Broadband and Converged Product Development, AT&T
10:00 AM
WBA Keynote - OpenRoaming: The Global Standard for Seamless Connectivity
Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
10:15 AM
Technology Evolution for Multi-Purpose Networks
Elad Nafshi, Chief Network Officer and EVP, Comcast
10:30 AM
PANEL: AI-Powered Enterprise: Scaling B2B Services in the Age of AI
Moderator: Karim Taga, Managing Partner and Global Head Functional Practises, Arthur D Little
Lamont Copeland, Senior Director - Federal Solutions Architecture, Verizon Business Group, Verizon Business
Shawn Hakl, SVP, Business Product & Pricing, AT&T
Tiago Rodrigues, President & CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:00 AM
Coffee & Networking
Executive Plenary Wi-Fi Innovation - Connecting our Digital World
Moderator: Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:30 AM
CEO Welcome to WGC Americas
Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:40 AM
Enterprise & Edge Wireless — Digital Transformation with Converged Wireless Infrastructure
Dr. Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo Wireless
12:00 PM
From Fast to Deterministic: Redefining Wireless for the Next Decade
Matt MacPherson, Wireless CTO, Cisco
12:20 PM
Inside the Experience Economy: How Software Is Redefining Home Wi-Fi
Dr. Sarper Gokturk, VP Innovation, Airties
12:40 PM
When Compute Meets Connectivity: Powering the Wireless-First, AI-Driven World
Ryan Granchalek, Senior Director & General Manager, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Products, Intel Corp.
1:00 PM
LUNCH & NETWORKING
Operator Perspectives for Smarter Homes and Smarter Networks
2:00 PM
Moderator Introduction
Steve Andrews, Board Advisor and NED, Wireless Broadband Alliance
2:05 PM
Fireside Chat: Tiago Rodrigues
Value Acceleration of IoT Connectivity with Edge AI
Irvind Ghai, Vice President, Silicon Labs
2:25 PM
Universal Access Management NetExperience: Your Competitive Edge in Modern Wi-Fi
Jack Raynor, President, NetExperience
2:45 PM
Importance of Wi-Bi in smart home networks
Sundeep Singatwaria, Distinguished Wi-Fi Systems Engineer, Meta
2:55 PM
Delivering Standards for WI-Fi 8 and 9 and Impacts for Tomorrow's Consumers
Robert Stacey, IEEE 802.11 Working Group Chair, IEEE
3:10 PM
PANEL: Moderator: George Hechtman, Hechtman Venture What does Smarter Homes and Smarter Networks Mean in 2026
Hannah Greenberg, CEO, Eleven Software
David Hand, Operations Manager, Granite Communications
Dr. Sarper Gokturk, VP Innovation, Airties
3:40 PM
Coffee & Networking
Wireless Technology Innovation and Standards 2030
Moderator
4:00 PM
Moderator Introduction
Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
4:05 PM
Security, identity and trust at scale: zero-trust, device identity, and post-quantum readiness in wireless standards
Jeff Platon, VP of Marketing, WiFi Alliance
4:20 PM
Maximizing 6 GHz Standard Power: Intelligence-Driven Wi-Fi for Real-World Deployment
Vijay Venkateswaran, Strategy and Business Development Executive, C3Spectra Inc. Derek Ferro, Director of Engineering, Sercomm
4:40 PM
Operator Perspectives on Wi-Fi Roaming Quality Metrics
Cameron Dunn, AVP - AT&T Inbuilding and Solutions, AT&T
4:55 PM
Certified Wi-Fi Performance
Troy Martin, Director Product Marketing, Ookla
5:05 PM
Converging Standards for the Next Generation of Connectivity
Sponsor
5:25 PM
PANEL: Wireless Technologies - Unlocking new revenue streams for Service Providers and Enterprises
Akshay Agarwal, Director, Tech Partnerships, Google
JR Wilson, Chief of Networks & Spectrum, AST SpaceMobile
Joost Rietman, Key Account Manager, Deutsche Telekom
Derek Underwood, Regional VP Americas, Cambium Networks
6:00 PM
WGC AND NETWORK X AMERICAS NETWORKING DRINKS AND CANAPES 6-7pm - Networking Drinks on the Exhibition Show Floor 7pm - Networking Drinks and Snacks - Bar Louis
