Metro Connect USA has been dubbed by many in the industry as one of the most important annual meetings and networking opportunities for U.S. digital infrastructure leaders. Based on our experience at Metro Connect 2022 and years prior, the Hylan team certainly agrees. The 2022 conference, which ran from January 31 – February 2 in Miami South Beach, brought together executives from the fiber, data center, cloud, tower, and cable industries, as well as MDs and Partners from the finance sector.
At a new venue this year, and in our sponsored meeting area, our executive team including Hylan CEO, Robert DiLeo and VP of Business Development, Robert Bianco, had the opportunity to meet with industry leaders from across the country to discuss trends and projections regarding communications and infrastructure. We also sat in on some informative sessions on topics such as today’s financial ecosystem, meeting demands for digital infrastructure, sustainability and more. We heard key announcements on M&A deals and took part in discussions about market opportunities and forecasts for the year ahead.
The conference also gave us the chance to talk with attendees about the challenges they face,what their top priorities are as they look to the future and possibilities for collaboration.
Here are a few themes that stuck out to Hylan as we held our meetings and attended information sessions:
Sustainability
As sustainability becomes increasingly fundamental to enterprise strategy, integrating this into digital transformation efforts will be a top priority. One of the biggest trends to watch for is harnessing enterprise data to gain a better understanding of how businesses can become more sustainable.
The Future of 5G
As Hylan can easily predict due to our work and expertise in the 5G space, 2022 will for sure be an exciting year for 5G. We will see increased speeds and low latency, improved at-home broadband, 5G connected automobiles and so much more.
DAS and Small Cells
Distributed antenna systems (DAS) and small cells will continue to relieve congestion by providing a way for operators to supplement coverage and capacity for indoor spaces that are not sufficiently covered by the outdoor macro network.
Market Optimism
Everywhere we looked and everyone we spoke with was optimistic about the future of the industry and the current economic landscape. Many companies are innovating new solutions and pushing the limits on what is possible for improving communications and infrastructure design.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that positivity was the overarching theme for Metro Connect 2022. Even facing longtime challenges like the industry’s labor shortage and more recent uncertainties in the wake of the pandemic, attendance and participation at the show were encouraging, and our team left with a positive outlook on the future of communications infrastructure. We would like to thank everyone that took time out of your busy schedules to talk with our team; it was great to see you all again after a long hiatus. You helped make Metro Connect 2022 a tremendous success, and we hope to have done the same for you. See you again soon, and definitely for Metro Connect 2023!
