The organisations finding new opportunities today are those building partnerships across sectors, combining expertise, technologies and audiences in new ways. That's exactly what makes MWC Barcelona unique. 

More than 105,000 attendees from 207 countries and territories come together at MWC, creating one of the world's most influential gatherings of business leaders, technology innovators, policy makers, founders and investors.  

For telecoms companies, it remains the industry's most important annual meeting point, with more than 90% of global telco groups represented. But increasingly, MWC is where connectivity intersects with every sector being transformed by technology. In fact, 58% of attendees now come from industries beyond the core mobile ecosystem.  

That means operators, vendors and technology providers can meet decision makers from healthcare, finance, manufacturing, retail, automotive, aviation and many other industries, all in one place.  

Find out more about sponsoring or exhibiting at this year’s event. 

Where industries converge 

Connectivity is now critical to almost every sector. Businesses are exploring how AI, 5G, cloud, IoT, cybersecurity and satellite technologies can help them become more efficient, innovative and competitive. These shared priorities create opportunities for collaboration. 

At MWC, conversations happen between organisations that might never otherwise meet. A manufacturer looking to digitise operations can connect with network providers. A healthcare organisation can explore new AI-enabled services. A fintech company can identify partners that help scale new customer experiences.  

This cross-sector convergence is one of MWC's greatest strengths. It gives attendees access not only to their existing ecosystem, but also to entirely new markets, customers and partnership opportunities. 

“MWC has an intensity and compactness that only exists here, in Barcelona.  Nowhere else offers the same access to our clients and ecosystems in one place. We rarely go to another show where we do as much in such a short space of time.   

We know the telco industry is not just telco, it's the bridge into tech. We have automotive clients here, we have government clients here, we have financial services clients here. MWC is an industry melting pot with telco at its heart." 

Amanda Steimberg 
Global Industry Leader, Brand Marketing and Communications, EY 

Meet the people who make the decisions 

The value of networking depends on who is in the room. 

At MWC, almost 45% of attendees are director level or above, while 17% are C-suite executives. These are the people shaping strategy, approving investments and driving transformation across their organisations.  

For attendees, that means fewer barriers and faster progress. Meetings that might normally take months to arrange can happen face-to-face over four days in Barcelona. Whether you're seeking customers, strategic partners or investors, the people with the authority to act are there.  

Designed to create meaningful connections 

MWC is more than a large event. It's built to help people find the right connections. 

Alongside networking hubs, attendees can use the MWC Series App, MWC Connect, roundtables, executive lounges, curated networking and targeted industry programmes to identify and engage with relevant contacts before, during and after the event.  

The impact is clear. More than 86% of attendees reported finding the valuable business contacts they were seeking. During MWC26 alone, attendees exchanged over 625,000 messages through the event app and arranged approximately 15,000 meetings. 

One event. Unlimited opportunities. 

Every attendee arrives with different objectives, but the outcome is often the same: new conversations that lead to new opportunities.  

Whether you're a telecoms leader looking for growth beyond traditional markets or a vertical industry organisation seeking technology partners, MWC brings together the people, industries and ideas that can accelerate your next move.  

Because the partnership that transforms your business is rarely found by staying in your own lane. It's found when worlds connect. And nowhere does that happen better than MWC Barcelona. 

*All statistics are taken from our 2026 audience analysis. To access the full report simply fill out the form at the link below.

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The most significant trend on display was the deepening fusion of AI and mobile infrastructure. This is no longer a story about faster downloads. Our research shows that China currently accounts for over 40% of global 5G connections, with 1.7 billion 5G connections by 2030. That density is precisely what makes AI viable at scale. Add to this the arrival of 5G-Advanced, early 6G research, robotics and the emerging low altitude economy, and it becomes clear that networks are evolving into intelligent platforms rather than passive pipes.

China's role in accelerating this shift cannot be overstated. Mobile is expected to contribute around two trillion dollars to the Chinese economy, and initiatives such as the Mobile AI Innovation Initiative, launched with China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, demonstrate a national capacity to integrate AI directly into network architecture. The scale of ambition, and the speed of deployment, sets a benchmark that the rest of the world is watching closely.

This is where Europe must be honest with itself. The continent possesses world class research, talent and regulatory sophistication, yet fragmentation and slower investment cycles risk leaving us a step behind in adoption. The lesson from Shanghai is not that Europe should imitate China, but that it must play to its own strengths: open standards, interoperability, multi-vendor ecosystems and a values driven approach to responsible AI. These are competitive advantages, provided we translate them into action rather than caution.

Barcelona sits at the heart of that opportunity. I expect that the trends unveiled in Shanghai will also be at the heart of the conversations at MWC27 Barcelona. Over two decades, Barcelona has grown from a largely local tech scene into one of Europe's leading innovation hubs, home to international founders, global talent and multinational research centres such as the Barcelona SuperComputing Center. 

Barcelona is already leading as Southern Europe's technology and innovation hub, and it does so with a distinctive blend of openness, culture and ambition. Each year, the full connectivity ecosystem convenes in the city at MWC Barcelona and across events and initiatives like Talent Arena, 4YFN, and CircuitX – all of which are examples of how the city is at the forefront of global business and technology, with a global impact that lasts well beyond a single week. 

Each MWC convenes, in, one place, the global industry leaders, startups, investors and policymakers needed to drive the next wave of digital transformation. International events like MWC matter because they help us anticipate the future rather than merely react to it. I’m looking forward to seeing how the innovation we’ve glimpsed at MWC26 Shanghai will evolve for MWC27 Barcelona. 

And, if Europe seizes the moment, while Barcelona continues its trajectory, the region is well placed to shape, rather than follow, the unfolding intelligent era.

Since its first edition in Barcelona in 2006, MWC has generated a total economic contribution of €7.5 billion and created 187,000 part-time jobs, demonstrating the city’s position as one of Europe’s leading technology and innovation hubs. This year’s edition welcomed nearly 105,000 attendees from 207 countries and territories to Barcelona, across four days that brought together the brilliant people and bold ideas shaping the future of global connectivity. 

