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Detailed Agenda

Check back often for updates to the 2026 UBBA Summit & Plugfest Agenda!

8:00AM - 5:00PM

Plugfest Room Setup and Pretesting

The Plugfest room will be open for setup and pretesting.

8:00AM - 5:00PM

Innovation Zone Move-In

Exhibitors may begin to move in and setup their booths.

12:00PM - 1:30PM

UBBA Board of Directors Lunch

The UBBA Board of Directors will conduct a closed-doors luncheon during this time.

Bobbi Harris
Executive Director
UBBA

5:30PM - 8:00PM

UBBA Board of Directors Dinner

The UBBA Board of Directors annual off-site dinner.

7:00AM - 9:30AM

Women of UBBA Breakfast

The Women of UBBA Breakfast returns for the 2026 UBBA Summit & Plugfest! This will again be an invitation-only event exclusively for women attending the Summit. Join us again for a meaningful morning of connection, conversation, and inspiration as we spotlight the voices shaping the future of utility broadband.

Space is extremely limited, and additional registration is required to ensure an accurate headcount.

10:00AM

Registration Open

Registration will be open for all attendees.  Please visit the Registration Desk to obtain your badge, lanyard, and swag!

IDs will be required for ALL attendees at check-in.  No exceptions will be made and no badges will be printed without ID.

12:00PM - 1:00PM

Lunch

The 2026 UBBA Summit & Plugfest kicks off with a great meal.  Be sure to stick around for our kick-off keynote immediately following!

1:00PM - 2:00PM

Opening Welcome & UBBA Insights Panel

Details TBA

2:00PM - 2:55PM

Tuesday Tech Session | Anterix

Location TBA

Details TBA

2:00PM - 2:55PM

Tuesday Tech Session | Sitenna

Location TBA

Details TBA

2:00PM - 2:55PM

Tuesday Tech Session | West Monroe

Location TBA

Details TBA

3:00PM - 3:55PM

Tuesday Tech Session | Palo Alto Networks

Location TBA

Details TBA

3:00PM - 3:55PM

Tuesday Tech Session | Verizon Business

Location TBA

Details TBA

3:00PM - 3:55PM

Tuesday Tech Session | GE Vernova

Location TBA

Details TBA

4:00PM - 4:55PM

Tuesday Tech Session | Managing Connectivity Across Hybrid Private LTE, FirstNet, eSIM and other Carriers

Trinity Room | Sponsored by AT&T Business

This session explores the complexity of managing connectivity across hybrid networks that include Private LTE, FirstNet, eSIM-enabled devices, and multiple carrier ecosystems. It will highlight strategies for ensuring seamless interoperability, security, and management across diverse network environments while supporting mission-critical and enterprise use cases. Attendees will gain insights into best practices for centralized connectivity management, eSIM profile management, cost optimization, and scaling deployments across heterogeneous wireless infrastructures.

4:00PM - 4:30PM

Mission Critical Services: Let's Talk
Deployment & Operations

Location TBA

The panel will discuss topics ranging from the initial MCX setup, staging, deployment and ongoing operational challenges. The panel will give real life examples and suggested tip and tricks.

4:00PM - 4:30PM

From Proof of Concept to Full Deployment: Scaling-up Without Losing Control

Location TBA

This presentation would cover the transition from Proof of Concept to ComEd's first full year of production deployment and include 1) pilot assumptions that didn't scale, 2) how to build repeatable construction and commissioning workflows, 3) training and certifying contractor workforces, and 4) managing work quality at scale.

4:35PM - 5:05PM

Backhaul Architectures to Enable Low Latency in Private 5G Networks

Location TBA

Electric utilities are deploying private 5G networks to support mission-critical operational technologies such as teleprotection, FLISR, DER coordination, IBR interconnection and real-time grid automation. While radio capabilities often receive the most attention, the transport network ultimately determines whether stringent latency, reliability, and determinism requirements can be met. This presentation discusses different backhaul architectures based on IP/MPLS multiservice wide-area networks engineered for utility environments. By combining deterministic traffic engineering, strict QoS enforcement, and service isolation, the architecture enables predictable sub-10 ms performance for critical applications while concurrently supporting broadband utility traffic. Practical design considerations, including segment-routed (SR) paths, latency-aware routing, synchronization transport, and differentiated service classes, are discussed to illustrate how utilities can build scalable and resilient transport infrastructures capable of unlocking the full potential of private 5G for mission-critical grid operations.