8:15 AM
Welcome Note & PMO Updates
WBA PMO
8:45 AM
WBA Board Applications
AT&T, Boingo Wireless, Reliance JIO, Turk Telekom
9:45 AM
6G & Wi-Fi Requirements
Turk Telekom, BT, Cisco
10:25 AM
Networking coffee-break
10:45 AM
Mission Critical & Emergency Services
Cisco
11:25 AM
5G & Wi-Fi Convergence
Cisco, CableLabs
12:05 PM
PMO Recognition Awards
WBA PMO
12:30 PM
Lunch Time
1:40 PM
Operator Managed Wi-Fi
Airties, Nokia, PRPL, QA Cafe
2:30 PM
RADIUS Compliance
JISC, InkBridge Networks
3:10 PM
Testing & Interoperability WG
Single Digits, AT&T,HPE, Ruckus Networks
3:50 PM
Networking coffee-break
4:10 PM
Enterprise Security for P5G Networks
Cisco, HPE
4:40 PM
Wi-Fi Design Standard
Ookla, NC-Expert, Home Depot
5:20 PM
E2E Wi-Fi QoS
Airties, CableLabs, Intel, Meta
6:00 PM
Closing of Working Sessions DAY 1
WBA PMO
8:15 AM
Post Quantum Cybersecurity
NC-Expert, Boingo, HPE, AT&T
9:15 AM
MDU Smart Living
HVD, Silicon Labs, PRPL, Pavlov Media
9:50 AM
Wi-Fi HaLow for IoT Applications
Morse Micro, Nexcomm, Newracom
10:30 AM
Networking coffee-break
10:50 AM
WBA OpenRoaming Technical Standards
Cisco, Intel, IronWiFi
11:40 AM
Roaming Work Group
AT&T, Boldyn Networks, Single Digits
12:35 PM
DLT for Roaming
Single Digits, Helium, IronWiFi, Roam, Cisco
1:00 PM
Lunch Time
2:10 PM
AIML for Wi-Fi
Intel, Airties, Cisco, HPE
2:40 PM
Wi-Fi 8 – Ultra-High Reliability
Intel, CableLabs, Cisco
3:15 PM
Prioritizing Wi-Fi Calling
Charter, Boingo Wireless, CableLabs
4:00 PM
Networking coffee-break
4:20 PM
Access Network Metrics
CableLabs, Helium, Ruckus Networks, Single Digits
5:00 PM
Policy & Regulatory Affairs WG
Cisco
5:30 PM
Closing of Working Sessions Dallas 2026
Wireless Broadband Alliance
Wi-Fi Innovation - Connecting Our Digital World
Moderator: Tiago Rodrigues, President & CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
9:30 AM
WGC Welcome and CEO Introduction
Tiago Rodrigues, President & CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
9:45 AM
Investing in Connected Communities to Drive Growth and Social Engagement
Coming Soon
10:00 AM
Developing a Resilient Infrastructure with Mission Critical and Emergency Services
Sri Gundavelli, Principal Engineer, Cisco
10:20 AM
Connected Communities Forum: Smart Wireless Infrastructure as the Catalyst for Urban Transformation
Vincent DePalo, CEO, The Telecom Company
Philip Powell, Regional Director BEAD Funding, NTIA
Sri Gundavelli, Principal Engineer, Cisco
11:00 AM
JOINT COFFEE & NETWORKING
Enterprise Connectivity Re-invented for Hospitality, Retail and Venues
Moderator: Steve Namaseevayum, VP Industry Engagement, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:30 AM
Moderator Introduction
Steve Namaseevayum, VP Industry Engagement, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:35 AM
Service Provider/Hospitality Enterprise Address - Serving the Demand for Elevated Guest Experience
Operator Service Provider/Hospitality
11:50 AM
Fireside Chat: Scaling Secure Wi Fi Across Hotel Properties: Identity, Policy, and the Path to Operational Excellence
Marc Charney, Senior Principal Consulting Engineer, HPE
Rodney Linville, Head of IT Infrastructure, Nobu Hotels
Jeff Parker, VP Property Technology, Sage Hospitality Group
12:10 PM
Role of Wi-Fi for Itau - Brazil's Largest Retail Bank
Diego Turi Oliveira, Itau Unibanco
12:25 PM
From Managed Wi-Fi to Continuous Compliance: Turning Networks into Operational Systems
Diwakar Kasibhotla, CTO, Eleven Software
12:45 PM
PANEL: Enterprise Connectivity Re-invented for Hospitality, Retail and Venues
Hannah Greenberg, CEO, Eleven Software
Jeff Parker, VP Property Technology, Sage Hospitality
Mark Grayson, Cisco Fellow, Cisco
1:15 PM
Lunch & Networking
Enterprise Networks: Open, Secure and Automated
Moderator
2:10 PM
Moderator Introduction
