Dominic Lowndes
Founder and CEO
TMT Finance
7th Annual Conference & Awards
TMT Finance USA 2026
Accelerating Smart Investment in Digital
Infrastructure
Infrastructure
October 6-7 2026 | Conrad Downtown, New York
08:45
Welcome Address
Speaker
Dominic Lowndes, Founder and CEO, TMT Finance
-
Speaker
08:50
Host Introduction
Speaker
Elles Houweling, Editor, Special Content, TMT Finance
-
Speaker
Elles Houweling
Editor, Special Content
TMT Finance
09:00
TMT Finance M&A Deal Talk – Which Deals are Next?
Speaker
Megan Mayers, Americas Editor, TMT Finance
-
Speaker
Megan Mayers
Americas Editor
TMT Finance
09:10
Opening Visionary Keynote Speech: Trends in Digital Connectivity and Competition
Speaker
Ajit Pai, President & CEO, CTIA
-
Speaker
Ajit Pai
President & CEO
CTIA
09:25
Digital Infrastructure Leaders: Shaping the Future and Building Strategies for Unlocking Growth
Moderator
Richard Lukaj, SMD, Bank Street Group
Speakers
Andrew Peisch, Managing Director Infrastructure, KKR
Allan Samson, SVP & Chief Broadband Officer, T-Mobile
Emily Azer, Director Data Infrastructure, GI Partners
Mike Finley, CEO, Boingo Wireless
Frank Klausz, SVP of Strategy and Business Transformation, Frontier Communications
-
Moderator
Richard S. Lukaj
Senior Managing Director
Bank Street Group -
Speaker
Allan Samson
SVP & Chief Broadband Officer
T Mobile -
Speaker
Andrew Peisch
Managing Director Infrastructure
KKR -
Speaker
Mike Finley
CEO
Boingo Wireless -
Speaker
Emily Azer
Director Data Infrastructure
GI Partners -
Speaker
Frank Klausz
SVP of Strategy and Business Transformation
Frontier Communications
10:05
Fireside Chat with Tillman Global Holdings: Setting the Stage for the Next Cycle of Digital Infrastructure Investment
Moderator
Jennifer Fritzsche, Managing Director - Communications Services & Digital Infrastructure, Greenhill & Co.
Speaker
Sachit Ahuja, President, Tillman Global Holdings
-
Moderator
Jennifer Fritzsche
Managing Director - Communications Services & Digital Infrastructure
Greenhill & Co -
Speaker
Sachit Ahjua
President
Tillman Global Holdings
10:25
M&A Leaders: What's Driving the Next Wave of Transactions in Digital Infrastructure?
Moderator
Shawn Ronda, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
Speakers
Andrew Thomas, Senior Managing Director, Stonepeak
Todd Holder, Managing Director Global Head of Infrastructure M&A, TD Securities
Andrej Danis, Partner and Managing Director, AlixPartners
Michael Borchetta, Managing Director, Harrison Street
- How is AI infrastructure reshaping acquisition strategies, and what role will hyperscalers now play in industry consolidation?
- What will the next wave of US FTTH consolidation look like?
- With many DC operators overleveraged, how are investors structuring deals using securitisations, private credit and IPO strategies?
- What were some of the biggest M&A deals of 2025 and how have those impacted market dynamics and competition? What is the M&A outlook across different digital infrastructure verticals in 2026 and beyond?
-
Moderator
Shawn Ronda
Shareholder
Greenberg Traurig -
Speaker
Andrew Thomas
Senior Managing Director
Stonepeak -
Speaker
Todd Holder
Managing Director, Global Head of Infrastructure M&A
TD Securities -
Speaker
Andrej Danis
Partner and Managing Director
AlixPartners -
Speaker
Michael Borchetta
Managing Director
Harrison Street
11:35
Datacenter Leaders: M&A Developments and The Next Evolution of Datacenter Investment
Moderator
Luke Laumann, Partner, Weil
Speakers
Keith Taylor, EVP & CFO, Equinix
Sharif Metwalli, CFO, Vantage Data Centers
Madonna Park, CFO, Switch
Santhosh Rao, Managing Director, Head of Digital Infrastructure, MUFG
- Analysing datacenter financing and M&A trends, including the need for capital and the bifurcated investment landscape between hyperscalers and colocation assets
- What is the future of datacenters and AI integration, including the shift towards GPU-based infrastructure and the potential for smaller, modular datacenters to support enterprise AI application?
