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