Pacific Telecommunications Council is among this year’s honorees for Pacific Business News’ annual Inno Fire Awards. To view the other winners, click here.

The Pacific Telecommunications Council is a global nonprofit membership organization with the goal of advancing digital infrastructure, telecommunications, and information and communication technology in the Pacific. It has more than 420 member businesses, including about 20 that are locally based. Its biggest event is an annual conference that draws in thousands of senior executives from the tech industry.

Responses from Brian Moon, CEO

What’s been your organization’s biggest accomplishment to date? Pacific Telecommunications Council was founded 46 years ago and is still headquartered in Honolulu – an amazing accomplishment for any organization, especially in Hawaii. PTC is a true made in Hawaii story. PTC is best known for its Annual Conference, and 2024 was the largest conference in the organization’s history, convening 9,000-plus executives, senior industry leaders, and academics from 80-plus nations to plan the future of digital infrastructure, also resulting in millions of dollars of business and tourism revenue to Hawaii. PTC is proud to incorporate partnerships with local organizations such as Hawaii Community Foundation, Make-A-Wish, and Special Olympics in the Annual Conference to increase awareness and support of how technology can positively impact any industry.

What about your business excites you the most right now? PTC supports the advancement of digital infrastructure, which at its core is technology, specifically telecommunications and information and communications technology. The industry is constantly evolving – now with emerging technologies such as generative AI and satellite communications.

What is one thing you think we need as a state to cultivate a robust tech and innovation sector? Technology is the great equalizer! Initiatives such as Connect Kakou, led by Gov. Josh Green and Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, ensures Hawaii has the same high-speed internet access as the Mainland, which opens opportunities in healthcare, education and employment. Hawaii should also continue to serve as a bridge to the rest of the Pacific, as it has recently with the Pacific Connect initiative with Google. The University of Hawaii’s Tech Days events are another great example of promoting career opportunities in technology to students and young adults.