- Examining the challenges around power access and the impact that energy limitations are having on capacity, pricing, and market dynamics
- The evolving datacenter design and configuration requirements to accommodate higher rack densities, liquid cooling solutions, and the need to modernize legacy infrastructure.
-
Moderator
Luke Laumann
Partner
Weil -
Speaker
Sharif Metwalli
CFO
Vantage Data Centers -
Speaker
Madonna Park
CFO
Switch -
Speaker
Keith Taylor
EVP & CFO
Equinix -
Speaker
Santhosh Rao
Managing Director, Head of Digital Infrastructure
MUFG
12:15
Visionary Keynote Speech: Datacenter Trends & Growth Outlook
Speaker
Colby Synesael, Managing Director, TD Securities
This visionary presentation delivered by Colby Synesael, Managing Director at TD Securities will illustrate the US datacenter growth story, including insight into:
- Structural demand drivers as digitisation proliferates, hyperscaler spend accelerates and AI adoption enters the next phase
- Market evolution through the rise of secondary hub markets, alongside the GPUaaS customer segment emergence
- Investor and operator responses, from exit strategies and stabilized asset plays to a rethink on power procurement
-
Speaker
Colby Synesael
Managing Director
TD Securities
12:30
Enterprise Fiber Leaders: Consolidation and Future Business Models
Moderator
Kemal Hawa, Partner Mergers & Acquisitions, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Speakers
Rachel Stack, CFO, Lightpath
Brad Moline, President and CEO, ALLO Communications
Gaurav Juneja, COO, Consolidated Communications
Bill Long, Chief Product & Strategy Officer, Zayo
Dan Kennedy, Executive Chairman, Ripple Fiber
- How are enterprise fiber players modernising their infrastructure in the face of AI demand?
- What strategic deals are taking place between fiber networks and cloud service provides to enhance AI and enterprise connectivity?
- Examining the extent of growing demands for high-bandwidth, low-latency fiber to support next generation digital infrastructure
- What can be learnt from some of the large enterprise fiber M&A/JV processes which have taken place?
-
Moderator
Kemal Hawa
Partner
Kirkland & Ellis LLP -
Speaker
Gaurav Juneja
COO
Consolidated Communications -
Speaker
Rachel Stack
CFO
Lightpath -
Speaker
Brad Moline
President and CEO
ALLO Communications -
Speaker
Bill Long
Chief Product and Strategy Officer
Zayo -
Speaker
Dan Kennedy
Executive Chairman
Ripple Fiber
14:10
Financing Leaders: Alternative Financing Structures & Funding the Next Wave of Deals
Moderator
Steven Messina, Partner, Skadden
Speakers
Quynh Tran, Deputy Head Structured Finance, Americas SMBC
Arun Varanasi, Principal, Stonepeak
Sam Southall, Managing Director, Macquarie Capital
Eric Wittleder, Managing Director, Infrastructure, Brookfield
Cameron Parker, VP, Treasurer, STACK Infrastructure
- Examining the risk/return profiles of the capital sources including private equity, infrastructure funds, and real estate investors
- How are GPs responding to LPs allocating capital on a deal-by-deal case. Has there been a rise in co-investing? Are sector specific funds attracting capital?
- Are GPs moving up the risk curve allocating more dollars to core-plus funds?
- Is there an increased growth in club deals, JV vs traditional M&A?
