2026: The Year Broadband Moves Forward
By Arun Pasrija, CEO, CHR Solutions
Two big things will shape 2026 for broadband: BEAD and AI.
We have been talking about BEAD for more than four years now, and it finally feels real. Awards are being announced, states are getting ready, and even if there are a few slowdowns, the momentum is unmistakable.
This year, the industry gets a lift, and we will see more fiber passings than usual as the projects start moving from plans to construction.
AI Is Here to Stay
The other major shift is artificial intelligence. AI is being adopted across every industry, and broadband is no exception. Companies are starting to use AI to improve how they work, automate processes, and make better decisions. At the end of the day, the goals haven’t changed: better customer experience, stronger operations, and efficiency. AI will just help get us there faster.
While we are actively adding AI capabilities in our products like OSS/BSS software and our engineering designs services by auto recognition of drone imagery – We will also see new companies that build AI tools just for broadband. Some will focus on improving workflows, some on analytics, and some on customer support. 2026 will be a year where we start seeing what those tools can really do.
AI is also driving something else: data center expansion. To run these large AI models, companies like Microsoft, Google, and Oracle are investing billions in new data centers. All those centers must be connected to each other, and that means more fiber. There will be enormous opportunity for additional fiber going to those data centers. It is not the same kind of build as residential broadband, but it represents real, long-term demand. You’ll see the opportunity in how those connections are made and how that traffic moves between facilities.
Cybersecurity Will Keep Growing in Importance
AI is creating new efficiencies, but it is also changing the security landscape. The more advanced the technology becomes, the more inventive bad actors get. Businesses of every size are realizing that cybersecurity cannot be an afterthought.
Companies are adding 24-hour monitoring and training their employees more frequently. Most breaches still happen because someone clicks on a phishing link or gives away a password, and that part has not changed. Awareness is getting better, though, and more companies are making cybersecurity a daily priority.
We rely on partners like Kaseya who are investing in new detection algorithms to find and stop AI-driven threats. The tools are getting smarter, but so are the attackers. Staying protected will take constant investment and attention.
Managing the Workforce
People often ask about workforce capacity. Will there be enough people to handle the BEAD projects once construction starts? Right now, I believe we’re in a good position. In 2026, much of the work will be in design and engineering. The larger builds will come later.
Could we see labor shortages down the road? Possibly. But the companies in this space know what is coming. They are planning ahead, training new people, and finding ways to make less experienced teams productive with the help of better tools. 2026 should be manageable.
Customer Experience Still Defines Success
One thing that has not changed is the importance of customer experience. Even the big carriers are talking about it, and for good reason. Smaller providers have known this all along. Competing against national brands means you must deliver more than speed. You have to make it easy for customers to work with you.
AI will play a role here too. It will predict when customers might leave, show which ones are most loyal, and identify ways to serve them better. Many customers also prefer to manage things themselves, so providing simple self-service options will be important. The companies that use AI to strengthen their customer relationships will be the ones that grow.
Technology and Consolidation
Private equity will continue to play a big part in the industry. Investors usually look at a three- to five-year window. They buy, improve, and then move on. Some will want to finish new passings before selling because that adds value. Others will focus on consolidating assets they already have.
For broadband providers, this means it is time to modernize. Companies running on older systems will have to catch up. Whether it is operations, billing, or cybersecurity, moving to modern tools is essential. Legacy systems will not keep up with what is coming.
Looking Ahead
2026 is not going to be quiet. BEAD funding will accelerate engineering and design. AI will reshape how companies operate. Cybersecurity will stay a daily focus. The ones who plan ahead, invest in the right tools, and adapt quickly will be in the best position to succeed.
We have spent years preparing for this next stage. Now it is time to execute.
2026: The Year Fiber Engineering Finally Gets Moving
By Bob Bartz, Vice President of Engineering, CHR Solutions
We’ve been talking about BEAD for a while now, but 2026 is when things will really start happening. Engineering will take off across the country as states start turning plans into action. Some early projects will break ground, but most of the year will be about design, laying the groundwork for the bigger builds that will hit in 2027.
Private money will still drive a lot of the work early on. I think we’ll see privately funded fiber builds move quickly in 2026, partly because those investors want to get ahead of rising costs and labor shortages that will likely show up by the end of the year.
Fiber Is Still the Backbone
Even with new technologies getting attention under BEAD, fiber is not going anywhere. It is still the most reliable way to deliver the kind of speed and low latency modern networks demand. With AI, machine learning, and data-heavy applications becoming part of daily life, there is really no substitute.
By 2026 and 2027, I expect more than half of all new broadband builds in the United States to be fiber. It is what keeps everything else running, from homes to smart grids to data centers.
Labor and Material Crunch Is Coming
Engineering teams will be fine for a while. AI, drones, and better design tools are helping engineers move faster and more efficiently. But construction is a different story. Everyone has been talking about planning and labor and materials shortages. By the end of 2026, those shortages will start to show, and that is when costs are going to climb.
Smart manufacturers are already ramping up production to stay ahead of the BEAD surge. They know what is coming. The ones who start early will have the edge when everyone else is scrambling for supplies.
Permitting Will Slow Things Down
One of the biggest headaches in 2026 will not be materials or manpower. It will be permitting. There is going to be too much of it. We’re not talking about a few suburban builds. We are talking about thousands of miles of rural routes, many of them with very few passings, all requiring permits.
