The Pacific Telecommunications Council’s 2026 annual conference concluded in
Honolulu Hawaii last week, again breaking attendance records and reinforcing its status
as the preeminent global forum for the businesses and technologies underpinning the
connected world.
The Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC), which was founded in 1978 as a non-
profit membership organization dedicated to advancing connectivity across the Pacific
region, has long served as a critical bridge between technology, policy, and business.
This year’s Annual Conference, PTC’26 has seen its fourth consecutive year of record-
breaking participation. Beyond the impressive metrics—thousands of attendees from
over 60 countries, 75 sessions, 330 speakers—this year’s event revealed an
organization, and an industry, intentionally evolving from a traditional conference into a
multifaceted platform for leadership development, applied research, and community-
driven innovation.
More Than a Meeting Place
A key takeaway from PTC’26 is the strategic deepening of its value proposition. The
record turnout underscores strong demand for high-level convergence across telecom,
data center, cloud, subsea, and AI infrastructure sectors. However, the growth appears
to be qualitatively different. “What stands out this year is not just growth, but
engagement,” noted PTC CEO Brian Moon, pointing to sold-out leadership programs
and new research initiatives.
This shift is evident in two flagship developments that extend PTC’s historical mission of
enabling progress through knowledge exchange. First, the launch of PTC’s first
sponsored research study—Retail Business Model Pricing for Telecommunication
Services in Tonga, presented by Network Strategies—signals an ambition to contribute
directly to industry knowledge with practical, regional relevance, moving beyond
discussion to tangible insight. Second, the expansion of professional development,
notably the continued partnership with Columbia Business School, indicates a focus on
shaping the industry’s future leadership pipeline, investing in the human capital
required to sustain the digital ecosystem PTC has helped foster for nearly 50 years.
Programming Reflects Industry’s Complex Demands
The conference agenda balanced broad strategic vision with technical granularity, a
reflection of the complex challenges PTC has convened to address since its inception.
The introduction of the Alakaʻi Stage alongside the mainstage provided a dedicated
platform for emerging trends and voices, while workshops and lightning talks addressed
immediate operational challenges. This structure mirrors the industry’s own dual
mandate: to envision a transformative future while managing incredibly complex,
existing infrastructure.
Similarly, networking evolved beyond casual mixers. The Executive Networking
Breakfast created a curated environment for senior-level dialogue, while technology
played an unprecedented role in facilitating connection. The conference app’s
ProxyTwin feature—allowing virtual, face-to-face meetings—was a practical response
to the reality that key attendees must be in multiple places at once, symbolizing the
industry’s constant multitasking between physical and digital realms.
Community Building as Strategic Imperative
Perhaps the most analytically interesting evolution was the emphasis on structured
community building, a natural extension of PTC’s core ethos. The launch of Week of
Laulima (meaning “many hands working together”)—an expanded women’s initiative
encompassing yoga, leadership breakfasts, and receptions—moves beyond symbolic
diversity efforts to foster sustained professional collaboration. Meanwhile, the First
Look Workshop for new attendees and the continued Barstool Pitch event for
entrepreneurs demonstrate a conscious effort to onboard new talent and ideas into the
ecosystem, ensuring its renewal and vitality—a necessary evolution for an organization
focused on the future.
The annual 5K Charity Run/Walk, which raised $14,500 for Make-A-Wish Hawaiʻi, and the PTC’26 Awards further solidified the sense of a community with shared values, not merely shared business interests.
Looking forward: A Conference Mirroring Its Industry
PTC’26 successfully demonstrated how the organization’s founding mission—to connect
and advance the Pacific region—has dynamically expanded to address the needs of a
globally interconnected digital infrastructure industry. The conference is no longer just a
conduit for deal-making; it is actively investing in the human capital, research, and
inclusive community that will sustain global connectivity for decades to come.
Looking ahead, PTC’s role appears more critical than ever. As the sector grapples with
AI integration, energy constraints, and geopolitical complexities, the need for a trusted,
independent forum for collaboration is paramount. As CEO Brian Moon told your
correspondent, “Our history was built on connecting islands. Our future is about
connecting ideas, industries, and innovators to bridge the next digital divides. The
momentum from PTC’26 isn’t just a measure of a successful event—it’s the fuel for
the groundbreaking collaborations and solutions we will build together in the year
ahead.”