4:35PM - 5:05PM

PLTE for Substations Gunshot and DOE Grant Texas A&M

Location TBA

There is a rise in substation outages due to gunshots. Not just the casual hunter nearby, but explicitly to disrupt the grid. The Dept of Energy grant to test & evaluate gunshot detection and response with no false events. This is beyond Shot Spotter municipalities have deployed.

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David Allen
Director of Research Development
Texas A&M University

5:10PM - 5:40PM

Technical Content Session TBA

Location TBA

Details TBA

5:10PM - 5:40PM

From Training to Deployment: Scaling Utility Communications Workforce

Location TBA

This session explores how workforce development directly supports the growing demands of utility communications infrastructure, including fiber, Private LTE (PLTE), smart grid connectivity, and network reliability. Attendees will hear lessons learned from a real contractor-training partnership focused on building a faster, more deployment-ready workforce capable of supporting modern utility operations.

5:10PM - 5:40PM

Evolving Utility Communications from SONET & Copper to MPLS

Location TBA

Communications networks quietly support thousands of daily operational decisions, from protection and control to monitoring and coordination across the system. Designed for long service lives, many of these networks have supported operational needs for years. Today, growing data volumes and increased interconnection are prompting utilities to more closely evaluate how well existing communications environments can continue to support grid operations. This session explores a utility-centric approach to transitioning communications networks from Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) to Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) through an incremental strategy. Rather than emphasizing wholesale replacement, the discussion examines how utilities can plan and execute migrations that allow existing and newer platforms to operate side by side. Attendees will gain perspective on aligning communications transitions with operational priorities, budget cycles, and internal governance, while maintaining continuity for protection, control, and operational technology applications.

5:30PM - 8:00PM

Opening Night Welcome Reception

Worthington Renaissance Rooftop Terrace

Join industry leaders, potential partners, and technology providers for our 2026 Summit & Plugfest Welcome Reception!

7:00AM - 8:00AM

Breakfast

Join us for breakfast to kick off Day 2 of the 2026 UBBA Summit & Plugfest!

8:00AM - 8:55AM

Keynote | Where True Grit Meets the Grid

Join us for our opening keynote by Malia Hodges, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, at our host utility Oncor, to be followed by fireside chat Malia with Daniel Hall & Tom Kelly of Oncor.

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Malia Hodges
Sr. Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Oncor

9:00AM - 9:45AM

General Session | Network Collaboration and Expansion Deep in the Heart of Texas

Grand Ballroom

Utility service territories and county boundaries were established independently and rarely align. As utilities deploy private LTE (pLTE) networks, this creates a unique challenge because spectrum is licensed on a county-by-county basis, while utility service territories often cross county lines, extend beyond them, or leave portions of counties uncovered. These misalignments introduce several coordination scenarios that neighboring utilities must address when planning and deploying their networks—including border sharing, overlapping coverage areas, and county-based buildout obligations. While these situations may seem complex, they are not new. The global wireless industry has already solved similar technical challenges through the use of standards-based LTE technology. This session will focus on the business and coordination frameworks that enable multiple utility pLTE networks to successfully coexist. Attendees will gain insight into practical approaches utilities are using to manage spectrum boundaries, coordinate deployments, and ensure seamless operations while leveraging the advantages of a global wireless standard.

10:00AM - 10:30AM

Breakout Session | AMI TOO: The Journey to the Edge Continues

Trinity Room

As utility use cases deployed over private LTE (PLTE) networks continue to expand, so do their performance, latency, and reliability requirements. From grid automation and DER integration to real-time monitoring and edge intelligence, today’s applications demand more flexible and adaptive network architectures. This session will explore the architectural and functional options available to help utilities evolve their PLTE networks to meet these increasingly diverse needs. Advanced Metering Infrastructure has moved beyond billing and outage detection to become a critical component of the distribution grid’s digital backbone. When paired with PLTE, AMI 2.0 platforms enable greater visibility, control, and operational efficiency at the edge. Realizing this potential depends not just on technology, but on architecture design, interoperability, and industry collaboration. Learn how initiatives like GEISA, EPRI’s Next Wave AMI, and UBBA Plugfest demonstrations are shaping what’s possible today, and what’s next.

