The main stage of the Channel Partners Conference & Expo will feature today’s top channel leaders from the major telecommunications providers. These executives are driving a shift in their organizations’ technology offerings and their programs have wide-ranging implications for the entire partner community.
At the annual Channel Partners Conference & Expo Power Panel, channel leaders from T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Lumen will appear on the mainstage of the world’s largest independent gathering of channel partners. They will discuss their channel strategies, investments and growth expectations for 2025. It is the only event in the industry where these sometimes-friendly collaborators and fierce competitors will appear on stage together. This is the type of panel attendees clamor for given the importance of those service providers. Register so you can attendee this panel and more Explore the CP LV Agenda
There are a few surprises on this year’s panel titled “The Channel Connection for Telcos” taking place Wednesday, March 26 at the Venetian Hotel and Conference Center. Moderators and event hosts Kelly Danziger and Bob DeMarzo will ask panelists about the most pressing issues of the day and how they are building more partner value and opportunities in their channel businesses. You can register for the event to hear these executives. Check out the full conference agenda.
Following a change in channel leadership at AT&T, Shiraz Hasan, VP of channel sales and strategic alliances, will participate on the panel in his new role. This will be Hasan’s debut on the main stage at Channel Partners. He will no doubt shed light on the new initiatives he has been working on at AT&T. Jonathan Nikols, SVP of Global Enterprise Americas for Verizon Business, will also appear on the panel for the first time. Channel partners who have built extensive connectivity businesses will find insights from those two leaders essential.
T-Mobile’s longtime telco channel leader Paul Spencer is returning as a panelist to share his thoughts on how he is driving change at the carrier after playing a lead role in the T-Mobile Un-Carrier program for the past four years. T-Mobile is the event’s title sponsor. The other panelist is Tim Acker, VP of Channel Sales for Lumen, which possesses one of the largest and longest-running channels in the industry given the acquisitions it has made over the years. It is a truly a star-studded group of executives.
No doubt there will be fireworks and spirited commentary during the panel because of the sales focus these executives have. But attendees will not be hearing any pitches from these channel leaders. The panel is designed as an objective, editorial-like interview that might be seen on CNBC Squawk Box or Bloomberg TV as part of those networks’ morning cable television programming. What makes this panel discussion so important is recently disclosed Informa Omdia research which found the telco B2B market to be a $340 billion market opportunity which is highly partner dependent. The companies represented on the panel are pivoting from telcos to tech companies a part of massive market shift Omdia and others are measuring. The providers represented depend on the channel to help rejuvenate growth or identify new growth markets they cannot service via direct sales.
In the B2B market, many of the current players are trying to change their go-to-market strategies by leveraging channel partners who can showcase and sell a wide range of IT and communications solutions to enterprise and midmarket customers. That is what makes 2025 a critical year for these telco behemoths. Partners are also reassessing their relationships with these traditional carriers and telecommunications companies as they search for ways to grow their services, move upstream to higher-margin solutions and bolt on cybersecurity practices to meet customer needs.
The panel is taking place Wednesday, March 26th from 12:25pm – 12:45pm
Power Panel: The Channel Connection for Telcos
Today’s leading telcos are continuing to evolve into tech companies focused on B2B market opportunities. For these giants to scale in the B2B world, they need help across a revenue spectrum that includes recurring revenue, renewals and net-new business along with deeper penetration into the enterprise and mid-markets. Partners are clearly well positioned as routes to market for these service providers who are all grappling with ways to grow. In this Channel Partners Service Provider Power Panel, telcos will spell out what they want from channel partners, how they are changing go-to-market strategies, and insights into where they are investing in the channel. For telcos to successfully transition to what research firm Omdia calls TechCos, they will need partners to help them identify and build relationships with today’s buyers such as CISOs and CTOs. Hear from the leaders who are driving what amounts to a $340 billion global market, one that is rich in partner opportunity.