Connectivity and Network Infrastructure

Chairperson’s welcome and opening remarks

Moving from proof-of-concept to production requires a fundamental rethink of connectivity design. Drawing on real-world deployment experience, this session examines how to architect networks that can support autonomous operations across complex, distributed environments. From balancing private 5G with LPWAN to ensuring deterministic performance and uptime, this talk delivers a pragmatic blueprint for scaling intelligent systems without compromising reliability.

As IoT systems evolve into mission-critical infrastructure, resilience is no longer optional. This panel brings together industry leaders to discuss how organisations are combining LPWAN, private cellular, Wi-Fi and satellite IoT into unified, fail-safe architectures. The conversation will delve into redundancy strategies, intelligent failover, and edge networking design, offering attendees actionable insights into building connectivity layers that can withstand disruption while enabling continuous, autonomous operation.

Private 5G is moving beyond hype into high-impact industrial deployments. This session explores how organisations are integrating private cellular networks with edge compute to unlock ultra-low latency, high reliability and enhanced data sovereignty. Attendees will gain insight into deployment models, integration challenges and the tangible business outcomes being realised, from smarter factories to autonomous logistics environments.

As water systems become increasingly connected, the Internet of Things is transforming how critical infrastructure is monitored, managed, and protected. From intelligent pumping networks and predictive maintenance to real-time resource optimization, IoT is enabling unprecedented efficiency and sustainability across the water ecosystem. But greater connectivity also expands the cyber threat landscape, raising urgent questions around data security, operational resilience, and trust. In this forward-looking session, industry leaders will explore how organizations can harness the power of connected water technologies while safeguarding essential services. Drawing on Grundfos’ leadership in secure water data, digital innovation, and resilient critical infrastructure, the discussion will examine the strategies, technologies, and partnerships needed to build smarter, safer water networks in an increasingly interconnected world.

As the IoT landscape shifts from technical scarcity to overwhelming choice, enterprises must move beyond simple connectivity to a sophisticated orchestration of hybrid satellite-terrestrial networks and flexible eSIM standards like SGP.32. This session explores how to balance this technical expansion with the strict new demands of global security regulations, to ensure market access and operational resilience. Leaders will learn why treating connectivity as a continuous operating model—rather than a static purchase—is the defining strategy for success in an increasingly complex global market

As urban populations grow and municipal budgets tighten, city leaders are under pressure to do more with less. This panel brings together city technologists, infrastructure operators, and platform providers to examine what smart city deployments actually look like in practice — beyond the pilot phase. From adaptive traffic management and predictive utilities maintenance to real-time air quality monitoring and public safety networks, the conversation will cut through the vendor noise to ask: which investments are delivering measurable outcomes, who owns the data, and what does genuine interoperability between city systems actually require?

LPWAN technologies continue to underpin large-scale IoT deployments where power efficiency and cost are paramount. This session provides a practical overview of how organisations are leveraging LPWAN for applications such as smart utilities, environmental monitoring and asset tracking. Gain insight into deployment strategies, performance trade-offs and how LPWAN fits within broader hybrid connectivity architectures.