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2026 Categories include:
Access Network Innovation
Broadband performance and economics begin at the access edge. This award recognizes advances in wireline and fixed wireless technologies that increase capacity, reliability or deployment efficiency. Judges prioritize innovation that accelerates coverage, improves performance or lowers cost per connection.
AI in Live Telecom Networks
AI is no longer theoretical in telecom networks—but not every AI deployment delivers real value. This award exists to recognize AI that is operating in live environments and producing measurable results. Judges will prioritize scale, maturity and verified impact over novelty or experimentation.
AI-Driven Customer Experience
Customer experience has become a critical differentiator as networks grow more complex and services more digital. This category honors AI‑driven CX implementations that move beyond experimentation to deliver real‑world impact—such as faster resolution, more personalized engagement or reduced friction across customer journeys. Judges will prioritize deployed solutions, including AI agents, that demonstrably improve customer outcomes and operational effectiveness.
Autonomous Network Operations
As networks grow more complex, automation is no longer optional. This category recognizes platforms and solutions that enable closed‑loop, self‑optimizing or self‑healing network operations. Winning entries demonstrate how automation meaningfully reduces manual intervention, improves reliability or accelerates service delivery.
Broadband Deployment of the Year
Deploying broadband at scale requires technical excellence and execution discipline. This award recognizes standout network builds that demonstrate innovation in design, deployment or operations, while delivering measurable benefits to communities and customers.
BSS/OSS Innovation
Calling all wizards behind the curtain! This category covers billing and operations support systems, including network management, customer experience management, service assurance, revenue management and other forward-thinking support and enablement.
Carrier of the Year
The rich and intricate broadband and wireless tapestry of local, regional and national ISPs and carriers has long been connecting the entirety of the United States to phone lines, wireless and internet at home. Large and small carriers play an increasingly important role in reaching those communities where the economics for large national incumbents don’t allow them to serve. The regional Carrier of the Year will recognize efforts to provide an affordable, reliable and cutting-edge service to its customers, but will also show innovation in its services and flawless customer service at a local level. How has this carrier shown innovation in bridging the digital divide? What are key areas of service enabling their subscribers to engage with the digital economy? What technology has been leveraged or deployed to achieve this?
Digital Inclusion & Affordability Impact
Access without affordability is not inclusion. This award recognizes programs, technologies or partnerships that measurably improve broadband affordability and adoption for underserved populations, with demonstrated results.
Energy-Efficient Network Design
Energy efficiency is now a strategic imperative for telecom networks. This category honors innovations that demonstrably reduce power consumption or emissions across network domains. Quantified results and verifiable metrics are required.
Fiber and Wireline Deployment Innovation
This category honors projects, technologies or deployment models that overcome real‑world challenges—such as cost, labor, supply chain constraints or time‑to‑market—while delivering scalable, high‑performance fiber infrastructure. This category spans a range of technologies, including fiber, DOCSIS 4.0, PON, Ethernet, optical and distributed access architecture.
Individual Leadership in Innovation
Recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional operational leadership in delivering innovative network, cloud or connectivity initiatives at scale. This award celebrates leaders who navigated complexity, constraints and risk to translate innovation into working systems, sustained performance and real business results.
Industrial IoT & Connected Infrastructure
Industrial IoT success requires scale, reliability and integration—not pilots. This category honors solutions that support connected infrastructure across sectors such as utilities, transportation, manufacturing and energy, with clear operational impact.
Innovation of the Year
This award recognizes the telecom innovation that made the greatest real‑world impact over the past year. It honors technology or platforms that demonstrate deployment maturity, clear industry relevance and the potential to reshape how networks are built, operated or monetized. The winning innovation stands out not only for what it enables, but for how meaningfully it advances the telecommunications ecosystem.
Network APIs & Programmable Networks
Programmability is reshaping how networks are consumed and monetized. This award recognizes platforms that expose network capabilities through APIs, enabling enterprise innovation and developer ecosystems. Judges will assess usability, adoption and business relevance.
Network Architecture Innovation
Networks are being fundamentally redesigned—from cloud‑native cores to open and disaggregated RAN. This category honors architectural innovation that improves flexibility, efficiency or time‑to‑market. Winning entries demonstrate how design choices translate into operational or economic advantage.
Network Assurance & Observability
Traditional monitoring tools can’t keep pace with virtualized, automated networks. This category recognizes solutions that provide deep, actionable visibility across hybrid and multi‑domain environments. Entries should clearly show how observability improves performance, reliability or operational decision‑making.
Network Security Innovation
Hats off to those battling the rising tide of cyber threats! This category will highlight software and hardware geared toward securing networks, devices and content. And if you want to get nerdy with it, we don’t mind.
New Revenue Enablement Beyond Connectivity
As connectivity becomes increasingly commoditized, growth depends on how effectively operators and vendors unlock new revenue streams beyond basic access. This category recognizes platforms, technologies and solutions that enable carriers to monetize their networks through new services, capabilities or business models—such as APIs, edge services, data-driven offerings, managed solutions or industry‑specific applications. Judges will prioritize innovations that demonstrate clear commercial impact, customer adoption or revenue enablement rather than theoretical opportunity.
Operator-Vendor Partnership of the Year
Successful telecom innovation depends on more than technology—it requires strong execution and true partnership between operators and vendors. This award recognizes joint deployments where both parties share accountability for outcomes, from planning through delivery. Judges will prioritize collaborations that demonstrate execution credibility, operational discipline and measurable business or customer impact, highlighting partnerships that turn innovation into real‑world results.
Private & Enterprise Wireless Innovation
Private wireless networks are moving from pilots to production. This category honors solutions enabling enterprises to deploy, manage and scale private connectivity across campuses, factories and critical infrastructure. Entries should demonstrate operational readiness and customer adoption.
Telecom Cloud & Edge Infrastructure
Telecom workloads place unique demands on cloud and edge infrastructure. This award recognizes platforms designed specifically to support distributed, latency‑sensitive network functions and services. Judges will assess architectural suitability, scalability and operational relevance to service providers.
Tribal & Indigenous Connectivity Leadership
Broadband deployment on Tribal lands demands cultural respect, partnership and long‑term commitment. This category honors projects that advance connectivity while respecting sovereignty and delivering sustainable, community‑driven outcomes.
Application Scoring
Applications will be scored by a panel of judges and the aggregate of the scores will determine finalists and category winners. Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria: