The utility landscape in 2026 is experiencing unprecedented change. Growing energy demand, increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, emerging cybersecurity threats and operational challenges are driving never-before-seen opportunities to build a more sustainable, resilient grid.

How utilities respond to these and other changes will be key themes as Utility Broadband Alliance (UBBA) brings its 2026 Summit & Plugfest to Fort Worth, Texas, Oct. 12–15. Oncor Electric Delivery Company and Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) will host the annual gathering as utility executives, operations professionals, technology leaders and industry partners strategize on ways to harness private cellular networks to support grid modernization efforts.

The event comes at a critical time for grid operators. In the current environment, communications infrastructure is becoming as strategically important as the grid infrastructure it supports. The conversation around advanced communication has moved beyond whether utilities need faster networks to how they can build these networks in a way that ensures they are secure, resilient, interoperable and capable of supporting the grid through today’s changes and those to come.

Communications as the 'Third Grid'

Where transmission and distribution have traditionally been the focus of utility operations, communications is emerging as a “third grid” that requires equal attention, planning and investment. Rather than treating connectivity as an IT issue, utilities are increasingly evaluating cellular networks, such as private LTE as part of the operational technology architecture of the grid.

The Challenge is Choosing to Take the First Step on the Journey

Experts at the UBBA Summit & Plugfest will offer insights and share their experiences using high speed communications networks to help meet their grid modernization objectives, from building a business case to standing up a reliable network. A fireside chat with general session premier sponsor Black & Veatch and Grain Management will offer a practical framework for building a clear business case for private LTE ownership and acquiring the spectrum for a successful deployment, while leaders from LCRA and Burns & McDonnell will share a case study on leveraging a private LTE network to deliver improved worker safety and grid reliability in the face of extreme weather and high customer expectations.

Armed with these and other perspectives from industry leaders, attendees will better understand not just why prioritizing high-speed communications is essential in the current environment, but how they can take actionable steps to make the leap.

From Pilots to Deployment

One of the challenges facing utilities in deploying a private LTE network is moving from business buy-in to successful deployment.

Utilities that spend years evaluating advanced communications technologies through pilots and targeted projects seek guidance on turning to the next phase, which requires turning those lessons into repeatable architecture plans and deployment strategies. The 2026 UBBA Summit & Plugfest will offer sessions and peer-to-peer learning opportunities that will help utilities navigate this part of the journey.

This means answering practical questions: Which applications should move onto a private broadband network first? How should utilities prioritize capital investments? What should be owned and operated internally? Where should partners be utilized? How can utilities ensure interoperability as the network evolves? And how should communications investments be measured against reliability, safety and operational outcomes?

Another Key Issue is Spectrum

Private broadband depends on access to spectrum that can deliver the coverage, capacity and reliability required by utility applications. Utilities must weigh spectrum availability alongside geography, terrain, network architecture, device ecosystems and operational requirements.

The strategic question is not simply which wireless technology is the fastest. It is which combination of spectrum and network technologies can provide the right performance in the locations and applications that matter most.

At the UBBA Summit & Plugfest, technology providers such as Anterix, Ericsson and Nokia will highlight how operators can acquire the spectrum they need to stand up a private LTE network, while utilities such as Southern Company and Southern California Edison will share key steps operators need to take in their journey as they look to unlock the value of their investments.

Testing for the Real World

Investing in a private broadband network is not like buying a car. It’s more like building one. Utilities who make the decision to deploy a high-speed network must assemble an ecosystem of radios, core networks, sensors, devices, applications, spectrum security technologies and operational systems. These components must work together in a way that gives operators confidence that today's technology choices will not create tomorrow's technology silos.

This year’s UBBA Plugfest will serve as a testing environment for use cases that give participating teams an opportunity to demonstrate and validate technologies in real-world scenarios. The 2025 Plugfest, for example, brought utility leaders, innovators and technology providers together to test next-generation broadband solutions and emphasize interoperability and real-world performance. The 2026 event is expected to build on that approach, with Plugfest teams working on critical testing of next-gen AMI meters across four different use cases: waveform capture and post-event control, load disaggregation and scheduling, local DER/flexible load control and fault detection and location.

Charting a Path Forward

The 2026 UBBA Summit & Plugfest arrives at a time when utility broadband is shifting from an emerging technology conversation toward a broader infrastructure strategy. The future grid will require more than additional generation, transmission and distribution capacity. It will require communications infrastructure capable of connecting an increasingly distributed, automated and digitally dependent electric system.

In this environment, a private cellular network is becoming a strategic utility imperative, and Fort Worth will offer an important preview of how the industry intends to build it.