Sonalake at Tech Arena 2026: Conversations, Connections and Innovation

As we move into an era where software and physical infrastructure no longer act independently, we gathered in Stockholm during TechArena. Alongside Druid Software, Delmec, and Enterprise Ireland, we held a focused dinner conversation to explore this shift toward total integration.

What we are seeing is a fundamental change: software, hardware, and physical infrastructure are beginning to operate as a single engine for growth. The old model of telecom delivery, where these layers moved in parallel, is breaking down. In Sweden especially, integration is no longer just a strategy; it is a requirement.

Rob Battigan highlighted this during our discussion, touching on the evolution of Open access and the growing drive for standardisation in fibre deployment. As fibre matures, scale depends entirely on interoperability and commercial flexibility. If you cannot plug into another ecosystem quickly, you lose time, and in this industry, if you lose time, you lose margin. 

Ultimately, growth in telecom will not come from isolated innovation. It will come from coordinated execution across software, radio, and physical infrastructure.

Big thanks to Enterprise Ireland as they helped create the space for these conversations to happen at the right level, with the right people.