MWC26 Barcelona in numbers: 

• €588 million in economic contribution (up from €561 million in 2025), and 14,016 part-time jobs created (up from 13,000 in 2025) 
• Nearly 105,000 attendees from 207 countries and territories 
• 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors and partners 
• Over 1,700 speakers and thought leaders, including 40% C-level speakers and 35% female speakers 
• The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened 188 delegations, 45 intergovernmental organisations, 54 ministers and 118 heads of regulatory authorities 
• 58% of attendees representing industries adjacent to the core mobile ecosystem 
• 17% C-suite attendees; 45% director level and above; 27% female attendees 
• Nearly 2,600 journalists and industry analysts from around the world 
• 4YFN welcomed over 300 speakers and 1,000 exhibitors from leading corporations and exciting start-ups, alongside hundreds of investors with collective funds totalling €70 billion 
• Separately, Talent Arena, organised by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and co-located with MWC26 at Fira Montjuïc, welcomed over 25,000 attendees.

John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd., said: “Twenty years ago, MWC came to Barcelona with an exciting vision: to bring the world together around connectivity and what it can achieve for industry and society. Two decades on, that vision has grown into something neither we nor the city could have imagined. The scale of what we’ve built, from the global community and wonderful people of Barcelona to the city itself, is truly special. I want to personally thank our partners in Barcelona and the Catalan government for the warmth and commitment they bring to this partnership year after year. MWC belongs to all of us, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we continue to achieve together.” 

A year-round public-private partnership  

The partnerships, programmes and investment that have grown over the two decades of MWC in Barcelona have also played a defining role in transforming the city into one of the world’s most vibrant and innovative technology centres in the world. 

mSchools, run in partnership with Mobile World Capital, the Catalan Department of Education and the City Council of Barcelona, brings together teachers, researchers and policymakers from around the world with a shared commitment to putting digital skills at the heart of education. The public-private partnership has seen the programme reach 530,000 students, 18,600 teachers and over 3,500 schools. 

Meanwhile, the MWC Donation Room, an annual initiative delivered through collaboration between the GSMA, Barcelona City Council and L’Hospitalet City Council, with the support of the Barcelona Tourism Consortium and Formació i Treball, recovered nine tonnes of materials and furniture from this year’s MWC, redistributing them to 35 beneficiary organisations across both cities for use in social, cultural and community projects. Their reuse will prevent an estimated emission of 8,873 kilograms of CO₂. 

Report methodology 

The economic impact of MWC is calculated through a comprehensive model, validated by independent experts, that accounts for direct, indirect, and induced contributions. The numbers were built using independent ex-post assessment of MWC26 Barcelona, modelled on observed event data using the IDESCAT input-output framework. These include visitor spending, job creation, and increased government revenue.   

-ENDS- 

About GSMA  

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts  

GSMA Press Office pressoffice@gsma.com   

Building on its long-term commitment to human-centric AI, HONOR offered a preview of Robot Phone, a bold exploration of embodied intelligence and a new species of smartphone that reimagines how future AI devices could integrate motion and spatial awareness.

HONOR also unveiled Magic V6, the pinnacle of its foldable innovation, bringing breakthrough silicon-carbon battery technology, advanced display engineering, and AI-enhanced productivity to the users. Complemented by the debut of new ecosystem devices—the HONOR MagicPad 4 and MagicBook Pro 14—these announcements underscore HONOR’s strategic roadmap to seamlessly integrate intelligent hardware and software around genuine human needs, advancing its vision of human-centric AI.

James Li, CEO of HONOR, said: “With Human-centric as our lighthouse, we navigate the growth of AI through the two beams of IQ and EQ, bringing three forms of intelligence together. We are exploring the new paradigm of AI devices with Alpha Phone; hosting the new paradigm of AI ecosystem with Alpha Store; and building the new paradigm of a silicon-carbon civilization with Alpha Lab. With three waves of the Alpha Plan, we now have all the components in place and we are driving this journey at full warp speed.”

HONOR Takes Center Stage at MWC, Illustrating AHI Vision with Robot Phone 

On March 4, James Li delivered a forward-looking keynote that outlined how AI can enhance human potential, as HONOR takes the center stage at MWC for the first time.

“We believe the essence of AI must remain human-centric,” said James Li,“Our goal is to give intelligence both IQ and EQ, the power to solve, and the soul to understand. It will help us navigate a fast-changing world, so we can live each moment with joy, love, and wisdom. This is what Augmented Human Intelligence (AHI) vision looks like. This is what we believe at HONOR.”

HONOR's Robot Phone is the best showcase of HONOR's AHI vision, which places humanity at the center of the AI revolution, advocating for technology that seeks to enhance, not replace, human potential and creativity.

Robot Phone is a new species of smartphone, combining embodied AI interaction with robot-grade motion and cinematic imaging capabilities. Rather than reacting solely through screens and voice commands, HONOR is, figuratively, giving its next generation of devices not only a brain, but also hands and feet, combining AI with more physical, expressive interaction through motion and camera movement. 

Packing a robot into a smartphone required rethinking space, strength, and weight at a microscopic level, HONOR Robot Phone features a self-developed micro motor designed for extreme compactness and strength. By significantly reducing motor size, HONOR was able to fit an ultra-compact 4DoF gimbal system into the phone, creating the hardware foundation for robot-grade embodied motion control.

To bring cinematic standards and professional workflows into mobile imaging, HONOR and ARRI announced strategic technical collaboration, which reflects a shared ambition to unlock new creative possibilities, enabling creators to craft stories with greater authenticity and emotional depth. The first results of this collaboration will debut in the upcoming HONOR Robot Phone later this year. 

HONOR Received a GLOMO Award for Battery Technology, While Magic V6 Sets Benchmark for Foldable Phones 

At MWC 2026, HONOR was awarded the "Best Disruptive Device Innovation" for the implementation and commercialisation of silicon carbon battery technology by Global Mobile (GLOMO).

This innovation empowers HONOR Magic V6 to achieve an industry-first silicon content of 25%. Made possible by partnering with ATL, Magic V6 gets HONOR’s fifth-generation silicon-carbon material, addressing the challenge of balancing slimness and high energy density. The result is a 6,660mAh battery housed in one of the thinnest foldables on the market, redefining expectations for endurance in the category without compromising design.