10:00AM - 10:30AM

Breakout Session | Beyond the Core - PLTE Lessons from Tampa Electric

Location TBA

The path to getting a private LTE network procured and implemented consists of several independent efforts, some of which are high profile and receive plenty of attention -- like the PLTE network core and radio network. But there are areas that are integral to the network implementation effort beyond the core and RAN that receive too little focus and can easily impact launch plans in a negative way if caught too late. This session will bring to light these latent topics that need consideration in parallel with a utility’s other PLTE procurement efforts. The topics will be presented in terms of Tampa Electric’s recent experiences and will cover areas such as deciding on a backup network strategy (roaming vs native subscriptions), identity strategy (obtaining a private HNI/PLMN vs sharing an IMSI range), timely recovery of UE devices back to the private utility network after a failover to the backup network, SIM card ICCID numbering, eSIM vs SIM decision, over-the-air remote SIM provisioning, the importance of the device management system’s capabilities, device and device management system support for automation of certificate enrollment and acquiring device configuration. Attendees will become aware of an important collection of topics beyond the core and radio network that need early consideration, presented through the lens of Tampa Electric and their recent implementation experiences.

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Mat Eshpeter
Wireless Consultant
Burns & McDonnell
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Daniel Allnutt
Sr. Technical Consultant
Burns & McDonnell
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Jeff Ogden
Telecommunications Manager
Tampa Electric

10:00AM - 10:30AM

Breakout Session | TBA

Location TBA

Details TBA

Check back often for updates!

10:35AM - 11:05AM

Breakout Session | TBA

Location TBA

Details TBA

Check back often for updates!

10:35AM - 11:05AM

Breakout Session | AI Weather Stations on Private LTE: Turning Local Conditions into Faster, Smarter Storm Response

Location TBA

Southern Company’s electric operating companies are deploying Tempest environmental weather stations to capture granular, hyperlocal conditions that improve storm prediction, preparation, and field staging. In this panel, we’ll discuss what it takes to operationalize an AI-enabled weather station fleet over private LTE—from siting and coverage validation, operational processes, and the deployment of actionable analytics. We’ll also share lessons learned from reliability events encountered during rollout and what we changed to improve stability going forward.

10:35AM - 11:05AM

Breakout Session | Phase 2: Leveraging the Initial PLTE Network to Expand to Additional Use Cases

Location TBA

After the key utility requirements have been met during the initial phase of PLTE, we explore how the PLTE network is expanding to Mission Critical Services and latency critical use cases.

11:15AM - 12:00PM

General Session | Boardroom-Ready: Building the Business Case to Own Private LTE/5G and Secure the Right Spectrum

Grand Ballroom

Private LTE/5G is becoming foundational for grid modernization. However, many utilities need a clear path to justify the investment, select the right spectrum, and explain value in executive terms. This workshop provides a practical framework to build a boardroom- ready business case for private LTE/5G and spectrum acquisition. We’ll cover: translating grid use cases into network requirements; comparing spectrum options; building a transparent financial model (CapEx/OpEx, TCO, and “cost of doing nothing”); and defining what leadership needs to know to approve a utility-owned network. The session also highlights cybersecurity value—how private LTE/5G can strengthen authentication, encryption, access controls, and operational visibility.

12:00PM - 1:00PM

Lunch | Sponsored by Anterix

Join us for a great lunch and time to network, sponsored by Anterix!

1:00PM - 5:00PM

Innovation Zone

The 2026 Innovation Zone will change the way you engage with technology providers.  Connect with peers and gain unparalleled access to industry leaders as only UBBA can bring!

1:00PM - 5:00PM

Plugfest Testing & Discussions

Live testing returns!  Join us for demos and discussions at the 2026 UBBA Plugfest.

5:30PM

Buses Begin to Depart for All-Attendee Dinner

Our complimentary shuttles to Second Rodeo Brewing will begin to depart the Worthington Renaissance.  

Armbands will be required and checked before boarding buses. 

No armband, no access, no exceptions.

6:00PM - 9:00PM

All-Attendee Networking Dinner | Second Rodeo Brewing

Join us for the 2026 All-Attendee Networking Dinner at Second Rodeo Brewing in the historic Stockyards for a high-energy evening of great food, live music, and even better company.

 

With its vibrant atmosphere and unmistakable Texas character, this all-attendee networking dinner sets the stage for meaningful connections and memorable moments beyond the day’s sessions.

Armbands will be required and again checked. 

No armband, no access, no exceptions.

9:00PM

Buses Begin to Return Attendees to the Worthington Renaissance

Our complimentary shuttles will begin loops to return attendees to the Worthington Renaissance.

7:00AM - 8:00AM

Breakfast & Annual Board Readout

Join us for breakfast and the Utility Broadband Alliance Annual Board Readout.

8:00AM - 8:30AM

General Session | TBA

Grand Ballroom

Details TBA

8:35AM - 9:05AM

Breakout Session | Only You Can Prevent Wildfires Falling Line Conductor Requirements & Field Implementation Aspects over PLTE

Trinity Room

The confluence of (1) Falling Line Conductor solutions, (2) combined with PLTE Technology cost effective deployment along with (3) Regulatory motivation (i.e.: Fines, Lack of Insurability, Legislative Priorities) makes today the right time to solve this.