Most local governments are not ready for that kind of volume. Budgets are set years in advance, and a lot of them do not have the staff or systems to handle what is coming. That is going to cause delays. Delays aren’t intentional, they’re just the reality of a process that hasn’t not caught up to the pace of what is about to happen.
Data Centers Will Change the Map
Data centers are another wild card. They are popping up in places nobody expected: rural areas with cheap land, access to water, and reliable power. That’s great news for those communities because it triggers new middle mile fiber builds.
As more money flows into those projects, we might see less focus on overbuilding in big cities, at least for a while. But in the long run, this shift strengthens the whole network. It spreads out investment and pushes connectivity deeper into areas that have needed it for years.
AI’s Role Keeps Growing
AI is not the future—it is already here. Having worked in this industry long enough to remember party lines and rotary phones, I can say it is incredible to see how far we have come. What AI is doing now feels like that next big leap. And just like before, AI depends on fiber.
AI will change how utilities and cities operate too. Think smart grids, automated streetlights, and systems that monitor water or power use in real time. Every bit of that depends on fast, reliable fiber connections. Wherever AI shows up, fiber is right behind it.
Don’t Sit This One Out
If the past taught us anything, it is that you cannot afford to ignore change. A lot of people thought cell phones were a fad. Now we can’t live without them. AI is going to follow the same path.
2026 is the year to get ready. The groundwork we lay now, both literally and strategically, will decide who is leading the charge in broadband for the next decade. The ones who move early, plan smart, and build strong networks are the ones who will come out ahead.
2026: The Year of BEAD Builds, Big Deals, and AI in Action
By Jason Malmquist, Executive Vice President, Head of Software and IT Services Business, CHR Solutions
I would call 2026 the year of BEAD builds and acquisitions.
It’s been four years since the BEAD law was signed. The ramp-up was long, but now the real work begins. This is the year when planning gives way to construction. Everyone has been preparing for this moment, and now it is time to build.
Medium and large carriers —roughly those with half a million to a million passings — will be right in the center of the action. That is not a surprise. But what will make this year stand out is the wave of acquisitions that will come with it.
If you think back to the Sprint PCS build in the nineties, Sprint had affiliates like Alamosa PCS build regional networks, then they turned around and bought them. The pattern feels familiar. Larger carriers are positioning themselves to acquire regional fiber providers and expand their footprint. Once those bigger deals start, smaller ones will follow. Companies with forty or fifty thousand subscribers will see opportunities to merge or be acquired.
So for me, 2026 is going to be the year of building and buying — and both will reshape the broadband landscape.
Alternative Technologies Fill the Gaps
Low Earth orbit satellites, or LEO, and fixed wireless will continue to have their place, but they will remain niche solutions.
These technologies work best in areas where fiber is too expensive or difficult to deploy — wide open spaces, rugged terrain, or regions where the distance between homes makes construction cost-prohibitive. I know people using LEO service today who are happy with it. It performs well for remote workers, small businesses, and rural households that need connectivity but do not yet have access to fiber.
Fixed wireless fills similar gaps. It is a useful bridge technology that helps providers deliver service quickly while fiber networks are still being built. But wireless will always have limits with bandwidth, distance, and reliability. Fiber is still the endgame — more stable, scalable, and ready for whatever comes next.
Customer Experience Leads the AI Transformation
Customer experience is becoming the center of everything in broadband. Speed matters, but it is not what keeps people loyal. Reliability, control, and simplicity do. People want to manage their service on their own — to see their network performance, make changes instantly, and solve issues without having to call someone. That kind of flexibility builds trust, and it is where the industry is heading.
Artificial intelligence will drive much of that change. AI gives providers real-time insight into how their networks perform, predicts where issues might occur, and helps fix problems before customers even notice. It also allows companies to personalize how they communicate and support their subscribers.
We’re seeing these benefits firsthand. When we fly drones to collect imagery for network design, that data feeds into AI systems that make planning faster and more accurate. The same automation we rely on in engineering is the kind that will soon power customer service, operations, and decision-making across the industry.
By the second half of 2026, those benefits will start to show — faster operations, fewer disruptions, and customers who stay because everything just works.
Cybersecurity Gets More Complex — and More Critical
Cybersecurity will remain one of the industry’s biggest challenges in 2026, and AI will play a role on both sides of the equation.
Too many carriers still treat security as something they can check off a list. The truth is, most are not as prepared as they think. Until you have been through a cyberattack, you do not realize how disruptive it can be. Broadband is now high-profile, and that visibility makes it a target.
Attackers are already using AI to make scams more convincing — voice cloning, fake videos, and automated phishing are making it harder to tell what is real. But AI is also the key to fighting back. The most effective monitoring and endpoint protection tools already use AI to spot unusual activity and shut it down before it spreads.
If your network security does not include AI-based detection or monitoring, you are behind. These systems run around the clock, learning and adapting as threats evolve. Security has to be part of day-to-day operations now, not an afterthought, and AI is what will keep providers a step ahead.
Looking Ahead
Broadband is entering a new phase. BEAD funding will accelerate construction. Acquisitions will reshape the competitive landscape. And AI will transform how networks are built, managed, and experienced.
Fiber will remain the foundation, while technologies like LEO and fixed wireless help extend connectivity to harder-to-reach places. Together, they will push broadband farther and make it stronger than ever before.
The faster we build — and the smarter we build — the stronger the entire industry will become.