- Deep dive into the resilience of digital infrastructure valuations driven by continued strong growth prospects
-
Moderator
Steven Messina
Partner, Banking
Skadden -
Speaker
Quynh Tran
Deputy Head, Structured Finance Americas
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation -
Speaker
Sam Southall
Managing Director
Macquarie Capital -
Speaker
Eric Wittleder
Managing Director, Infrastructure
Brookfield -
Speaker
Cameron Parker
VP, Treasurer
STACK Infrastructure -
Speaker
Arun Varanasi
Principal
Stonepeak
14:10
Wireless & Connectivity Innovators: Determining the Next Phase of Growth & Investment
Moderator
Robert Shuffield, Director, Rothschild & Co
Speakers
Jason Caliento, Chief Commercial Officer US, Boldyn Networks
Paul McGinn, CEO, Connectivity Wireless
Barry Goldstein, CEO, Tillman Digital Cities
Jim Hyde, CEO, Halo Networks
- Examining the evolution of the wireless infrastructure investment landscape, including the shift from carrier-funded to enterprise-funded models
- What are the growth prospects for private wireless networks in 2026? How are players identifying the right use cases?
- Analysing the challenges and strategies around aggregating fiber and small cell assets, including the need for operational efficiency and creative financing solutions
- What role will Starlink and other satellite players have in competition with fiber? How fast is the technology developing?
-
Moderator
Robert Shuffield
Director
Rothschild & Co -
Speaker
Paul McGinn
CEO
Connectivity Wireless -
Speaker
Barry Goldstein
CEO
Tillman Digital Cities -
Speaker
Jim Hyde
CEO
Halo Networks -
Speaker
Jason Caliento
Chief Commercial Officer, US
Boldyn Networks
14:10
Executive Boardroom: Investment Opportunities in Next Generation Infrastructure and IoT
Moderator
Jerry Stapp, Managing Director, GI Partners
Speakers
Jamie Earp, Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Managing Partner, Ubiquity
Sameer Agrawal, CEO, ORBCOMM
Nadim Laiwala, Managing Director, Hardware and Communications Technology, Moelis
- How are investors identifying high-growth opportunities in edge computing, private networks, and AI-driven infrastructure to support IoT expansion?
- What role do 5G, fiber, and satellite connectivity play in scaling IoT ecosystems, and where is capital flowing in these sectors?
- Examining the biggest challenges in monetizing next-gen infrastructure investments, including regulatory hurdles and return on investment timelines
-
Moderator
Jerry Stapp
Managing Director
GI Partners -
Speaker
Jamie Earp
Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Managing Partner
Ubiquity -
Speaker
Sameer Agrawal
CEO
ORBCOMM -
Speaker
Nadim Laiwala
Managing Director, Hardware and Communications Technology
Moelis
14:55
Tower & Connectivity Leaders: Scaling for 5G, M&A Growth & Competitive Positioning
Moderator
Brian Gingold, Partner, Weil
Speakers
Ed Farscht, CEO, Diamond Communications
Chris Hickman, CEO, Tillman Infrastructure
Tony Peduto, CEO, Grande Towers
Patrick Halley, President, Wireless Infrastructure Association
- As 5G densification accelerates, tower demand continues to surge, with increased focus on edge infrastructure and next-generation connectivity solutions - How are operators adapting to evolving deployment needs?
- Private tower firms continue to outpace public REITs, leveraging flexible capital structures and M&A strategies.
- How will regulatory shifts, spectrum allocation, and carrier competition impact the next phase of tower market consolidation?
-
Moderator
Brian Gingold
Partner
Weil -
Speaker
Ed Farscht
CEO
Diamond Communications -
Speaker
Chris Hickman
CEO
Tillman Infrastructure -
Speaker
Tony Peduto
CEO
Grande Towers -
Speaker
Patrick Halley
President
Wireless Infrastructure Association
14:55
Datacenter Innovators: Investment Opportunities for Mid-Market & Emerging DC Operators
Moderator
Miles Loo Jr., Executive Vice Chairman & Global Lead, V&A, Data Centers, Newmark
Speakers
Uzi Hadar, CFO, EdgeCloudLink
Matt Monaco, Senior Vice President, PowerHouse Data Centers
Patrick Fleury, CFO, TeraWulf
Chris Vonderhaar, President, Fleet Data Centers
Scott Willis, President & CEO, DartPoints
- How can emerging datacenter operators differentiate themselves and capitalise on the explosion of investment hitting the sector?
