scte PRESENTS
SCTE ® PRESENTS: THE FUTURE OF TECH
18 MARCH 2026 The Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, London
Julian Clover, editor of Broadband TV News, reportS on our very successful SCTE ® Presents: FUTURE OF TECH event in MARCH.
nuclear energy, media technology, AI investment, circular economy practice and critical minerals which was a line-up that reflected just how far the questions facing broadband professionals now extend beyond broadband itself. The panels covered the convergence of fibre and AI in network evolution, the infrastructure and energy realities underpinning the AI boom, the sustainability pressures created by rapid digital growth, and a closing open session that moved the AI debate firmly on from novelty to governance and value. Threading through all of it was a shared sense that the time spent preparing for disruption is behind us now; we are living through it and peering into the future, with some trepidation by Melissa Cogavin. What follows is Julian Clover’s account of the day’s discussions, drawing on all four sessions. The full event, including video of each panel, is available at thescte.eu.
On 18 March, the SCTE® brought together more than 80 delegates from over 60 companies at the Institution of Civil Engineers for one of the most wide- ranging events in its calendar: SCTE® Presents: The Future of Tech. From the energy demands of data centres to the race to roll out full fibre, from critical minerals to the governance of artificial intelligence, the day’s four sessions covered ground that felt both urgent and at times, uncomfortable. That breadth was deliberate. As SCTE president Dr Anthony Basham put it in closing: “Today hasn’t been about a single technology. It’s been about something bigger: it’s been about systems.” Eighteen speakers addressed an audience that had come not for reassurance, but for the kind of frank conversation the industry increasingly needs. Sponsored by VIAVI, Fibreplus, ABLOY, Frame Communications and Allwright Advisory, the event drew on expertise spanning telecoms infrastructure,
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MAY 2026 Volume 48 No.2
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