Pedro Mouta, Senior Progam Manager, Wireless Broadband Alliance
2:15 PM
Enhancing the Guest Experience Inflight
Chip LaCorte, Head of Distribution Strategy and Strategic Partnerships, AT&T
2:30 PM
Ready for What’s Next – Laying the Groundwork for Wi-Fi 8, 5G Advanced, and Edge Services
Sponsor
2:50 PM
Enterprise Wi-Fi Reinvented: Driving Agility with Hybrid Architectures
Service Provider/Guest
3:10 PM
The Security Layer Wi-Fi Never Had
Taylor Swanson, Advisor, IronWifi
3:25 PM
PANEL: Connecting the fabric and architecture for Enterprise Technology Innovation 2030
Vaseem Kazia, Silicon Labs
Bradley Kalgovas, Senior Manager, Detecon
Mittal Parekh, Senior Director Product & Solutions Marketing, HPE
4:00 PM
Coffee & Networking
Innovation Forum: Visioning the Future
Moderator: Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
4:30 PM
CTO Welcome and Introduction to Innovation Forum
Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
3:35 PM
Analyst Address: Wireless Trends and Impacts for the Wi-Fi Industry
Ruth Brown, Principal Analyst Mobile Analyst, Omdia
4:55 PM
Moderator: Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance PANEL: Innovation Forum by CTO Group Interactive industry roundtable/Q&A – Audience participation invited
Dr. Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo
Matt MacPherson, Wireless CTO, Cisco
Dr Necati Canpolat, Snr Staff Wireless Systems Architect, Intel Corp
Ruth Brown, Principal Analyst Mobile Analyst, Omdia
6:00 PM
End of Day 1
WGC Americas and Network X Americas
Joint Keynotes
Moderator
8:45 AM
Informa Welcoming Address
Informa
8:50 AM
Chair's Welcome Address
Chair Phil Harvey, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading
9:00 AM
Building America’s Future: A Service Provider’s Network Evolution Strategy
Yigal Elbaz, SVP – Technology & Network Services, Network CTO, AT&T
9:15 AM
Diamond Sponsor Address
Sponsor
9:30 AM
Convergence in Action – Competing, Scaling and Winning in the AI-Driven Connectivity Market
Keynote Panel Discussion
Moderator: Ruth Brown, Principal Analyst, GTM Telecom Insights and Advisory, Omdia
Dr Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo Wireless
Tim Fell, VP, Network Technology & Services DevOps, Telus
Josh Goodell, VP, Broadband and Converged Product Development, AT&T
10:00 AM
WBA Keynote - OpenRoaming: The Global Standard for Seamless Connectivity
Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
10:15 AM
Technology Evolution for Multi-Purpose Networks
Elad Nafshi, Chief Network Officer and EVP, Comcast
10:30 AM
PANEL: AI-Powered Enterprise: Scaling B2B Services in the Age of AI
Moderator: Karim Taga, Managing Partner and Global Head Functional Practises, Arthur D Little
Lamont Copeland, Senior Director - Federal Solutions Architecture, Verizon Business Group, Verizon Business
Shawn Hakl, SVP, Business Product & Pricing, AT&T
Tiago Rodrigues, President & CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:00 AM
Coffee & Networking
Executive Plenary Wi-Fi Innovation - Connecting our Digital World
Moderator: Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:30 AM
CEO Welcome to WGC Americas
Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
11:40 AM
Enterprise & Edge Wireless — Digital Transformation with Converged Wireless Infrastructure
Dr. Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo Wireless
12:00 PM
From Fast to Deterministic: Redefining Wireless for the Next Decade
Matt MacPherson, Wireless CTO, Cisco
12:20 PM
Inside the Experience Economy: How Software Is Redefining Home Wi-Fi
Dr. Sarper Gokturk, VP Innovation, Airties
12:40 PM
When Compute Meets Connectivity: Powering the Wireless-First, AI-Driven World
Ryan Granchalek, Senior Director & General Manager, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Products, Intel Corp.