- Analysing the appetite for capital in the mid-market datacenter space
- How are mid-market investors and operators looking at the importance of credit worthiness and lease terms, and the potential for investment in AI-adjacent sectors, and cooling, power, and supply chain infrastructure
-
Moderator
Miles Loo Jr.
Vice Chairman & Global Lead, Valuation & Advisory, Data Centers & Life Sciences
Newmark -
Speaker
Uzi Hadar
CFO
EdgeCloudLink (ECL) -
Speaker
Chris Vonderhaar
President
Fleet Data Centers -
Speaker
Matt Monaco
SVP Asset Mangement and Development
PowerHouse Data Centers -
Speaker
Patrick Fleury
CFO
TeraWulf -
Speaker
Scott Willis
President & CEO
DartPoints
14:55
Executive Boardroom: The Agentic Era: How AI Agents Will Reshape the Future of Telecom
Moderator
Stephen Farnsworth, VP of GTM, gaiia
Speakers
Katie Curtis, Chief Information Officer, Great Plains Communications
Tyson Begly, CFO, Highline
Michael Strople, CEO, telMAX
- The Agentic AI Shift in Telecom
- Why the traditional OSS/BSS stack is hitting limits in complexity, cost, and agility.
- The emergence of agentic AI — autonomous, context-aware agents that take real actions, not just make recommendations.
- How telecom is uniquely positioned to leverage AI agents because of its rich data, scale, and mission-critical nature.
- From Manual Workflows to AI-Native Orchestration
- The limitations of traditional workflow automation vs. adaptive, intelligent workflows.
- Role of AI workflow builders: empowering CSPs to define specs, guardrails, and business outcomes while letting agents handle execution.
- Use cases: proactive network optimization, predictive customer care, fraud detection, real-time provisioning.
- Unlocking Context & Data
- Why context is the “fuel” for effective AI agents in telecom.
- How an AI-native OSS/BSS becomes a “shared memory” for agents to learn and act on.
- Examples: leveraging real-time telemetry, customer history, and business rules to guide AI decisions.
-
Moderator
Stephen Farnsworth
VP of GTM
gaiia -
Speaker
Katie Curtis
Chief Information Officer
Great Plains Communications -
Speaker
Tyson Begly
CFO
Highline -
Speaker
Michael Strople
CEO
telMAX
15:40
Energy & Digital Infrastructure Leaders: Overcoming Power Constraints in the Digital Age
Moderator
Teresa Hill, Partner, Orrick
Speakers
James Trout, CEO, CleanArc Data Centers
Mary Meduski, President and CFO, TierPoint
Hy Martin, Chief Development Officer, DESRI
Peter Nulsen, Managing Director, Generate Capital
- How are regulatory shifts affecting energy accessibility for infrastructure growth?
- Examining the evolving relationship between datacenter operators and utility companies, including the need for better collaboration, regulatory changes, and the potential for two-way power relationships
- How are power constraints impacting the rollout of new datacenters and fiber networks?
- What alternative power strategies (on-site generation, nuclear, microgrids) are emerging?
-
Moderator
Teresa Hill
Partner
Orrick -
Speaker
James Trout
CEO
CleanArc Data Centers -
Speaker
Mary Meduski
President and CFO
TierPoint -
Speaker
Hy Martin
Chief Development Officer
DESRI -
Speaker
Peter Nulsen
Managing Director
Generate Capital
15:40
Open Access Innovators: Increasing Penetration Rates & Assessing the Stability of the Business Model
Moderator
Tess Lindsay, Reporter, TMT Finance
Speakers
Jack Waters, CEO, Intrepid Fiber
Bob Thompson, Founder and CEO, Underline
Roger Timmerman, CEO, UTOPIA Fiber
Philip Cusick, CFO, Tillman Fiber
Richard Knowlton, Senior Advisor, PMP Strategy
- What market dynamics are most significant in influencing the success of the open access model across the US?
