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Utility Communications as a Service: Delivering Mission-Critical Networks Through Managed and Hosted Models
As utilities deploy private LTE, fiber, and hybrid communications networks to support modern grid applications, the complexity of designing, operating, and maintaining these systems continues to grow. While large investor-owned utilities (IOUs) often have the scale, resources, and internal expertise to build and manage mission-critical communications infrastructure, many municipal and cooperative utilities face a different reality—limited staff, constrained budgets, and competing operational priorities.
This panel explores an emerging model for addressing this gap: Utility Communications as a Service (UCaaS). Through a combination of hosted mission-critical platforms (including MCX/MCPTT), managed network services, and centralized Network Operations Centers (NOCs), utilities can access the benefits of advanced communications systems without the burden of full ownership and lifecycle management.
Panelists will share perspectives on how hosted and managed models can enable small and mid-sized utilities to deploy secure, resilient, and scalable communications networks, while allowing larger utilities to selectively leverage external expertise for efficiency and operational focus. The discussion will highlight how partnerships between utilities and technology providers can accelerate deployment timelines, standardize architectures, and improve ongoing performance and reliability.
Topics will include:
- The build vs. partner vs. managed decision framework for utility communications
- How hosted MCX and private LTE platforms support mission-critical voice, data, and video applications
- The role of centralized and remote NOCs in monitoring, performance management, and incident response
- Cybersecurity, governance, and shared responsibility models in managed environments
- Lessons learned in designing, deploying, and operating hybrid networks across diverse utility environments
Attendees will gain practical insight into how utilities of varying sizes are rethinking communications infrastructure as a service-based capability, enabling them to modernize more quickly, reduce operational risk, and better support the evolving needs of the grid.
Speakers
