Broadband 2026: Panduit Experts Predict What’s Next

Mike Vermeer: The BEAD Boom Will Test the Workforce

BEAD funding is about to flood the market. “Because these projects are centrally managed, we’ll see thousands hit around the same time,” said Mike Vermeer. “You can stock product, but you can’t stock labor.”

Vermeer predicts that labor shortages will remain the single biggest obstacle to meeting deadlines. While product supply can be forecasted, skilled splicing and installation labor cannot.

He expects stronger collaboration between ISPs and municipalities to speed up permitting and prevent gridlock. “When cities and service providers work together, the network that starts is the one that finishes,” he said.

Olga Khavarivska: Investment Momentum and Smarter Deployment

According to Olga Khavarivska’s latest analysis, fiber investments are entering a new boom. Over the past five years, private equity firms have funneled more than $80B into U.S. fiber infrastructure, with total spending expected to reach $96B by 2026, driven by BEAD funding. Khavarivska predicts that traditional financing won’t keep pace with deployment needs, prompting carriers to explore innovative models – such as spinning off fiber assets into REITs (real estate investment trusts) to unlock capital and attract institutional investors seeking steady, utility-like returns. By 2026, fiber won’t just be about connectivity, but about financial innovation.

Khavarivska also notes that labor and permitting challenges will continue to slow progress. Surveys show these remain top barriers, and smaller ISPs could expand 7% faster if skilled workers were available. Policies like “dig once” initiatives and workforce training will be key to easing these constraints.

Finally, Khavarivska forecasts continued consolidation: after $45B in mergers between 2024–2025, more ISPs are expected to combine in 2026 to achieve scale and profitability.

Jose Castro: Fiber Innovation Doubles Bandwidth and Shrinks Latency

For Jose Castro, 2026 will be a breakthrough year in optical fiber technology.

“We’ll see the arrival of 800-gigabit transceivers – doubling bandwidth without replacing existing fiber,” he said. “You simply swap the transceiver and double your data rate.”

He also points to hollow-core fiber, which uses air instead of glass to transmit light. “It reduces latency and allows data centers to be spaced farther apart while maintaining performance,” he explained.

To offset workforce shortages, Castro expects a rise in factory-terminated, plug-and-play fiber systems. “They make deployment faster and require less skilled labor,” he said.

Looking ahead, Castro predicts more use of AI and robotics for network monitoring and early breakthroughs in quantum communication. “These technologies will lay the foundation for next-generation computing and security,” he said.

Imtiaz Mir: Fiber Moves to the Edge

Imtiaz Mir believes 2026 will mark the expansion of fiber beyond the home – to the edge.

“With BEAD funding challenges, private capital will play a key role,” he said. “As AI drives demand for lower latency, more information will move to the edge – not just between data centers.”

He expects workforce shortages to improve gradually as training programs expand but says many ISPs will still turn to pre-connectorized, plug-and-play solutions to minimize skilled labor needs.

Mir’s three key predictions for 2026:

• Continued mergers and acquisitions among major fiber and wireless providers.
• Growth of fiber-to-the-edge deployments supporting distributed data centers.
• Expansion of open-access networks, allowing providers to share bandwidth.

He also envisions fiber-to-the-desk emerging inside homes as users demand ultra-low-latency connections for gaming and AI.

And as connectivity improves, Mir says AI-driven monitoring will help elevate customer experience: “Providing fiber connectivity is one thing,” he said. “Delivering great service after the connection is what truly matters.”