November 4–6, 2026
San Francisco, California

Join us for three days of dialogue, recognition, and connection at the 2026 Marconi Awards Gala & Institute Forums, where global leaders in industry, academia, and policy convene to address the most pressing challenges in information and communications technology.

This year’s program features the Internet Resilience Expert Forum, the AI and Advanced Wireless Executive Forums, and — new for 2026 — a full day of combined Institute Forums uniting all three tracks around our shared themes: Trust & Safety, Infrastructure & Energy, and Internet Resilience.

The convening culminates with the Marconi Awards Gala, honoring Robert Calderbank, the 2026 Marconi Prize recipient, alongside the Institute Awardees and the next class of Paul Baran Young Scholars.

REGISTRATION OPENS JUNE 2026

Honorees

Join us for the Marconi Awards Gala as we honor innovators in the field of information and communications technology. The Gala gathers visionaries, innovators, and industry thought leaders to celebrate remarkable industry achievements. 

2026 Marconi Prize Recipient

Recognized for contributions to the theory and practice of voiceband modems, space-time coding, and quantum error correction.

Paul Baran Young Scholars

Nominations close June 23, 2026.

Ruth

Ruth Gebremedhin

Thomas

Thomas Micallef

Yidong Ren

Yidong Ren

Raghav

Raghav Subbaraman

Institute Awards

Nominations close June 5, 2026.

Institute Forums

Three Insitutes. One Global Conversation.

Each Marconi Society Institute leads a Forum focused on the most pressing challenges in its field — and connects with the others on the cross-cutting themes that define our future.

2026 THEMES

All Forums and discussions center on three interconnected themes that define how modern communications systems are built, sustained, and trusted at scale.

Trust & Safety

How do we build and maintain trust in the systems, algorithms, and networks that billions of people depend on every day?

Infrastructure & Energy

How do we build, power, and sustain the massive physical and digital infrastructure that next-generation connectivity demands?

Internet Resilience

How do we ensure the Internet remains open, trustworthy, and functional in the face of escalating disruptions for every person who depends on it?

The program

DAY ONE · WED NOV 4

Expert Convening

The Internet Resilience Expert Forum opens the program, bringing together technical and policy experts to surface the most urgent challenges. The day closes with a Welcome Reception.

DAY TWO · THUR NOV 5

Cross-Sector Forum

A full-day Combined Institutes Forum brings all three tracks — Internet Resilience, AI, and Advanced Wireless — into one room around our shared themes. Followed by an evening Networking Reception.

DAY THREE · FRI NOV 6

Leadership & Recognition

A half-day Institutes Forum, invitation-only Executive Forums for AI and Advanced Wireless, and the Marconi Awards Gala honoring this year’s recipients.

Signature Programming

A handful of conversations across the three days that bring together the people, ideas, and questions that will define the field for years to come.

ADVANCED WIRELESS Executive FORUM

The Advanced Wireless Forum brings together leaders across the wireless ecosystem to address the evolution of wireless infrastructure. Participants explore how emerging technologies, spectrum strategies, and deployment models can enable scalable, efficient, and globally accessible connectivity.

INTERNET RESILIENCE Expert FORUM

The Internet Resilience Forum convenes global leaders across infrastructure, cloud, energy, and policy to address systemic vulnerabilities in the Internet’s operational environment. The Forum focuses on advancing resilience through coordination, transparency, and long-term ecosystem alignment.

AI EXECUTIVE
FORUM

The AI Executive Forum brings together senior executives and decision-makers to explore AI’s role in shaping global systems, infrastructure, and leadership. The Forum connects technical innovation with real-world application, policy, and business strategy.

A Conversation with Robert Calderbank

FIRESIDE CHAT

The 2026 Marconi Prize recipient on the arc of his work — from voiceband modems to quantum error correction.

YOUNG SCHOLARS PANEL

PANEL

The next class of Paul Baran Young Scholars present the research they believe will shape the next decade.

DEANS & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

PANEL

Engineering deans on building the talent pipeline for the infrastructure transformation ahead.

Accommodations

A room block has been secured at the host venue, the Fairmont San Francisco, for Marconi Awards Gala & Institute Forums attendees.
 
Perched atop Nob Hill, the Fairmont offers panoramic views of the city and provides convenient access to San Francisco’s financial district, waterfront, and cultural landmarks. All Institute Forums and Gala events will take place on-site or within close proximity.
 
950 Mason Street | San Francisco, CA 94108
 
Booking details and reservation link will be provided soon.

Forum Voices

Advanced Wireless Forum

Andrea Goldsmith
President
Stony Brook University

Daddy Mukadi
Chief Regulatory Officer Africa
Bharti Airtel International (Netherlands) B.V.

Rob Soni
VP of RAN Technology
AT&T

Yago Tenorio
SVP and CTO
Verizon

Peter Vetter
President of Bell Labs Core Research
Nokia

INTERNET RESILIENCE Forum

Fiona Alexander
Co-Founder
Salt Point Strategies

Vint Cerf
VP, Chief Internet Evangelist
Google

John Crain
CTO
ICANN

Ram Mohan
Chief Strategy Officer
Identity Digital

Paul Vixie
Deputy CISO
Amazon Web Services

AI Executive Forum

Kevin R. Bolen
Principal, Advisory – Head of AI Transformation, Strategy and Investments
KPMG LLP

Annie Cheng
VP of Engineering
Waymo

Mischa Dohler
VP, Emerging Technologies
Ericsson

Gillian R. Hayes
Vice Provost
UCI

Durga Malladi
SVP & GM, Technology Planning & Edge Solutions
Qualcomm

Academic Forum

Danijela Cabric
Professor
UCLA

Syed Jafar
Professor
UCI

Joseph Kakande
Network Engineer
Meta

Nick McKeown
Senior Fellow
Intel
2025 Marconi Prize Recipient

Kathleen A. Kramer
2025 IEEE President & CEO

Sponsorship Opportunities

Support the Marconi Society’s mission and align your organization with one of the field’s most respected convenings in information and communications technology.

The Marconi Awards Gala and Institute Forums offer opportunities to engage with leaders across AI, wireless, Internet resilience, academia, and industry.

Sponsors

The Marconi Society is grateful to the following organizations for their generous support of the 2026 Marconi Awards & Institute Forums:

Contact our team for more information:

Sponsorship Opportunities

Flora Tromelin
ftromelin@marconisociety.org
480-828-6064

Speaking Opportunities

Marina Pappas
mpappas@marconisociety.org
262-888-9820