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Dear UBBA Community,
As a member of the UBBA Board of Directors and someone who has had the opportunity to participate closely in this Alliance, I continue to see firsthand what makes UBBA different: the quality of the conversations, the openness of the collaboration, and the shared commitment to helping utilities solve real operational challenges.
UBBA is much more than an industry organization or an annual event. It is a community where utilities, technology providers and industry leaders come together to learn from one another, challenge assumptions and turn ideas into practical solutions. For companies like Nokia, that participation is especially valuable because it gives us the opportunity to listen directly to utilities, understand the pressures they are facing and work alongside them as communications, data and technology become increasingly important to grid operations.
That value will be on full display at the 2026 UBBA Summit & Plugfest, October 13–15 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Summit & Plugfest creates an environment that is difficult to replicate anywhere else. Utilities are not simply hearing presentations about what technology might be able to do. They are having candid conversations about deployment experiences, operational requirements, lessons learned and what must happen next. Through the Plugfest, technical sessions, utility case studies, demonstrations and informal discussions, attendees can see how the industry is moving from strategy to implementation.
For me, one of the greatest benefits of UBBA membership is the opportunity to build relationships around shared problems rather than individual products. The Alliance brings together people who are working through many of the same challenges—from grid modernization and field operations to resilience, automation, cybersecurity and the growing demand for timely, reliable data at the edge.
Those relationships matter. They create the trust that allows members to ask harder questions, share what has worked and what has not, and ultimately make better decisions.
If your organization is already a UBBA member, I encourage you to take full advantage of that membership by being present and engaged in Fort Worth. Bring your operations leaders, technical experts and decision-makers into the conversation. Participate in the sessions. Spend time at Plugfest. Meet the utilities and companies doing the work.
And if you have been watching UBBA from the sidelines, the Summit is an excellent opportunity to experience the Alliance for yourself.
The greatest value of UBBA comes from participation. The more utilities and industry leaders who bring their experience, questions and ideas to the table, the stronger this community becomes.
I look forward to seeing many of you in Fort Worth and to continuing the conversations that are helping shape the future of utility operations.
Jeff Pittman
Nokia
UBBA Board of Directors
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