An Invitation to Media Coverage: The Future Begins in the South – Communications Ministry to Hold a National Innovation Conference in the Field of Advanced Communications Infrastructure in Sderot – A Growth Engine for the Western Negev and the State of Is

Communications Minister Dr. Shlomo Karhi: “Innovation is an engine for economic growth, strengthening security and improving the quality of life of every citizen in Israel. A combination of innovation, advanced communication infrastructures and smart regulation will place Israel at the global forefront of the world of communications. The choice of Sderot to hold the conference is not a coincidence. The area, which is located in the heart of the Resurrection Region, has experienced firsthand the challenges of communications in emergency situations. Here, where national resilience is tested every day, we present our vision for the future: advanced, reliable and safe communications – a growth engine for the Western Negev and for the State of Israel as a whole.”  

Communications Ministry Director General Elad Mekdasi: “Advanced communication infrastructures are the foundation for a wide range of applications, starting with high-quality telemedicine and online learning to smart city services and advanced warning and defense systems. The conference in Sderot brings together all the main players from industry, government and defense, and connects urgent challenges with the most innovative solutions. Our goal is to ensure that this connection will be realized and bring the news of the digital revolution to every corner of Israel, first and foremost here – to the region of resurrection.” 
 
The “Leading in Communications” conference will be held on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at the initiative of Communications Minister Dr. Shlomo Karhi. The conference will be attended by senior executives in the Israeli communications market, executives from Israeli and international technology companies, representatives of local authorities, ambassadors, economic attaches, and decision makers from the government. 
The conference will deal with the future of communications infrastructure in Israel and will combine the presentation of technological innovation with a strategic discourse on the future of the communications market and the initiation of multi-sectoral collaborations. 
The conference will discuss the most pressing issues in the field of communications, including: creating a regulatory environment that encourages innovation, emergency systems in the age of advanced communications infrastructures, promoting advanced services at the local level, with an emphasis on peripheral areas, integration of unmanned technologies in urban infrastructure, and more. 
In addition, the conference will include a professional dialogue with senior figures in the field, strategic discussions on the future of the communications market in Israel, lectures by innovation leaders and a series of roundtables with the aim of promoting a regional technological ecosystem led by the Communications Ministry in partnership with security organizations, regulators, the government, academia and local authorities. 
As part of the conference, an innovation exhibition will be presented, in which 28 communications and technology companies will display a variety of advanced developments and applications that are based on 5G infrastructures, fiber optics, private networks, satellite communications, millimeter waves, Artificial Intelligence applications, cyber services and more, as well as innovative developments in the field of communications infrastructure.