Cambridge Wireless has unveiled the agenda for its International Conference 2026 in Cambridge, centred on the intersection of connectivity, artificial intelligence and network security.

Now in its 17th year, the annual conference is expected to bring together 37 speakers and more than 500 delegates from telecoms, defence, quantum computing, manufacturing and the public sector.

The programme is built around three themes: Connectivity & AI; the wider convergence of technologies beyond AI; and the security, skills and trust issues linked to infrastructure. It reflects a market in which telecoms operators, government agencies and research bodies are reassessing the role of communications networks as AI systems, automation and cyber threats become more closely intertwined.

One keynote session will be delivered by Peter Haigh, Deputy CTO at the National Cyber Security Centre. He is due to address resilience, security and the implications of AI for national infrastructure, putting cyber risk and public network protection high on the agenda.

Other sessions will examine whether operators can move beyond their traditional role as connectivity providers as AI becomes more embedded in digital systems. Speakers from the National Physical Labouratory, Telekom Srbija Group and BT will discuss whether telecoms groups can claim a larger role in the AI economy or risk becoming less central as value shifts elsewhere in the technology stack.

Security focus

Defence and security issues will also feature prominently. Experts from the Defence Science and Technology Labouratory and the Ministry of Defence will take part in a session on how AI-enabled connectivity is changing operational activity while introducing new weaknesses in contested environments.

The focus reflects a broader concern across government and industry: as communications networks become more software-driven, more autonomous and more critical to essential systems, pressure is increasing to protect them against disruption and misuse.

The programme also looks beyond telecoms infrastructure to industrial applications. Professor Mike Wilson, Chief Automation Officer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, is scheduled to discuss autonomous production and so-called dark factories, where highly connected, automated manufacturing systems run with limited human intervention.

These themes reflect a wider trend in advanced industry, where digital communications, robotics and AI are becoming more tightly integrated into factory operations. For manufacturers, the promise is greater efficiency and round-the-clock output, but the shift also raises questions about resilience, workforce skills and operational control.

Start-up role

Innovation from smaller companies will have a dedicated place in the programme. Simon Fabri, Director of Product and Engineering at His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre, will chair a session on innovation and entrepreneurship focused on founders and technical leaders working on emerging communications technologies.

The conference will also include a Start-Up Zone featuring 12 early-stage companies. The dedicated space positions young businesses alongside established telecoms groups, research organisations and public sector bodies in discussions about the sector’s direction.

Quantum networking is another area set for scrutiny. Representatives from IBM and IQM Quantum Computers are due to discuss the practical implications of the quantum internet, including its significance for security, infrastructure and international competition.

The subject has drawn increasing attention from governments and technology groups because of its potential implications for secure communications and long-term computing strategy. At the same time, debate continues over how quickly quantum networking can move from research to widespread use, and whether expectations are outpacing commercial reality.

The closing part of the conference will turn to what organisers describe as systemic autonomy. In a fireside chat, Daniel Doll-Steinberg, co-founder of Edenbase, is expected to consider the frameworks needed for increasingly intelligent networks and automated systems.

The speaker line-up and session topics point to an effort to bring policy, research and commercial questions together in one forum. Rather than focusing on a single branch of the communications market, the event ranges from cyber security and military use cases to industrial automation, entrepreneurship and quantum computing.

Michaela Eschbach, CEO of Cambridge Wireless, said: “CWIC 2026 arrives at a moment when the role of connectivity is being fundamentally redefined. Connectivity is no longer just infrastructure; it is the foundation of intelligence on which AI, automation and next-generation technologies depend.

“This year’s conference brings together leaders who understand that the future lies not in isolated technologies, but in their convergence, and they will provide strategic clarity and practical insight into what comes next.”

The transformation of the Warneford Hospital site in Headington has been given the green light by Oxford City Council at its planning committee on Tuesday, April 21.

Plans to develop the site were submitted last summer to build a brand-new mental health hospital to replace the current 200-year-old hospital, which is no longer deemed fit for modern services.

A computer-generated image of Warneford Park (Image: Cityscape Digital for Eric Parry Architects)

However, permission is not officially issues yet until the details of the S106 agreement and conditions are agreed with the council.

Other changes, delegated to David Butler, director planning and regulation at Oxford City Council, include amending plans to show a revised pedestrian from the north gate.

The plans, developed in partnership with the University of Oxford and a local benefactor, were drawn-up by a team led by Eric Parry Architects.

The new hospital will prioritise modern inpatient care with therapeutic spaces designed to connect patients with nature and promote wellbeing.

This will support community mental health services across Oxfordshire and beyond.

A computer-generated image of Warneford Park (Image: Cityscape Digital for Eric Parry Architects)

A world-class research facility will aim to tackle brain and mental health issues by discovering new forms of treatment and therapies.

The existing historic Grade II listed Warneford Hospital building will be converted into a postgraduate college, the first in Headington.

In addition, a vitalised landscape will create a fresh environment for healthcare, medical research and education.

A computer-generated image of Warneford Park (Image: Cityscape Digital for Eric Parry Architects)

Bringing together science and clinical care on one site could see the benefits from mental health research translated into clinical practice.