- With the open access model being largely private sector driven, what is the outlook for the current administration supporting the business model?
- How will open access players be utilising BEAD funding and how will it change competition dynamics?
-
Moderator
Tess Lindsay
Reporter
TMT Finance -
Speaker
Jack Waters
CEO
Intrepid Fiber -
Speaker
Bob Thompson
Founder and CEO
Underline -
Speaker
Roger Timmerman
CEO
UTOPIA Fiber -
Speaker
Philip Cusick
CFO
Tillman Fiber -
Speaker
Richard Knowlton
Senior Advisor
PMP Strategy
15:40
Executive Boardroom: How Private Credit, Securitizations, and Institutional Investors are Reshaping Financing
Moderator
Laura Fazio, MD Tech & Telecom, Huntington
Speakers
Jesse Burros, Chief Investment Officer, Switch
Florestan Ferroux, Senior Director, Infrastructure Debt, La Caisse
Anubhav Arora, Senior Director - Global Infrastructure & Project Finance, Fitch Ratings
Robert Gutman, SVP of Capital Markets, Compass Datacenters
- How are private credit and securitization evolving as key financing tools for digital infrastructure investments?
- What role are institutional investors, including pension funds and sovereign wealth funds, playing in reshaping capital deployment?
- Examining the impact of interest rates and tightening credit markets on deal structuring and capital availability
- Analysing the shift towards alternative financing models and the future outlook for debt and equity funding in the sector
-
Moderator
Laura Fazio
Managing Director Technology & Telecom Banking
Huntington Bank -
Speaker
Jesse Burros
Chief Investment Officer
Switch -
Speaker
Florestan Ferroux
Senior Director, Infrastructure Debt
La Caisse -
Speaker
Anubhav Arora
Senior Director - Global Infrastructure & Project Finance
Fitch Ratings -
Speaker
Robert Gutman
Senior VP of Capital Markets
Compass Datacenters
16:50
Visionary Fireside Chat with NTIA: BEAD, Spectrum and TMT Policy
Moderator
Rob McDowell, Partner, Cooley
Speaker
Adam Cassady, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, NTIA
A candid conversation between Adam Cassady, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and Robert McDowell, former FCC Commissioner and current Cooley partner, on federal broadband policy, spectrum strategy, and regulatory trends shaping TMT investment and innovation. This session will explore:
- The Trump administration’s BEAD policy changes and their impact on investment and innovation
- Spectrum allocation, Open RAN, and the future of wireless infrastructure
- Regulatory trends influencing M&A and capital flows in TMT
- How public-private collaboration is evolving in a high-stakes policy environment
-
Moderator
Rob McDowell
Partner
Cooley -
Speaker
Adam Cassady
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy Administrator
NTIA
17:05
AI Leaders Roundup: How is AI Reshaping the Future of Digital Infrastructure?
Moderator
Sean McDevitt, Partner, Arthur D. Little
Speakers
Adam Waltz, Managing Director, BlackRock Global Infrastructure Partners
Matthew DeNezza, CFO, Crusoe Energy
Saidal Mohmand, CFO, Applied Digital
Dan Davis, CEO, Arcadian Infracom
Adrian Shaktu, Founder & CEO, UNIFI Communications
- Will AI hyperscale demand continue at this pace, or are we facing an investment bubble?
- Who will be the winners and losers amid rapid AI and energy transitions?
- The emergence of specialized "training clusters" for AI workloads driving massive power and infrastructure requirements
- Uncertainty around the timing and location of inference demand, and the evolving role of GPU-as-a-service providers in meeting this new wave of customer needs
-
Moderator
Sean McDevitt
Partner
Arthur D. Little -
Speaker
Adam Waltz
Managing Director
Global Infrastructure Partners, a part of BlackRock -
Speaker
Matthew DeNezza
CFO
Crusoe Energy -
Speaker
Saidal Mohmand
CFO
Applied Digital -
Speaker
Dan Davis
CEO
Arcadian Infracom -
Speaker
Adrian Shaktu
Founder & CEO
UNIFI Communications
