After leading a workshop on AI for Sales and joining the AI Transformation in Marketing panel, we spent the rest of The 2025 INCOMPAS Show doing what we do best: listening. The conversations this year revealed an industry that is both accelerating and recalibrating. From mergers and hyperscale builds to the practical adoption of AI, the message was clear. Success now depends on how well companies connect technology, people and purpose.
Here’s what stood out and how we’re applying it for our clients and ourselves.
1. Mergers Are Rewriting the Playbook
The Uniti and Windstream merger dominated hallway chatter. Leaders described the consolidation as an opportunity to align resources, unify culture and leverage dark fiber for hyperscale and AI growth. They also acknowledged that integration is never simple, as blending people and systems always presents challenges.
Access Marketing Insight:
For our clients, consolidation means new competition and new partnership potential. Mergers like this redefine network maps, capital access and who controls the customer relationship. We help clients adjust their messaging and sales enablement to highlight what makes them distinct, stable and responsive when the market feels in flux.
When infrastructure converges, clarity becomes your competitive advantage.
2. Hyperscaler Growth Is Testing Every Limit
Panelists on Winning Hyperscaler Network Builds described unprecedented demand for fiber, conduit and power. Hyperscalers now expect sub-1-millisecond latency, 34-count conduit packages and multi-route diversity. One executive noted that supply chains for optics and glass are already straining under demand.
Access Marketing Insight:
This expansion is not just an engineering challenge. It is a storytelling challenge. Providers that can clearly convey reliability, readiness and partnership strength will win the bid before the RFP. We are advising clients to use data-driven proof points in their sales content and to lead with transparency about delivery timelines and capabilities.
Over 300 new hyperscale data centers are projected in North America by 2028 (Synergy Research Group).
3. AI Is Moving from Experiment to Execution
Our sessions on AI for Sales and AI Transformation in Marketing attracted savvy marketing leaders for one reason: the conversation has shifted from what it is to how to use it. Telecom and infrastructure marketing leaders are testing AI for lead scoring, content automation and customer journey mapping. What is missing for most is not tools but training and governance.
Access Marketing Insight:
We are embedding AI into marketing and sales operations for clients with a focus on real outcomes such as faster campaign activation, smarter targeting and measurable pipeline growth. Our takeaway from INCOMPAS is that the winners will not be the first to use AI, but the first to operationalize it responsibly.
4. Private Connectivity and Federation Are Gaining Ground
A presentation from MaiaEdge introduced a new model for “federated connectivity.” The message was clear: the future of fiber monetization lies in automation and partnerships that preserve provider sovereignty. With path controllers enabling plug-and-play NNI between carriers, the concept of a “fabric in a box” is moving from theory to market reality.
Access Marketing Insight:
For regional and mid-tier operators, automation is no longer optional. As cross-network orchestration evolves, the marketing story must shift from “we have fiber” to “we enable reach.” We are exploring how to help clients position themselves within larger ecosystems without losing brand control or margin.
5. Partnerships Are the New Power Play
Across sessions, collaboration kept surfacing as the theme behind every success story. Whether between fiber operators, hyperscalers or marketing and sales teams, the message was consistent: no one wins alone.
Access Marketing Insight:
Partnership is the through line of everything we do at Access Marketing. From our work aligning sales and marketing to our agency collaborations, INCOMPAS reinforced that growth happens faster when expertise is shared. We are doubling down on helping clients build co-marketing and channel strategies that scale their visibility and credibility.
The Bottom Line
INCOMPAS 2025 was not just about infrastructure. It was about alignment of networks, people and purpose. We came home energized to keep helping clients connect their marketing motion to revenue outcomes and to continue applying what we teach: clarity wins, helpfulness sells and impact always matters more than activity.
READY TO BUILD WHAT’S NEXT?
Let’s talk about how your marketing and sales strategy can evolve with the industry shifts ahead.