At MWC 2026, HONOR also demonstrated next-generation battery innovation with the all-new HONOR Silicon-carbon Blade Battery, featuring 32% silicon content and 985 Wh/L. Designed to enable foldables to enter the 7000mAh era, it signals a further leap in ultra-thin, ultra-high energy battery technology.

Beyond the powerful endurance, Magic V6 is engineered for long-term reliability, combining an ultra-thin 8.75mm1 closed profile with reinforced structural integrity and advanced hinge architecture. The device is rated IP68 and IP692 for water and dust resistance, reinforcing its resilience in everyday environments. 

Extending its AI-powered portfolio beyond smartphones, HONOR also introduced MagicPad 4 and MagicBook Pro 14 to its flagship ecosystem, unveiled its first humanoid robot, signaling a broader strategic move to leverage its expertise in mobile technology to create consumer-grade robots at MWC 2026.

HONOR earned widespread recognition from leading media outlets, winning over 70 media awards across its Augmented Human Intelligence vision, robotics innovation, flagship foldables and expanding AI device ecosystem.

HONOR Calls for Open Collaboration via the AI Connect Platform

HONOR’s ALPHA PLAN marks the transformation from a smartphone maker to a global leading AI device ecosystem company, which calls on the industry to co-create an open, value-sharing ecosystem. 

The Connect AI panel reinforced the company’s commitment to work collaboratively with global partners. During the panel discussion on March 2, Fang Fei, President of Products at HONOR, was joined by Philippe Lucas, Orange Innovation Executive Vice President Partnerships, Content and Devices, for an insightful conversation about the convergence of AI, devices and connectivity.

HONOR unveiled its strategy to execute an open device ecosystem via the HONOR AI Connect Platform, which is projected to integrate more than 20,000 AI services by the end of 2026:“At HONOR, we believe 'walled gardens' should be a thing of the past,” said Fang Fei.

Centered around the theme of “breaking walls,” HONOR underlined its commitment to working collaboratively with partners like Orange to expand into new hardware categories including education, smart home, audio products, pets, and toys. 

From embodied AI exploration to flagship foldable engineering and AI-powered productivity, each announcement reflects deeper integration of intelligence across hardware and software, demonstrating how HONOR is extending AHI across both digital and physical experiences.

During his keynote on the center stage at MWC 2026, James Li also issued an open invitation for collaboration across the industry to create an AI device ecosystem. "We aspire to be a cool company, teaming up with the coolest minds. Together, for a cool future of AI!" he said.

About HONOR 

HONOR is a global leading AI device ecosystem company. It is committed to revolutionizing human-to-device interactions to bridge the AI ecosystem with all consumers in the agentic AI era and beyond. 

For two decades, telecom operators engineered networks to do one thing exceptionally well: move bits with extreme reliability. That operating model was built for scarcity — scarce spectrum, scarce interoperability, scarce coverage — and it worked.

But the economics shifted. Network traffic continues to rise, while pricing power remains constrained in many mature markets. Ericsson reports total monthly global mobile network data traffic reached 188 exabytes in Q3 2025, growing 20% year-over-year (Q3 2024 to Q3 2025), and expects video to represent 76% of mobile data traffic by the end of 2025. Connect Europe (ETNO) notes EU telecom retail revenues grew only 0.7% in 2021 and 2.1% in 2022 — increases more than offset by inflation in those years.

That divergence is the strategic wedge: demand keeps compounding, but value capture keeps moving up the stack.

At MWC 2026, the central theme of many conversations was intelligent infrastructure. I joined an executive roundtable on “Connected Intelligence: Building the Intelligent Infrastructure for the AI Era,” because the next telecom wave is not primarily about moving more bits faster. It is about moving — and operationalizing — intelligence.

Why intelligence is becoming infrastructure

In a world of agentic AI, robotics, and always-on inference, intelligence behaves less like a software add-on and more like infrastructure. It must execute under latency and determinism constraints. It must respect local regulation and data residency. It must be anchored in identity, trust, and policy. And it must integrate with the physical world — devices, vehicles, sensors, and industrial systems.

That combination makes intelligence distribution look like a telecom problem, except the payload is not voice packets or internet traffic — it is decisions.

This is the conceptual leap behind an AI Opco: a network operator engineered to run intelligence as a governed, metered, and reliable operational workload, rather than as a feature bolted onto connectivity.

What telcos often underestimate is that the hardest part is not “having data.” It is combining telco data and network capabilities to create governed, consumable, and billable products that developers and enterprises can adopt at scale. In my view, that is the real purpose of intelligent infrastructure.

What intelligent infrastructure really means

If you strip away the buzzwords, intelligent infrastructure is a shift from network operations to network intelligence. It is what happens when cloud, edge, and network architectures become one coherent fabric capable of supporting AI at scale. It is the ability to orchestrate near real-time analytics and automation across hybrid environments, so the network can move from reactive operations to predictive — and then increasingly autonomous — decisioning.

In practice, it shows up as measurable operational outcomes: predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, AI-assisted capacity planning, automated provisioning, self-optimizing systems, and experience-aware service personalization. It also shows up as ecosystem convergence, with telecom’s role extending beyond connectivity into powering IoT, automotive, and enterprise ecosystems built on shared data intelligence.

A quick proof that foundations beat AI bolt-ons

One instructive parallel comes from Capita’s work modernizing contact center operations. Rather than “adding AI” on top of fragmented systems, the focus was on unifying operational data, establishing a governed source of truth, enabling near real-time analytics, and standardizing a repeatable pattern that could be deployed quickly and consistently. Ultimately, this turned what previously took weeks or months into deployments that could be stood up in days.

Why Snowflake is foundational to the AI Opco journey

Snowflake is the AI Data Cloud. For telecom leaders, this means Snowflake can be the control plane that connects network, cloud, and ecosystem data, applies AI where the data lives, and makes it practical to productize trusted network signals as intelligent infrastructure.

