In this episode, we look ahead to 2026 and explore the trends, technologies, and challenges set to shape the year across critical communications, public safety, and mission-critical operations.

We’re joined once again by the team from Informa, Alfonso, Donny, and Erin, for a wide-ranging discussion covering everything from AI and cybersecurity to interoperability, platforms, video, drones, and emerging threat vectors.

🔹 What’s Coming at IWCE 2026
We kick things off with a look at IWCE 2026, marking its 50th edition and returning to Las Vegas. Highlights include:

• Record-breaking speaker submissions and growing momentum
• A near-complete agenda already live
• AI appearing across sessions — not as a standalone topic, but embedded everywhere
• The return of major industry voices and vendors in force

IWCE once again sets the tone for the year ahead in critical communications.

🤖 AI Everywhere — Opportunity and Risk
AI is a dominant theme for 2026, but not without complexity:

• AI-enhanced common operating pictures, alerting, and workflows
• Training, ethics, legal implications, and hallucination risks
• AI as both a defensive tool and a new threat vector

We explore how AI will quietly permeate nearly every system, even when it’s not obvious from the headline.

🔐 Cybersecurity: From Theory to Reality
Cybersecurity remains a top priority — but the conversation is shifting:

• Real-world attacks driving urgency over theoretical discussions
• Broadband, cloud, and remote access expanding attack surfaces
• Zero-trust architectures becoming essential, not optional
• Legacy systems like LMR now exposed through remote monitoring

AI is also changing the cybersecurity landscape — for both attackers and defenders.

🎭 Deepfakes, Disinformation, and Trust
One of the most sobering discussions centers on AI-generated deepfakes:

• Fake images, video, and audio triggering real-world shutdowns
• Public safety and transport systems facing new verification challenges
• The evolution of “swatting” into AI-enabled disinformation

We discuss the growing need for multi-factor verification of information, combining video, sensors, telemetry, and contextual data to validate reality.

🔄 Interoperability and the Shift to Platforms
A major structural shift is underway:

• Moving from product-centric solutions to platform-based ecosystems
• Interoperability evolving from point-to-point bridges to 360° platforms
• APIs and standard interfaces enabling best-of-breed integrations
• M&A activity accelerating platform expansion

This transition promises efficiency and flexibility — but also introduces new risks that must be managed carefully.

🎥 Video Takes Center Stage
Video is poised to become central to public safety operations in 2026:

• Body-worn cameras expanding beyond traditional vendors
• Direct video to emergency services
• Video as a core component of the common operating picture

The convergence of video, broadband, and platforms is reshaping command and control environments.

🚁 Drones, Satellites, and the Digital Airspace
We explore the rapid growth of drones as first responders (DFR):

• Beyond visual line of sight operations gaining momentum
• Geofencing, remote control, and automation improving deployment
• Potential use of LEO satellites as “towers in the sky”
• Expanding use cases in rural, mountainous, and hard-to-reach areas

This opens new possibilities for search and rescue, situational awareness, and faster response times.

🌐 IoT, Telemetry, and Data Verification
AI threats may actually revive IoT:

• Sensors as independent verification sources
• Telemetry supporting smarter grids, utilities, transport, and public safety
• Multi-source validation reducing reliance on a single data input

The future points toward authentication of information, not just people.

👋 Get Involved:
Have questions or want to join the podcast? Email us at critcommscircle@omdia.com