8:35AM - 9:05AM

Breakout Session | Mission Critical Voice and Data: LCRA’s Private Cellular Network for Worker Safety, Grid Reliability, and Flood Preparedness

Room TBA

Utilities face growing needs for reliable power and water stewardship amid rising demand, extreme weather, and high customer expectations. LCRA is addressing these challenges by building a dedicated private cellular network that delivers the high-performance communications needed for modern grid and water operations—without relying on public carriers. After evaluating public cellular, traditional LMR radio, and other wireless options, LCRA selected private LTE/5G technology. This utility-owned network now improves worker safety, provides stronger emergency response – including flood management, enables faster fault detection and automatic switching during outages, and provides connectivity for a growing ecosystem of smart meters and sensors. The result: safer workers, shorter outages, greater operational resiliency, and more reliable electric and water service for the communities we serve. Looking ahead, the network provides a secure, future-ready foundation that can evolve with emerging needs. The network will support future AI-driven tools that further boost reliability and responsiveness and a future 5G migration to support low-latency applications such as safe, cost-effective drone inspections. By partnering with experienced engineering firm Burns & McDonnell, LCRA ensures these investments remain practical, scalable, and aligned with core utility priorities: safety, reliability, and affordability.

8:35AM - 9:05AM

Breakout Session | TBA

Room TBA

Details TBA

9:10AM - 9:40AM

Breakout Session | TBA

Room TBA

Details TBA

9:10AM - 9:40AM

Breakout Session | Evolving Your LTE Wireless Design from Initial to Large Scale Deployment

Room TBA

We will first present general private LTE wireless coverage and capacity design and deployment considerations for utility use cases, including determining if the design is for coverage or capacity, targeting fixed end devices, and ensuring that there is enough capacity for mission-critical applications. Then, we will delve into the procedures and techniques to expand from an initial small-scale network deployment to a fully operational wide area network of hundreds of LTE base stations. Southern California Edison will share their extensive wireless design experience and lessons learned.

9:10AM - 9:40AM

Breakout Session | 5G Utility Rollout Lessons Learned at Exelon

Room TBA

Early Exploration: focus on understanding the possibilities of new technologies like PWLS Strategic Planning: building business cases and securing internal, regulatory buy-in Deployment: Successful large-scale, multi-site modernization projects, strategies for scaling devices, coordinating across territories, and managing integration complexities. Operational Longevity: Long-term considerations for live systems include performance, security, and lifecycle management, requiring dedicated teams and processes for ongoing operations. 5G Rollout Lessons Learned: 5G rollout in utility modernization projects.

9:45AM - 10:15AM

Breakout Session | How Texas Utilities PLTE Investment are Leveraged Across Service Territory Lines

Room TBA

Neighboring utilities collaborate today for emergencies and mutual aid. The same applies to the next generation of communications with PLTE to ensure reliable service across overlapping utility service territory. Working with common spectrum across boundaries increases collaboration among utilities.

9:45AM - 10:15AM

Breakout Session | Bridging Boundaries: Building Cooperative Private LTE Across Utilities

Room TBA

As utilities across the country deploy private LTE networks to support grid modernization, a key question is emerging: how can neighboring and overlapping utilities collaborate to accelerate deployment, reduce costs, and enhance network capabilities for all while maintaining security and reliability?  This panel explores the practical realities of inter-utility collaboration, where service territories overlap, abut, or naturally align. Rather than each utility building entirely independently, shared approaches to spectrum, radio access network (RAN), and supporting infrastructure present a compelling opportunity to improve coverage, resilience, and capital efficiency. Panelists will discuss the benefits of collaboration, including cost-sharing, improved coverage at system edges, and enhanced operational resilience. At the same time, we’ll dig into the hard questions utilities must answer—what elements of the network should (and should not) be shared, how to maintain operational independence, and how to define clear boundaries of responsibility.

9:45AM - 10:15AM

Breakout Session | How Healthy is Your Communication Network Evolution Plan

Room TBA

In this session, the panelist will discuss three aspects of the wireless network evolution journey that utilities should consider as they map out next-generation application needs of the business and the wireless network to support them. In the session, we will explore:  

  • How to identify, engage, and garner stake-holder support throughout the journey

  • How to have a wholistic journey mapping plan

  • Rethinking the wireless network as a constantly evolving system.