Here are the Snowflake capabilities that matter most for turning telcos into AI Opcos:

1. Governed data products. AI Opcos need network truth as data products with contracts — schema, lineage, access controls, privacy policies, and service levels — across RAN and core telemetry, OSS alarms, BSS entitlements and charging, device identity signals, and consent. Snowflake supports open architectures like Apache Iceberg tables, combining AI Data Cloud performance capabilities with external cloud storage you manage.
2. Consumption economics that match how intelligence is bought. Monetization shifts from gigabytes to capability consumption, including API calls, inference, dataset subscriptions, quality-on-demand reservations, and policy checks. Snowflake warehouses are billed only while running, with per-second billing after a one-minute minimum.
3. Privacy-first collaboration without data sprawl. With Secure Data Sharing, no actual data is copied or transferred between accounts. Snowflake Data Clean Rooms enable privacy-preserving collaboration where providers control what analyses are allowed. Data providers can also use privacy-enhancing techniques such as differential privacy. This is the foundation for cross-industry monetization that respects privacy without revealing personally identifiable information.
4. AI inside the governance boundary. Snowflake’s AI features are designed to operate within its security and governance perimeter, with role-based access controls and explicit customer-data handling principles. That matters in telecom, where trust and compliance are built into the product and not added on as an afterthought.
5. Distribution rails for platform scale. A platform business does not scale on bespoke integrations. Snowflake Marketplace and Native Apps allow operators to package data products, analytics applications, and decision services, and distribute them to partners and customers with far less friction than traditional project-based delivery.

The tangible path: how telcos become AI Opcos

If you want an AI Opco outcome, you must build AI Opco infrastructure. Here is the roadmap I recommend – designed to deliver monetizable products early while building toward platform scale.

Step 1: Define the AI Opco product surface that is mapped to tangible business outcomes

Start with capabilities that have clear willingness-to-pay and a defensible telco advantage. These include fraud and identity signals (SIM swap risk, number verification), location verification, quality-on-demand guarantees, network experience indices, and edge inference placement signals.

Step 2: Build a single governed network intelligence data plane and accelerate the time to extract actionable intelligence

The goal is not to create “one big data lake.” Instead, it’s to create one governance and productization plane across telemetry, OSS/BSS, identity, and consent. This includes standardized tiering (raw to curated to productized), SLAs, lineage, and purpose-limited access controls.

Step 3: Build the telecom knowledge plane and establish privacy-by-design monetization primitives

Create a repeatable, reliable and deterministic ontology-based knowledge infrastructure for AI and Agents. Build with secure sharing and clean rooms from day one. Codify anonymization and aggregation rules, allowed analyses, consent handling, and auditability so monetization scales safely.

Step 4: Build the AI factory inside the governance boundary

Operationalize feature engineering, model management, LLM workflows, monitoring, and audit so intelligence is produced continuously, not as one-off experiments.

Step 5: Create data and AI products

Turn internal analytics into external products such as mobility insights, network experience indices, device risk scores, IoT fleet health, edge suitability maps. Package them with documentation, sample queries, and “how to use this” patterns.

Step 6: Expose intelligence through APIs developers can adopt

A platform is defined by exposure. Anchor in APIs accepted widely by the industry. Standardized REST API mechanisms as well as CAMARA APIs with their Fall 2024 meta-release delivering 25 APIs (including SIM Swap, Number Verification, Edge Discovery, and Quality on Demand) could be considered. GSMA Open Gateway positions a global framework of common network APIs designed to provide developers and cloud providers with universal access to operator networks. Use Snowflake as the governed data and AI platform powering these APIs – such as risk scoring, aggregation, contextual decisioning – and run the service layer where it needs to run.

Step 7: Commercialize like a consumption business

Price per call, per event, per dataset, per inference bundle, and per SLA tier (latency class, locality class, trust tier). Align incentives to activation and retention, not one-time integration fees.

Step 8: Scale via ecosystem distribution

Shift from “selling to enterprises” to “powering ecosystems”: banks, retailers, OEMs, mobility platforms, data providers, and governments embedding telco capabilities into their products. Use privacy-safe collaboration to unlock cross-industry value without compromising trust.

The future: telcos that grow because of the intelligence they deliver

PwC projects telecom industry revenues will rise at a CAGR of only 2.9% through 2028. If operators want platform-like growth, it will come from programmable capability: trusted identity signals, quality-on-demand services, edge-aware intelligence, and governed data collaboration.

In the AI era, telcos have a choice. Remain connectivity pipes optimized for cost per bit or become AI Opcos running intelligent infrastructure, where connectivity becomes capability and the network becomes a trusted fabric for data-driven decisions. 

My conviction is that the operators who win will look more like platform companies than utilities. They will monetize “network truth” as products. They will measure growth in adoption and consumption, not only ARPU. And they will grow because of the intelligence they deliver - reliably, locally, and with telecom-grade trust. 

Snowflake is not the whole AI Opco story. Telcos will still need edge compute, orchestration, and network modernization. Snowflake serves as the AI Data Cloud foundation that makes these investments viable – without a fully managed data platform, network signals remain raw data; with it, they become governed, high-value products. It is the only environment capable of bridging privacy-preserving collaboration with secure, in-place AI, providing the essential distribution rails to transition from a traditional carrier to a scalable platform business. 

The question for telecom leaders going into 2026 is not whether AI will reshape networks. It is whether you are building the intelligent infrastructure to capture the value it creates. 

This cooperation marks a milestone for Greece’s telecommunications sector, as two providers come together to deliver Number Verification and SIM Swap APIs. Through this joint effort, COSMOTE TELEKOM and Vodafone are empowering businesses with seamless access to security solutions, unlocking new possibilities to combat fraud and safeguard online experiences.

Revolutionizing Digital Security with Joint Innovation

Developed on the CAMARA standard, Number Verify and SIM Swap APIs represent powerful tools for combating fraud and improving authentication processes.

• Number Verification: Designed to securely and automatically confirm a user’s identity during login processes, this API eliminates the need for SMS-based one-time passwords. By streamlining authentication into an automated background process, businesses can deliver a smoother user experience while reducing vulnerabilities associated with manual input methods.
• SIM Swap: Built to detect when a mobile number has been recently linked to a new SIM card, this API helps enterprises mitigate account takeover fraud —particularly for sensitive transactions in sectors like financial services. Businesses can use this tool to enhance their security protocols and ensure safer interactions with customers.

