SHERIDAN, WYOMING - May 13, 2026 - ANGA COM 2026, Europe's leading exhibition and conference for broadband, media and connectivity, runs from May 19 to 21, 2026, at the Cologne exhibition grounds in Germany, bringing together 440 exhibitors from 44 countries across two exhibition halls. The event combines a commercial exhibition with a structured international conference program of 40 panel discussions, presentations and round tables, conducted in English or with German-English simultaneous translation. For network operators, technology vendors and content providers evaluating strategy, infrastructure investment and emerging technologies across fiber, broadband and media distribution, the three-day format is designed to deliver peer-level exchange alongside direct commercial engagement.
Conference Structure and Access Model
The conference program is organized across multiple formats and access tiers, giving attendees flexibility in how they engage with the agenda. Panels on the Innovation Stage in exhibition hall 7 are free of charge for all visitors. The new ANGA COM Round Tables - an interactive format designed for in-depth discussion in smaller groups - are also free but require pre-registration. Standard conference program participation starts from 140 euros, while exhibition-only tickets are priced at 25 euros.
The third day of the event, Thursday, May 21, 2026, is entirely free of charge for both exhibition and conference participation. Registration is exclusively online - no ticket counters will be available on-site during the event.
This tiered access model broadens the potential audience while preserving differentiated value for full conference delegates. For international visitors in particular, the volume of English-language content - 40 sessions conducted in English or with simultaneous translation - reduces the language barrier that has historically limited engagement at German-hosted industry events.
International CEO and CTO Panels Set Strategic Agenda
The English-language program opens with two high-profile panels positioned at the top of the agenda for senior industry decision-makers. The International CEO Panel covers wholesale, business-to-consumer and data center strategy. The International CTO Panel addresses a live infrastructure debate: whether full fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment is achievable and preferable, or whether fiber-to-the-building (FTTB) architectures retain a valid role in next-generation access planning.
These sessions reflect the investment decisions currently facing European network operators - particularly as fiber rollout economics, competitive dynamics and regulatory frameworks diverge across national markets. For executives and technical leadership evaluating capital allocation and access technology strategy, these panels offer structured peer dialogue with senior counterparts from across the European and international operator community.
Additional CEO-level content includes an interview with Stephan Schmitter, CEO of RTL Deutschland, and a Gigabit Summit featuring the CEOs of Vodafone Deutschland, Telefónica Deutschland, Deutsche Glasfaser and NetCologne.
AI, Fiber Economics and Cybersecurity Dominate the Technical Agenda
The technical program reflects the three intersecting pressures currently reshaping broadband and media infrastructure strategy: artificial intelligence integration, fiber monetization, and security compliance.
AI-related sessions span multiple angles:
- AI's role in monetizing the home, in cooperation with Broadband Forum
- Accelerated network expansion and operation through AI
- AI recommendations for network and service optimization
- Agentic AI in production environments
The fiber monetization strand addresses one of the sector's sharpest commercial tensions directly. A dedicated session titled "Fiber's price trap - premium prices are killing customer demand" examines whether the pricing models applied to high-speed fiber services are suppressing the retail adoption rates that justify infrastructure investment. For operators and investors tracking FTTH business cases, this session signals that ANGA COM is not limiting its agenda to deployment technology - it is engaging with the commercial sustainability of fiber at scale.
Cybersecurity is covered across two dedicated panels developed in cooperation with NLconnect and InfraNum, alongside a session on Streaming Security 2026 and NIS2 compliance implications. The NIS2 directive continues to create compliance obligations for network operators and media distributors across the European Union, making regulatory alignment a live operational issue rather than a future planning concern.
Simultaneous Translation Program Targets German Market Leadership
Alongside the English-language program, a series of high-profile sessions will be delivered in German with simultaneous English translation, ensuring international delegates can access content anchored in the German and broader European market context.
The keynote address by Dr. Karsten Wildberger, German Federal Minister for Digital Transformation, places government digital infrastructure policy directly on the conference agenda. For operators and vendors navigating German regulatory and subsidy frameworks, this session provides direct visibility into federal priorities.
The Fiber Summit - focused on the conditions required to make FTTH a commercial success story - and the Municipalities Summit, addressing financing, cooperation models and network resilience at the local authority level, reflect the ground-level complexity of fiber rollout in a market where municipal involvement in infrastructure remains significant.
The TV and Streaming Summit brings together RTL, ProSiebenSat.1, ARD, Telekom Deutschland and Zattoo, covering content distribution strategy at a moment when linear and streaming revenue models are converging and competing simultaneously.
Exhibition Scale and Industry Partner Ecosystem
The exhibition component spans 440 exhibitors from 44 countries across two halls, covering the full supply chain of broadband and media infrastructure - from network equipment and fiber components to software platforms, content delivery systems and managed services.
Conference cooperation partners for 2026 include Accenture, Broadband Forum, EY, EY Parthenon, the Federal Gigabit Bureau, InfraNum, NLconnect, The SCTE, VATM and VAUNET, among others. Sponsoring partners are QVC, SES Germany and Tele AG. The breadth of institutional partnerships reflects ANGA COM's positioning as a cross-sector convening platform rather than a single-industry trade show.
The ANGA COM app is available for advance planning of both exhibition visits and conference session attendance. The full conference program, speaker list, exhibitor directory and floor plans are accessible online ahead of the event.