Americas telco leaders confront the AI-native shift at Innovate Americas

1,000+ industry leaders gather in Dallas for Innovate Americas as operators race to scale AI, build trust and move beyond pilot projects

UNITED KINGDOM, August 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- TM Forum today revealed the agenda and first headline speakers for Innovate Americas 2026, taking place October 6-7 in Dallas, Texas. Confirmed speakers include senior leaders from the Americas’ largest carriers – including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and TELUS – alongside executives from the wider connectivity ecosystem driving AI adoption, network automation and operational transformation.

As the race to the autonomous enterprise accelerates, carriers across the Americas face mounting commercial, competitive and operational pressure to turn AI ambition into measurable impact. Innovate Americas will convene service providers, hyperscalers, technology partners and industry experts to share practical experience in reinventing IT, scaling autonomous networks and deploying trustworthy AI.

The two-day conference is designed for the executives, architects and engineering leaders building the AI-native telco. It will feature real-life case studies, expert-led discussions, practical forums and the region’s first collaborative innovation showcase of Catalyst projects.

The agenda reveals themes including:

• Building the AI-native enterprise: Moving AI from experimentation into operating model change, trusted adoption, workforce transformation and measurable business impact.

• Cross-Domain Service Orchestration: Automating services end to end across fibre, cloud, edge, core, RAN, OSS/BSS and satellite to create dynamic, on-demand service platforms.

• Autonomous Networks at Scale: Operationalizing AI-native networks that improve efficiency, resilience, service assurance and customer experience in real time.

• Everywhere Coverage & Connectivity Continuity: Extending connectivity beyond traditional network boundaries through 5G, fibre, NTN, direct-to-device satellite and hybrid terrestrial-satellite architectures.

• AI Monetization & Programmable Networks: Turning AI, network APIs and service intelligence into scalable enterprise services, partner ecosystems and new revenue growth.

Amongst the experts lined up to speak are:

• Yigal Elbaz, Network Chief Technology Officer, AT&T
• Andy Markus, SVP, Chief Data Officer, AT&T
• Ankur Kapoor, EVP & Chief Network Officer, T-Mobile
• Arnab Chakraborty, Chief Responsible AI Officer, Accenture
• Kaniz Mahdi, Director Technology, AWS Industries
• Pamela Snively, Chief Data and Trust Officer, Telus
• Himanshu Polavarapu, AVP - Enterprise Architecture & Technology Strategy, Verizon 

“The Americas is a diverse market, but all carriers share one urgent priority: turning AI and autonomy into new customer experiences and measurable growth,” said Nik Willetts, CEO, TM Forum. “Innovate Americas brings the industry together to move faster, reduce risk and translate shared ideas into real-world impact. This is where the AI-native telco gets built to scale, faster.”

Media and analyst registration is now open.

Accredited journalists and analysts can register complimentary to attend keynote sessions, access media briefings and interview industry leaders from across the connectivity ecosystem.

Register here: https://www.tmforum.org/innovate-americas-registration/?evoucher=MEDIA


About TM Forum
TM Forum is an alliance of over 800 organizations spanning the global connectivity ecosystem, including the world’s top ten Communication Service Providers (CSPs), top three hyperscalers and Network Equipment Providers (NEPs), vendors, consultancies and system integrators, large and small.

We provide a place for our Members to collaborate, innovate, and deliver lasting change. Together, we are building a sustainable future for the industry in connectivity and beyond.

To find out more, visit: www.tmforum.org

Katy Branson
TM Forum
newsroom@tmforum.org