Fraud Prevention and Seamless Experiences

COSMOTE TELEKOM and Vodafone are redefining security standards in Greece’s mobile services market. By introducing these APIs, they address critical challenges such as account takeovers, authentication failures, and fraudulent activity, providing enterprises and developers with reliable tools for customer protection.

At the same time, the new services promote simplicity and interoperability, enabling digital platforms across Greece to deliver faster, safer, and frictionless user experiences. Later this year, COSMOTE TELEKOM and Vodafone will take innovation a step further with the introduction of Number Verification v2, expanding its functionality to third-party connections like WiFi and VPN, further enhancing its impact on the market.

A Unified Commitment to Market Safety and Growth

This collaboration underscores a shared vision of fostering safety and growth within Greece's mobile ecosystem, while also constitutes an innovative ecosystem that will contribute to the digital development of many applications in the future. COSMOTE TELEKOM and Vodafone exemplify how competitors can work together for the greater good of customers and enterprises alike.

Global Perspectives Through GSMA Open Gateway

This initiative aligns with the global GSMA Open Gateway, in which Greece joined at MWC26 Barcelona, a framework that unites telecommunications networks worldwide through programmable APIs. With 85 operator groups representing 300 networks, and 81% of mobile connections globally, the initiative further amplifies the value of the services launched in Greece, enabling developers to expand internationally and drive revenue opportunities beyond borders.

Industry Leaders Comment on the Collaboration: 

“This partnership reflects our dedication to creating solutions that benefit all our customers, residentials and businesses, that rely on mobile services every day. We are proud to deliver tools that redefine security, exemplify innovation and contribute to a smoother digital customer journey. At the same time, we keep on leveraging significant synergies with the TELEKOM Group, creating added value for our customers. And there are more to come in the future.”, said Lykourgos Antonopoulos, OTE Group Chief Commercial Officer Business Segment.
 

“The launch of our fraud prevention APIs in the Greek market marks an important milestone in our mission to make digital transactions safer and more resilient" said Johanna Wood, Director of Network APIs, Vodafone. "As businesses across Greece accelerate their digital transformation, the need for intelligent, real-time fraud detection has never been greater. Our APIs are designed to integrate seamlessly into existing systems, empowering organisations to prevent fraud proactively, protect customer trust, and scale with confidence in an increasingly complex threat landscape".
 

Henry Calvert, Head of Networks at GSMA, said: “ By introducing anti-fraud and verification APIs, Greece's leading operators will make it easier for banks and other online commerce sites to keep customers safe from the growing threat of digital scams. Standardised, global APIs will enable developers to accelerate the creation and commercialisation of applications across multiple markets, while delivering more secure, seamless and simple user experiences.”

The annual analyst wrap-up is one of MWC’s most anticipated sessions, and this year was no different. Peter Jarich of GSMA Intelligence hosted a sharp panel featuring Adaora Okeleke of Analysys Mason, Greg Collins of Exact Ventures, Roland Montagne of IDATE and Abi Marshall of GSMA Intelligence – each sharing their own take on the week’s defining moments. 

As you’d expect, AI dominated conversation from multiple angles: sovereign AI and the role operators play in building it, physical AI bringing robots and smart devices to life on the showfloor, and the growing importance of cross-industry collaboration.  

On the road ahead, the panel was united: the industry needs to move beyond using AI purely for cost-cutting and start proving its value on the top line. "You can't save your way to growth," said Peter.  

The good news is the tools, the ambition and the momentum are all there. 

And the winner is...  

• 4YFN: last night proved, yet again, that the 4YFN Awards judging panel has one of the toughest gigs in the industry. And it was Spanish startup Biorce, an AI platform for clinical trials, that took this year’s crown. “The quality of the startups this year is just amazing,” said Pere Duran, Director at 4YFN. “All five of them will be great teams, and we will hear a lot about them in the future.” 
   
• EQUALS in Tech: presented by Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of ITU, the EQUALS in Tech Awards celebrate organisations advancing gender equality in tech. Travelling to MWC from Palestine, an emotional Nadiah Sabaneh of FINOMENA took home the Leadership in Tech award – a goal 20 years in the making. Her rallying cry for women in tech around the world: “It's not a moment, it's a momentum.” Read the GSMA’s inclusivity report findings here, and check out the full list of winners. 
   
• GLOMOs: it was standing room only at this year’s Global Mobile (GLOMO) Awards. Earlier in the day, Samsung clinched Best in Show for its S26 Ultra, its standout feature a built-in privacy display that hides the phone’s entire screen, or specific apps, notifications, PINs, patterns and passwords. Here are all of this year’s GLOMOs winners. 

Totes amazing: MWC merchandise, ranked. 

We love a bit of free merch, but when you’ve walked round the showfloor and collected a water bottle, a giant flower, a cute plushie and a travel pillow, you need something to carry your haul in. Enter the tote.  

Which did we like best? We asked a former fashion journalist to pick her top five and list them in order of stylishness: 

1. Mediatek: translucent lurid yellow. “Surprisingly modish given its colour, solidly constructed and fits under the arm well - my clear winner.” 
2. SoftBank: minimalist, black with white graphics. “The hipsters are at MWC.”
3. LG: solid white, very capacious. “A rival for the ever-useful Ikea bag.”
4. Asterfusion: shiny silver. “Quite cool.”
5. Suse: pea green with grinning chameleon. “Cutesy, great for kids’ PE kit” 

Scams: who is the weakest link?  

This year’s SEC CON was a curious mix of light-hearted and deeply serious, from Santander’s Daniel Cuthbert urging companies to heed the advice of legendary popstar Vanilla Ice in the fight against scams (“Stop. Collaborate. And listen”), to Jio’s Karsten Nohl attempting to fool the crowd with his DeepFake video of Elon Musk.  

On a more serious note, with $2.7 billion lost through impersonation fraud in the US alone (2024), scams are a hot topic for the industry. Experts debated whether humans are the weakest link when it comes to scams, how a non-blame culture might encourage increased reporting and whether we put enough responsibility on vendors to play their part.  

