Giacom recently welcomed partners to Comms Connect Live, held on 22 January 2026. Comms Connect Live was a one-day event focused on how channel partners can build greater value around connectivity and mobile with SMB customers.
Held in London, the event’s flexible and interactive format offered workshops and presentations, and a dedicated networking area remained open throughout the day, allowing partners to spend time engaging informally with Giacom teams, suppliers and industry peers. Attendees were free to move between sessions, discussions and networking based on what was most relevant to them, rather than following a fixed agenda.
An Agenda full of Practical Solutions
The day opened with a keynote from Giacom’s Chief Strategy Officer, Nathan Marke, titled “Tipping the Playing Field for MSPs”. The session explored how UK SMBs are increasingly seeking a strategic technology partner to manage their entire technology estate, and how this shift represents a £20bn growth opportunity within a wider £55bn SMB technology market. Nathan highlighted how MSPs and expert technology resellers are well positioned to increase their share of this opportunity as technology consumption continues to move towards integrated, managed and subscription-based models.
The keynote was followed by contributions from five Giacom MSP partners, who shared insight from their own growth journeys and how they are positioning themselves strategically with customers. A panel of strategic vendor partners from Vodafone Business, BT Wholesale, Sky Business Wholesale, Virgin Media O2 and CityFibre then discussed how vendors can better support MSP growth through enablement, integration and collaboration.
The afternoon agenda was structured across three parallel streams: Connectivity, Mobile, and Business Support. Sessions covered topics including the PSTN switch-off, network resilience and security, managed mobile and cellular IoT, PSA and Microsoft Cloud, alongside back-office integration and automation, and AI-driven marketing and data visualisation. Together, the streams focused on how partners can build more consistent, scalable businesses by simplifying delivery, improving customer experience and aligning services around recurring, managed models.
While the sessions addressed the real commercial and operational challenges facing the channel, the emphasis was firmly on practical solutions, showing how partners can overcome common barriers and make the most of the growing opportunities across the SMB market.
New Agreement with BT Wholesale to Distribute EE Mobile
A key highlight of the event was Giacom’s announcement of a new agreement with BT Wholesale to distribute EE Mobile through its wholesale model. This addition will enable Giacom partners to offer all three major UK networks within its wholesale portfolio, supported by significant investment in integrating BT’s APIs to deliver a more streamlined and automated ordering journey through Giacom’s Cloud Market. This approach reflects the growing demand from partners for simpler and more scalable ways to transact and manage mobile services alongside their wider managed offerings.
CityFibre also used the event to discuss the recent expansion of its business FTTP services across its nationwide footprint, which now reaches more than 4.5 million premises. The update highlighted how access to CityFibre’s residential and business postcodes through Giacom’s Cloud Market platform is opening up new opportunities for partners to serve SMBs, SoHos and home workers with high-bandwidth, business-grade fibre connectivity.
Terry O’Brien, CEO at Giacom, summed up sentiments, stating:
“Technology has become more critical to how SMBs operate, but also more complex. What we’re seeing is that customers increasingly want simplicity, predictable costs and a partner who can ensure their technology investment pays off. MSPs are forecast to grow at more than double the rate of traditional resellers and direct providers over the coming years, reflecting that shift in buying behaviour. Our focus is on helping partners build managed propositions around mobile, connectivity, and cloud services that meet those expectations and support long-term, sustainable growth.”
The event reinforced the role of connectivity and mobile as the foundations of any modern SMB digital business, and how, when combined with cloud-based security, resilience and management solutions, they become a core part of the IT stack.
Comms Connect Live is an example of how Giacom is supporting partners to modernise telecoms services and position them as an integral element of strategic managed service offerings.