READ MORE: Plans for one of the largest data centres in UK near M40

State-of-the-art facilities are said to attract top-class specialists, graduate students and post-doctoral researchers who will enrich research and innovation, who will focus on preventing, diagnosing and treating mental illness early.

A computer-generated image of Warneford Park (Image: Cityscape Digital for Eric Parry Architects)

Last year, Dr Karl Marlowe, consultant psychiatrist and chief medical officer at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, said the transformation would create a “nationally important” centre for mental health care and research.

He said: “Hospital patients will benefit from the latest research in a therapeutic environment, whilst researchers will gain real-world insight from clinical practice and graduate students will learn in an authentic and integrated medical research campus.”

The planning decision marks a milestone for the project.

Subject to funding and further detailed design work, construction could begin as early as 2028.

Recorded data breaches across 78 of England’s largest local councils rose 53% over five years, according to research by password management company Passpack. Referrals to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for the most serious incidents increased 41% over the same period.

The study drew on Freedom of Information responses from 78 of 100 councils contacted, covering 2021 to 2025. In the most recent reporting year supplied by each authority, the councils logged 16,902 incidents on internal breach registers and made 305 referrals to the ICO.

The figures cover a wide range of incidents, from emails sent to the wrong recipient to breaches serious enough to require notification to the regulator. Under UK GDPR, organisations must report a breach to the ICO within 72 hours if it is likely to pose a risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms.

Across the dataset, the ratio of internal incidents to ICO referrals was about 50 to one. This suggests most logged events were minor, but the rise in referrals points to an increase in incidents councils judged serious enough to have potential consequences for residents.

Largest rises

Among authorities with data for the full period, Wiltshire Council recorded the sharpest increase in internally logged incidents, up 601% from 341 in 2021 to 2,391 in 2025. Gateshead Council followed with a 302% increase, while the London Borough of Greenwich rose 215% and Salford City Council 191%.

Wiltshire also recorded the highest total number of incidents in the latest year covered, ahead of Bristol City Council with 721, Wakefield Council with 607, Sheffield City Council with 574 and Manchester City Council with 533.

Bristol recorded the highest number of ICO referrals in its latest reporting year, with 21. Cumberland Council and Cornwall Council each recorded 16, followed by Shropshire Council with 15 and the London Borough of Enfield with 14.

Council responses

Several councils said the figures reflected stronger internal reporting rather than a direct rise in damaging breaches or cyber attacks. Some also stressed the distinction between data-handling incidents and cyber security events.

A Manchester City Council spokesperson said the FOI data covered all types of potential data incidents, including near misses, cases where no data was lost and incidents flagged by other organisations that may have affected the council.

They said such incidents would not necessarily qualify as data breaches, and many did not involve personal data breaches. Many were low-level data-handling issues and did not involve unauthorised system access, malware or external threat actors, but were still reported internally as good practice.

The spokesperson added that annual mandatory GDPR training had improved staff understanding of good data practice and reporting responsibilities. Greater awareness, clearer reporting routes and better detection mechanisms meant issues that might previously have gone unreported were now being logged and managed appropriately.

Manchester also said cyber security and data protection were treated as separate risk areas, and that combining the two would give a misleading impression of its cyber security position. It said there had been no material cyber security incidents affecting core systems or resulting in the loss of personal data, and that a higher number of reported data protection incidents reflected stronger organisational maturity and a more open reporting culture, rather than weaker cyber security controls.

Bristol, which recorded the most ICO referrals, said it encouraged staff to report all suspected incidents, however minor, so they could be investigated and used to improve controls.

Wakefield Council, one of the authorities with the highest internal incident totals, said the figures included minor, non-reportable events and that no cyber attacks had resulted in a personal data breach during the period covered.

Wiltshire Council said its high totals reflected a broad reporting culture that included near misses and incidents identified through data loss prevention tools introduced through Microsoft 365. It added that none of the breaches it had reported to the ICO over the past five years had resulted in enforcement action.

Broader pressure

The findings come as local government faces sustained scrutiny over cyber resilience and data protection practices. Councils hold large volumes of residents’ personal information, including housing, social care, education and benefits data, while many operate under financial pressure.

Several major incidents have affected councils in recent years. Leicester City Council suffered a ransomware attack that disrupted IT systems and phone lines for weeks, while an attack on housing software supplier Locata affected housing websites used by Manchester, Salford and Bolton councils. Following a 2020 ransomware attack, Hackney Council spent more than GBP £12 million in a single financial year on recovery.

The research also noted the lack of a consistent national approach to how local authorities detect, classify and record data incidents. That makes direct comparisons difficult, particularly when one authority logs near misses and another records only confirmed breaches.

The London Borough of Bexley said the increase in reported data breaches should be seen in the context of a more open and mature reporting culture. It said staff had been encouraged to report all actual and potential data breaches, however minor, so they could be investigated, lessons learned and controls improved.

Bexley added that while the overall number of internally reported breaches had increased, the number requiring notification to the ICO had remained broadly consistent. In its view, that suggests the rise was driven mainly by better internal reporting of lower-level incidents rather than an increase in serious breaches, and reflected greater awareness of the importance of data protection across the organisation.