The Things Conference: Seven Wireless Alliances, One CRA Deadline: What The Program Reveals About IoT in 2026
Dennis Knake
Posted On 21st September 2026
On 22 and 23 September, seven competing wireless alliances share one stage in Amsterdam, and three consecutive panels deal with the Cyber Resilience Act, whose reporting obligations took effect on 11 September.
- The Things Conference takes place on 22 and 23 September 2026 at the Kromhouthal in Amsterdam; organiser The Things Industries expects more than 2,000 attendees from over 80 countries.
- Seven wireless alliances – among them Bluetooth SIG, Wi-Fi Alliance, LoRa Alliance and Z-Wave Alliance – appear together on a single panel instead of promoting their technology separately, as is usually the case.
- Several sessions address the Cyber Resilience Act, whose reporting obligations for manufacturers of connected products have applied since 11 September 2026.
Why are seven wireless alliances sharing one stage?
Immediately after Tuesday morning’s opening keynote comes a panel titled „Wireless IoT Standards: State of the Union“. Representatives of DECT Forum, Connectivity Standards Alliance, Thread Group, Bluetooth SIG, Wi-Fi Alliance, LoRa Alliance and Z-Wave Alliance will take part; the session description calls this line-up a first. In its announcement, the organiser describes the shift behind it: away from the question of which protocol wins, towards the question of how they work together reliably. This year’s motto, „Put Your Demo Where Your Mouth Is”, points the same way – working demonstrations instead of roadmap slides. Whether the panel delivers on that remains to be seen. This overview reads the program; it is not a report from the floor.
What does the CRA deadline mean for device makers?
On the second day, the Forum Two stage runs three panels back to back: reporting obligations, responsibilities in conformity assessment, and the software bill of materials – the inventory of every software component built into a product. A keynote on liability questions around open-source building blocks comes before them; afterwards, Philips sets out its own implementation approach. The timing is no accident. Since 11 September 2026, manufacturers have had to report actively exploited vulnerabilities and severe incidents through a single platform operated by the EU cybersecurity agency ENISA. The remaining obligations, including CE marking, apply from 11 December 2027 under Regulation (EU) 2024/2847, which covers any manufacturer placing products on the EU market, wherever the company is based. An industry that treated compliance as a side topic for years is now giving it stage time.
How serious is satellite connectivity by now?
At least six sessions in the program deal with non-terrestrial networks (NTN), meaning devices connecting directly to satellites. Lacuna Space argues against the hype around 5G NTN and in favour of standardised satellite LoRaWAN; Skylo positions satellite links as backhaul for LoRaWAN gateways with no fibre or cellular connection nearby; OQ Technology presents itself, by its own account, as a European operator holding a German licence. Hubble Network shows how unmodified Bluetooth chips transmit straight to satellites. Deutsche Telekom is present too: Christian Schwalbe, CEO of Deutsche Telekom IoT, gives a keynote on Tuesday afternoon, and two colleagues run a workshop on SIM-free satellite connectivity.
Where does the industry contradict itself?
The most candid item on the program comes on Wednesday morning. Lyubomir Yanchev, CEO of device maker MClimate, explains under the title „The Energy Harvesting Paradox” why his company now ships two solar-powered sensors with AA batteries already inside – at the same price. Field data showed that devices in dark installation spots or on long transport routes were slowly dying rather than delivering on the promise of maintenance-free operation. A manufacturer publicly walking back a marketing claim is a rarity at an industry conference.
Conclusion
Read the program as an industry barometer and it points to no new leading technology, but to three sober movements: wireless standards seeking coexistence rather than victory, regulation turning into a product feature, and connectivity no longer stopping at the edge of cellular coverage. Whether the demos live up to the motto shows from Tuesday. Tickets are still available, and free for qualifying buyers.
The 9th edition of The Things Conference runs on 22 and 23 September 2026 at the Kromhouthal in Amsterdam, Gedempt Hamerkanaal 231. The organiser is the Dutch company The Things Industries. Tickets and the full program are available on the official conference site.
No. LoRaWAN remains a focus, but the 2026 program also covers Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi HaLow, Thread, Matter, Z-Wave, DECT NR+, cellular IoT and satellite connectivity. Edge AI, energy harvesting and regulation are on the agenda as well.
Since 11 September 2026, manufacturers of products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities and severe security incidents to the competent authorities. Reports go through a single platform run by the EU agency ENISA. The full product requirements, including conformity assessment, only apply from 11 December 2027.
NTN stands for non-terrestrial network and describes radio links via satellites instead of cell towers. Since 3GPP Release 17, standard cellular protocols can be used for this, so IoT devices can work without dedicated satellite hardware. Typical applications are agriculture, maritime operations and asset monitoring beyond cellular coverage.
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