For more on how the mobile industry is tackling fraud and crime, check out the GSMA’s industry-wide initiative to safeguard digital trust United Against Scams and the recently launched Mobile Security Landscape Report 2026.  

In the words of GSMA CTO, Alex Sinclair, “Fraud doesn’t know international boundaries and doesn’t recognise them. Social engineering and impersonation scams are organised, intentional and growing.” 

Phones, glorious phones   

It wouldn't be MWC without a few jaw-dropping device launches. Here's a round-up of this week’s hottest: 

• Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi: Leica's first-ever international smartphone made its global debut right here in Barcelona at the start of the week. Built on the same bones as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, its headline feature is a physical rotating Leica camera ring for manual zoom and exposure control.
• Honor Robot Phone: Honor used MWC to officially reveal two new devices, its Robot Phone and the Honor Magic V6. The Robot is a device that looks like any other modern smartphone until, quite suddenly, it doesn't, with a nifty gimbal camera that emerges from the top of the phone. 
• Motorola Razr Fold: Motorola debuted its first ever book-style foldable at MWC26, and it arrived with some serious bragging rights, boasting  screens that are brighter than any rival by a considerable margin.
• Nothing Phone (4a): officially launched today, Nothing's new budget-friendly (4a) lineup took to the MWC26 showfloor, giving people an up-close look at the full range of colourways.
• TECNO Modular Phone (concept): what if your phone could shapeshift? TECNO's concept Modular Magnetic Interconnection Technology lets you magnetically snap interchangeable modules (like camera lenses, battery packs and speakers) onto a wafer-thin 4.9mm base device.  

Quote of the day  

“There are such great prospects around sovereign AI, and I think it's going to open up a lot more discussion for the industry, particularly when we're all thinking about where the next big world opportunity will come from.” 
- Adaora Okeleke, Principal Analyst, Analysys Mason 

John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd., said: “Twenty years in Barcelona and MWC continues to surprise and surpass expectations. From the very beginning, the GSMA and host city parties shared a common vision: to build something that would matter to the world. Barcelona was the city with the infrastructure, the ecosystem, and the commitment to grow with us, and I'm particularly proud of the local impact we've had along the way. My thanks go to our partners in Barcelona, Catalonia, and Spain, to every exhibitor, speaker, attendee, and member of staff who made this week possible, and to the people of this extraordinary city for welcoming us once again.”

MWC26 Barcelona in numbers

• Nearly 105,000 attendees from 207 countries and territories
• 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors, and partners
• Over 1,700 speakers and thought leaders, including 40% C-level speakers and 35% female speakers
• The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened 188 delegations, 45 intergovernmental organisations, 54 ministers, and 118 heads of regulatory authorities
• 58% of attendees representing industries adjacent to the core mobile ecosystem
• 17% C-suite attendees; 45% director level and above
• 27% female attendees
• Nearly 2,600 journalists and industry analysts from around the world
• Over 1,300,000 views of the keynotes and live sessions on the MWC Barcelona website and social channels, MWC app, Mobile World Live and media partners’ platforms
• 4YFN, co-located with MWC26 in Hall 8, welcomed over 1,000 exhibitors from leading startups and corporations, over 300 speakers and hundreds of investors with collective funds totalling €70 billion
• Separately, Talent Arena organised by Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) and co-located with MWC26 at Fira Montjuïc, welcomed more than 25,000 attendees  

Marking his first MWC Barcelona as GSMA Director General, Vivek Badrinath said: “One week. Hundreds of stages and exhibitors. And thousands of conversations. It’s clear, the global connectivity industry has never been more energised or more purposeful. MWC26 has shown us what happens when the world's brightest minds come together around genuinely hard problems – from open and inclusive AI and realising the full potential of 5G, to keeping the world safe from the growing threat of fraud and cybercrime. I leave this week inspired by what I've seen, and more convinced than ever about the role our amazing industry plays in shaping a safer and better-connected world.”

MWC26 Barcelona signals the start of the GSMA's global event calendar, with major gatherings taking place across four continents throughout the year. 

MWC Kigali returns on 16-18 June, once again serving as Africa's most influential mid-year connectivity event. MWC Shanghai follows on 24-26 June as Asia's premier mobile gathering brings together industry leaders, innovators, and policymakers from across the region. MWC Doha will return to Qatar on 8-11 November.

The GSMA's M360 regional series offers two major events in the coming months. M360 LATAM takes place in Mexico City on 13-14 May, while M360 Eurasia makes its debut in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 20-21 May – the first time the event will be held in the historic city. M360 ASEAN will return to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 9-10 September.

All keynote sessions from MWC26 Barcelona will be available on-demand via the website, app, and Mobile World Live. News, updates, B-roll, and photography, are available on the Press Zone.

-ENDS-

A previous version of this Press Release stated that 4YFN welcomed investors with $70 billion in combined funds. This has been corrected to €70 billion.

About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office pressoffice@gsma.com  

GSMA Ltd. CEO John Hoffman and KITA Executive Vice Chairman Mr. Inho Lee formalised the partnership at a signing ceremony on Wednesday, 4 March, strengthening ties between 4YFN’s global startup ecosystem and NextRise’s dynamic startup community. 

The signing confirmed that the GSMA, the organizer of 4YFN, will promote NextRise at the next editions of 4YFN where the startup event is co-located with global editions of MWC including MWC26 Shanghai and MWC26 Doha. In turn, KITA, the organizer of NextRise, will promote 4YFN at KITA Next Rise event in Seoul.  

The partnership reflects the shared commitment of 4YFN and Next Rise to support ambitious founders seeking to scale internationally. By combining 4YFN's position as the global launchpad for startups with KITA's expertise in helping Korean enterprises expand overseas, the collaboration will create new opportunities for founders, investors, and industry leaders to connect and drive innovation. 

A platform for debate, networking and commercial opportunities, M360 LATAM’s agenda will focus on key topics including 5G use cases for growth, cybersecurity, data management, digital trust and tech talent in the age of automation. As an overarching theme, the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will run throughout the conference — from debates on AI-powered networks to explorations of innovative business models. The regional awards will be back for their third edition, now as the GLOMO LATAM Awards, celebrating the innovators and changemakers redefining Latin America. Submissions for the Social Impact category open today and will be accepted through 10 April.