10:20AM - 10:50AM

Breakout Session | Wireless Grid Modernization to Address Prosumers at an IOU

Trinity Room

As the IOU's customers start producing energy, and requiring demand/response from the Grid, these prosumers could increase Opex for the IOUs. This session will address why an IOU needs PLTE to mitigate the increased Opex and build their rate case

10:20AM - 10:50AM

Breakout Session | When Devices Go Dark: Drastically Reducing Troubleshooting Time of Device Disconnections

Room TBA

As utilities scale private LTE and 5G networks across grid and field operations, device disconnects and failed attachments are emerging as a major operational risk. These issues are difficult to diagnose and often require specialized expertise, multiple tools, and extended troubleshooting cycles—delaying deployments, increasing support costs, and impacting service reliability. In this joint session, OneLayer and Xcel Energy will share how disconnects show up in real utility environments, the time and resources required to resolve them, and the operational consequences when devices remain offline. We will also highlight practical best practices to reduce troubleshooting time, improve onboarding success, and maintain trust in private cellular networks as they scale. The discussion will include how AI-driven device intelligence is helping utilities identify failure points faster and resolve issues with greater efficiency. Attendees will learn:

  • Operational impact of device disconnects

  • Why troubleshooting takes so long

  • Ways to prevent onboarding failures

  • How to find root cause faster

  • How AI improves resolution time.

10:20AM - 10:50AM

Breakout Session | From Killer App to Killer Experience: Rethinking How Utilities Unlock Value from Private LTE

Room TBA

As utilities invest in private LTE to support grid modernization and resiliency, many are discovering that network deployment alone does not guarantee improved operational outcomes. While expectations are high for advanced analytics and artificial intelligence especially, utilities often struggle with fragmented data, limited historical visibility, and organizational friction that slows innovation. This panel brings together utility, technology, and grid modernization perspectives to explore how the industry can move beyond the search for a single “killer app” and instead deliver a scalable, future‑ready “killer experience.” Panelists will discuss how private LTE serves as a foundational enabler for high‑frequency, time‑synchronized grid data and why real value emerges only when that data can be captured, retained, and easily accessed across the organization. Through real‑world utility scenarios, the discussion will examine common barriers to analytics adoption, including the edge vs centralization false dichotomy, data silos, legacy solutions with real limitations on data access, skills perceptions, and changing business priorities. Panelists will share lessons learned on how integrated data and analytics approaches empower existing utility teams, support multiple evolving use cases, and create a durable foundation for predictive operations and AI readiness. Attendees will leave with practical insights into how utilities can maximize returns on private LTE investments and build flexible platforms that adapt as grid needs evolve.

11:00AM - 11:50AM

General Session | How Trail Blazing Utilities Are Realizing Private Networks Benefits, Outcomes Faster

Grand Ballroom

Leading utilities are increasingly recognizing the value of intelligent grid communications networks to enhance operational control, resilience, and real-time insights across critical grid infrastructure. As the electric grid evolves and connectivity demands grow, Private LTE networks are emerging as a foundational platform capable of delivering the high bandwidth, low latency, and reliability required for next-generation, AI-enabled applications—such as AMI 2.0, wildfire detection and prevention, DER integration, and advanced grid automation. In this session, utility leaders will share their Private LTE deployment journeys, highlighting key lessons learned, best practices, and practical insights that can help accelerate grid communications modernization. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how private wireless networks enable utilities to unlock greater grid intelligence, operational control, cybersecurity, and resilience while supporting the rapidly expanding ecosystem of connected grid devices and applications.

12:00PM - 1:00PM

Lunch & UBBA Awards

Join us for a great lunch and the annual UBBA Awards Ceremony!

1:00PM - 4:30PM

Innovation Zone

The 2026 Innovation Zone will change the way you engage with technology providers.  Connect with peers and gain unparalleled access to industry leaders as only UBBA can bring!

1:00PM - 4:30PM

Plugfest Testing & Discussions

Live testing returns!  Join us for demos and discussions at the 2026 UBBA Plugfest.

4:35PM - 5:00PM

PLTE Cattle Drive Prize Drawing &
Closing Happy Hour

Join us in the Innovation Zone for the 2026 UBBA Summit & Plugfest Cattle Drive game prize drawings and closing happy hour! You must be present to win.

8:00AM

Departures

Thank you so much for joining us for another incredible UBBA Summit & Plugfest!  We wish you all safe travels to your next destination.

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2026 Exhibit Space
SOLD OUT

When you become a sponsor or exhibitor, you become our partner. Elevate your brand and be seen by our entire industry as a strong voice for the future of utility broadband innovation when you support the UBBA vision!

For more information about exhibiting at future events, complete the form >>>

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