Closed doors.
Open debate.
Shared insights.
A private forum for discussing the strategic challenges shaping the digital landscape and helping inform the decisions of tomorrow.
As part of Salotto 2026, Salotto Think Tank is a new format designed to bring together key players from across the digital ecosystem to explore the issues reshaping the sector, its infrastructure and its future development.
As technological change, market dynamics and policy decisions become increasingly interconnected, bringing together different areas of expertise and experience is essential to understanding the challenges ahead and identifying new opportunities for Italy.
Salotto Think Tank aims to create a dedicated space for informed, direct and open discussion, bringing together leading figures from telecommunications, digital infrastructure, cloud computing, data centres, public institutions and the business community to address the issues that matter most to the future of the digital sector.
Open debate, behind closed doors
The format consists of roundtable discussions, each dedicated to a specific strategic issue. Meetings are held behind closed doors to encourage frank, constructive dialogue, bring different perspectives to the table and allow participants to explore even the most complex aspects of the topics under discussion.
Each roundtable is guided by a moderator who facilitates the conversation and encourages the exchange of ideas. The aim is not to seek ready-made answers, but to bring forward insights, experiences and perspectives that can enrich the debate and help build a shared understanding of priorities.
The confidential nature of the discussions is complemented by editorial coverage of the key takeaways. The most significant contributions will be captured and explored in editorial features produced with the support of Corriere delle Comunicazioni, media partner of Salotto 2026.
A CorCom journalist will attend each session to follow the discussion and gather the main insights for editorial coverage. This will allow the ideas emerging from the roundtables to contribute to the wider debate on the future of the sector beyond the event itself.
The 2026 topics
The 2026 edition is structured around four roundtables, each dedicated to an issue that closely concerns the future of the European digital ecosystem.
Submarine Cables: The Invisible Infrastructure of the Global Internet
Submarine cables are an essential component of international connectivity. The roundtable will address issues related to the resilience and security of this infrastructure, also considering the geopolitical dimension of new digital routes. At the heart of the discussion: the role of the Mediterranean and the opportunities for Italy to strengthen its position in the links between Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Data Centres: Growth, Energy and Infrastructure
Demand for computing capacity is growing alongside cloud services and artificial intelligence, making data centres increasingly central to the digital economy. This roundtable will examine the conditions needed to support the growth of Italy’s data centre market, from access to energy and land availability to permitting timelines. It will also look at competition for investment and the changing geography of data centres across Europe.
IPv6 Act: Accelerating IPv6 Adoption Across Europe
The adoption of IPv6 is an important step in supporting the continued evolution of the Internet and meeting the growing needs of digital services. Across Europe, however, adoption remains uneven, with Italy still lagging behind some of the more advanced countries. This roundtable will examine the current situation in Italy and the barriers slowing the transition, drawing comparisons with successful experiences in other European countries. The aim is to identify ways to accelerate IPv6 adoption and explore how operators, businesses and institutions can help drive its wider deployment.
Digital Sovereignty: Strengthening Europe’s Strategic Autonomy
Europe’s ability to shape its own digital future is at the heart of the debate on infrastructure, technology and skills. This discussion will examine the conditions needed to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy and competitiveness, at a time when technological choices are having an increasingly significant impact on the economy and industrial development.