In its 13th edition, the Latin American Congress on Digital Transformation (CLTD), organised by ASIET, the GSMA and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), will embrace the World Cup spirit under the tagline ‘The Digital Ecosystem in Play.’ The public policy forum will bring together public and private sector leaders to discuss the key strategies needed for the region to compete in the global digital arena and promote digital inclusion. Topics on the agenda include pro-investment regulation, satellite connectivity, spectrum management, early warning systems, industrial digitalisation and bridging the digital divide.

“This M360 LATAM takes place at a pivotal moment in Latin America’s market evolution, as the region stands at a crossroads between accelerating investment or falling behind in digital competitiveness. I look forward to engaging with industry leaders and policymakers to strengthen collaboration and unlock a more resilient, inclusive and innovation-driven future for the region,” said Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA.

To stay updated on speaker announcements and registration opening, please visit  www.m360series.com/latin-america and cltd.lat.

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

Through its engagement with the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, Rakuten Mobile is advancing its strategy to commercialize network capabilities through standardized APIs, unlocking new revenue opportunities while enabling scalable, cloud-native, and interoperable services across global mobile ecosystems. As a signatory to the MoU, Rakuten Mobile will contribute to the development of interoperable technical frameworks, harmonized API specifications, and open commercial models, reinforcing its commitment to modernizing mobile networks and fostering broader industry collaboration.

Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific, GSMA, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Rakuten Mobile to the Open Gateway initiative. Japan is one of Asia and the world’s leading digitl nations and by providing enterprise developers with easy access to rich mobile network capabilities, Rakuten can help fuel growth in new connected services, enabling a new era of mobile enabled innovation that can improve online customer experiences, protect consumers from scams and help enterprises automate workflows.”  
 

“Rakuten Mobile was built on the principles of openness, software-driven innovation and global collaboration,” said David Soldani, General Manager, Next Generation Advanced Research Department at Rakuten Mobile. “By supporting GSMA Open Gateway, we are contributing to a shared industry approach that enables developers and partners to seamlessly access network capabilities at scale, while accelerating the creation of next-generation d

Rakuten Mobile’s introduction of Network APIs marks a pivotal step in transforming its mobile network into a programmable, revenue generating platform, enabling new monetization models beyond traditional connectivity.

Through standardized and interoperable APIs, domestic and international aggregators, enterprises, and digital service providers can integrate Rakuten Mobile’s network capabilities into their platforms, supporting use cases such as on demand network quality, fraud prevention, secure authentication, identity verification, and account takeover protection, all contributing to a more secure and elevated customer experience.

“Our Network APIs are opening the door to entirely new revenue streams while elevating customer experience to unprecedented levels, empowering partners to innovate faster and monetize connectivity in smarter ways.” said Tarek Zeid, General Manager, International Business at Rakuten Mobile.

For aggregators, these capabilities can be packaged into scalable multi market solutions, simplifying integration while accelerating monetization across regions. Enterprises benefit from trusted network level capabilities that improve service reliability, strengthen security, and enable more personalized digital experiences.

Rakuten Mobile will continue to accelerate technological innovation to improve services and delivering best value to customers in Japan.

Since its launch at MWC Barcelona 2023, more than 85 operator groups, representing over 300 mobile networks and 80% of mobile connections worldwide, have joined GSMA Open Gateway, alongside the world’s leading technology companies.

About Rakuten Mobile, Inc.

Rakuten Mobile, Inc. is a Rakuten Group company responsible for mobile communications and digital services. Leveraging a fully virtualised, cloud-native mobile network, Rakuten Mobile aims to redefine the mobile industry through innovation, openness and ecosystem collaboration.

Judged by a panel of five leading investors and industry experts - AT&T Ventures, Indico Capital, Notion Capital, Samsung Next, and T.Capital - and watched by a live audience of entrepreneurs, industry professionals and government officials – Biorce from Spain took home the prestigious title and a €20,000 cash prize, courtesy of the GSMA Foundry.

Five outstanding finalists

Earlier this week, five trailblazing finalists were selected from 4YFN’s impressive Top 20 Startups, representing the very best of the global startup ecosystem across five categories: Climate Tech, Digital Horizons, Fintech, Health Tech, and Mobile Frontiers. The finalists were chosen for their potential to reshape their industry and drive real-world impact, proving that new ideas and innovations are emerging every day, from all corners of the globe:

1. Doctor Scrap (China) – transforming the global scrap industry through data, automation, and computer vision. (Climate Tech)
2. NeuralTrust (Spain) – helping companies deploy and scale generative AI safely by protecting applications and agents from misuse or data leaks. (Digital Horizons)
3. ⁠⁠Dost (Spain) – automating finance operations for growing businesses with AI-driven workflows. (Fintech)
4. Biorce (Spain) – automating clinical trial operations with AI agents that streamline planning and execution for research teams. (Health Tech)
5. ConnectHear (Pakistan) – a GSMA Innovation Fund portfolio company, creating accessible communication for deaf users through real-time sign language interpretation and AI-assisted alerts. (Mobile Frontiers)

Each finalist took to the Banco Sabadell Stage for a breathless four-minute pitch, followed by a rapid-fire Q&A from the live expert jury panel. Biorce emerged victorious to a shower of confetti, the coveted 4YFN Awards trophy, and a €20,000 cheque.

Pere Duran, Director of 4YFN, said: "Huge congratulations to Biorce on a deserved victory, and to every finalist who showcased their business models, vision, and the metrics that prove their impact. The 4YFN Awards has a strong track record of spotting and giving a platform to tomorrow’s world‑changing startups before everyone else catches on, and Biorce is going to be no different. I am sure this will be a big step forward in their journey, and in the journeys of all our worthy finalists and top 20 startups.”