1:00 PM
LUNCH & NETWORKING
Operator Perspectives for Smarter Homes and Smarter Networks
2:00 PM
Moderator Introduction
Steve Andrews, Board Advisor and NED, Wireless Broadband Alliance
2:05 PM
Fireside Chat: Tiago Rodrigues
Value Acceleration of IoT Connectivity with Edge AI
Irvind Ghai, Vice President, Silicon Labs
2:25 PM
Universal Access Management NetExperience: Your Competitive Edge in Modern Wi-Fi
Jack Raynor, President, NetExperience
2:45 PM
Importance of Wi-Bi in smart home networks
Sundeep Singatwaria, Distinguished Wi-Fi Systems Engineer, Meta
2:55 PM
Delivering Standards for WI-Fi 8 and 9 and Impacts for Tomorrow's Consumers
Robert Stacey, IEEE 802.11 Working Group Chair, IEEE
3:10 PM
PANEL: Moderator: George Hechtman, Hechtman Venture What does Smarter Homes and Smarter Networks Mean in 2026
Hannah Greenberg, CEO, Eleven Software
David Hand, Operations Manager, Granite Communications
Dr. Sarper Gokturk, VP Innovation, Airties
3:40 PM
Coffee & Networking
Wireless Technology Innovation and Standards 2030
Moderator
4:00 PM
Moderator Introduction
Bruno Tomas, CTO, Wireless Broadband Alliance
4:05 PM
Security, identity and trust at scale: zero-trust, device identity, and post-quantum readiness in wireless standards
Jeff Platon, VP of Marketing, WiFi Alliance
4:20 PM
Maximizing 6 GHz Standard Power: Intelligence-Driven Wi-Fi for Real-World Deployment
Vijay Venkateswaran, Strategy and Business Development Executive, C3Spectra Inc. Derek Ferro, Director of Engineering, Sercomm
4:40 PM
Operator Perspectives on Wi-Fi Roaming Quality Metrics
Cameron Dunn, AVP - AT&T Inbuilding and Solutions, AT&T
4:55 PM
Certified Wi-Fi Performance
Troy Martin, Director Product Marketing, Ookla
5:05 PM
Converging Standards for the Next Generation of Connectivity
Sponsor
5:25 PM
PANEL: Wireless Technologies - Unlocking new revenue streams for Service Providers and Enterprises
Akshay Agarwal, Director, Tech Partnerships, Google
JR Wilson, Chief of Networks & Spectrum, AST SpaceMobile
Joost Rietman, Key Account Manager, Deutsche Telekom
Derek Underwood, Regional VP Americas, Cambium Networks
6:00 PM
WGC AND NETWORK X AMERICAS NETWORKING DRINKS AND CANAPES 6-7pm - Networking Drinks on the Exhibition Show Floor 7pm - Networking Drinks and Snacks - Bar Louis
8:15 AM
Welcome Note & PMO Updates
WBA PMO
8:45 AM
WBA Board Applications
AT&T, Boingo Wireless, Reliance JIO, Turk Telekom
9:45 AM
6G & Wi-Fi Requirements
Turk Telekom, BT, Cisco
10:25 AM
Networking coffee-break
10:45 AM
Mission Critical & Emergency Services
Cisco
11:25 AM
5G & Wi-Fi Convergence
Cisco, CableLabs
12:05 PM
PMO Recognition Awards
WBA PMO
12:30 PM
Lunch Time
1:40 PM
Operator Managed Wi-Fi
Airties, Nokia, PRPL, QA Cafe
2:30 PM
RADIUS Compliance
JISC, InkBridge Networks
3:10 PM
Testing & Interoperability WG
Single Digits, AT&T,HPE, Ruckus Networks
3:50 PM
Networking coffee-break
4:10 PM
Enterprise Security for P5G Networks
Cisco, HPE
4:40 PM
Wi-Fi Design Standard
Ookla, NC-Expert, Home Depot
5:20 PM
E2E Wi-Fi QoS
Airties, CableLabs, Intel, Meta
6:00 PM
Closing of Working Sessions DAY 1
WBA PMO
8:15 AM
Post Quantum Cybersecurity
NC-Expert, Boingo, HPE, AT&T
9:15 AM
MDU Smart Living
HVD, Silicon Labs, PRPL, Pavlov Media
9:50 AM
Wi-Fi HaLow for IoT Applications
Morse Micro, Nexcomm, Newracom
10:30 AM
Networking coffee-break
10:50 AM
WBA OpenRoaming Technical Standards
Cisco, Intel, IronWiFi
11:40 AM
Roaming Work Group
AT&T, Boldyn Networks, Single Digits
12:35 PM
DLT for Roaming
Single Digits, Helium, IronWiFi, Roam, Cisco
1:00 PM
Lunch Time
2:10 PM
AIML for Wi-Fi
Intel, Airties, Cisco, HPE
2:40 PM
Wi-Fi 8 – Ultra-High Reliability
Intel, CableLabs, Cisco
3:15 PM
Prioritizing Wi-Fi Calling
Charter, Boingo Wireless, CableLabs
4:00 PM
Networking coffee-break
4:20 PM
Access Network Metrics
CableLabs, Helium, Ruckus Networks, Single Digits
5:00 PM
Policy & Regulatory Affairs WG
Cisco
5:30 PM
Closing of Working Sessions Dallas 2026
Wireless Broadband Alliance