4YFN: The launchpad for the world’s most ambitious startups

As the world’s leading startup platform, 4YFN is where AI disruptors, visionary investors, and corporate change-makers come together to shape the future of the global startup ecosystem. Co-located at MWC Barcelona, and this year with a new dedicated entrance, 4YFN26 brought together over 1,000 startups and exhibitors, world-class speakers, and investors representing collective funds of €70 billion, under the theme Infinite AI. You can book your place for 2027 now. 

The 4YFN journey continues beyond Barcelona. 4YFN will return to MWC Shanghai on 26 June 2026, uniting startups, investors, and corporate innovators from across the region for thought leadership sessions and live demonstrations spanning AI, 5G, and next-generation connectivity. Registration is open now.

-ENDS-

About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office pressoffice@gsma.com 

With over 30 awards across six categories and judged by a panel of more than 250 independent subject matter experts from across the globe, the GLOMOs remain the connectivity industry's most coveted accolade, honouring the very best innovations shaping our connected world – from technology breakthroughs to initiatives that deliver meaningful societal impact. 

Lara Dewar, CMO of the GSMA, said: "Over three decades in and the GLOMOs continue to set the benchmark for what true excellence looks like in our industry. The standard from this year's winners is extraordinary, with every winner tonight representing innovation and excellence with real purpose and global ambition. Being recognised on the global stage at the GLOMOs is something genuinely special and thoroughly deserved for all our winners.”

The 2026 awards shone a spotlight on both established industry powerhouses and emerging players driving the next era of intelligent, inclusive connectivity. This year’s edition introduced six new awards that reflect the industry's accelerating focus on AI, financial innovation, and digital inclusion: Best AI-Powered Network Solution, AI-Enabled Customer Experience, FinTech & Digital Commerce Innovation, Marketing for Good, Best Device <$150, and Digital Inclusion & Usage-Gap Impact.

This year also saw the long-standing D4T Award renamed to The #ChangeTheFace Award – reflecting the GSMA's recent integration of the #ChangeTheFace Alliance into its global Connectivity for Good programme, that celebrates those driving meaningful change on diversity and inclusion across the industry.

2026 GLOMO Awards winners

Chairman’s Award

Keeping the World Connected in Crisis: Presented to Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union & Kelly Clements, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees

Outstanding Achievement

Lifetime Achievement Award:  Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises 

Government Leadership Award:  Socialist Republic of Viet Nam

Mobile Tech

CTO Choice: Outstanding Mobile Technology Award:  LG Uplus for ixi Guardian, an End-to-End Security Suite for Telco’s AI Agent

Best Mobile Network Infrastructure:  Huawei for UWB AAU series with Giga Performance and Efficiency

Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough:  Cohere Technologies for Pulsone Multi-G for ISAC and NTN

Best Digital Tech Breakthrough for companies with under $100 million Annual Global Revenue:  Cumucore for Time Sensitive Network over 5G

Best Network Security and Fraud Prevention:  LG Uplus for for ixi-Guardian, an end-to-end security suite for telco’s AI Agent

Best AI‑Powered Network Solution:  China Mobile and Huawei for "AI+Network" Operation Transformation

Best Cloud Solution:  SK Telecom for SKT Haein GPU Cluster

Best NTN Solution:  China Telecom and Huawei for System Design, Key Technologies, and Scale Application of the Smartphone Direct Connection to GEO Satellite

Digital Everything

Best Mobile Operator Service for Connected Consumers: Telkomsel and Huawei for Jaringan Prioritas with Guaranteed Experience in High-Density Connectivity with UE Logo

Best Private Network Solution:  China Telecom, ZTE, AgiBot and DroidUp for EasyOn 5G-A-RobotNet: Intelligent Backbone for Humanoids

Best Mobile Innovation for Connected Health and Wellbeing: China Mobile, Huawei and Ant Group for Ubiquitous AI Health Assistant

Best AI‑Enabled Customer Experience:  e&, Amdocs and NVIDIA for Agentic-AI Customer-Experience Transformation at e&

Best FinTech & Digital Commerce Innovation:  Safaricom and Huawei for Ziidi Wealth Platform

Open Gateway Challenge:  China Mobile, China Mobile Hangyan, JD.com and ZTE for AI-Powered Open Gateway Bridging AI Systems and Network Infrastructure

Device

Best Smartphone:  Apple iPhone 17 Pro series

Disruptive Device Innovation:  Honor for the implementation and commercialisation of silicon carbon battery technology

Best Connected Consumer Device:  Garmin, Skylo and Sony Altair for Garmin fēnix® 8 Pro Multisport Smartwatches

Best Device <$150 (Entry Level):  Infinix Mobility Limited for HOT 60 Pro+

Best in Show:  Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Tech4Good

Digital Inclusion & Usage‑Gap Impact:  Dots for Inc. for DC Box Network – A Village-Scale Digital Hub Connecting the Unconnected in Rural Africa

Best Mobile Innovation supporting Emergency or Humanitarian Situations:  Metro Pacific Health Tech for mWell

Best Use of Mobile for Accessibility & Inclusion:  China Mobile and Huawei for Ubiquitous Mobile Health Assistant

Best Mobile Innovation for Climate Action:  K-water for SWNM: AI-Powered Smart Water Networks, Climate Action

Best Mobile Innovation for Enhancing the Lives of Children and Young People:  China Telecom, CSEF and Huawei for Qingjiao Plan in Lancang County

The #ChangeTheFace Award:  Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke, Founder & CEO, W4.org

Marketing Excellence

Best Event Activation:  China Telecom, R&J and ZTE for 5G-A powered concert live streaming

CMO Marketing Campaign Award:  Singtel and Hogarth Worldwide for CUBICLΣ LIFE

Marketing for Good:  LGU+ for the Integrated Marketing Campaign Empowering ixi-Guardian and ixi-O as Korea’s Leading AI Security & Call Agent Service

Regional GLOMOs announced

At the 2026 GLOMOs Awards ceremony, the GSMA also announced the launch of several new regional GLOMOs, starting with GLOMOs LATAM held in Mexico City during M360 LATAM (13-14 May 2026), with categories for Industry Champion Award and LATAM Social Impact Award.

Next is the first-ever GLOMOs Africa, taking place at MWC26 Kigali (16-18 June). For its debut year, GLOMOs Africa will honour excellence across two categories: Digital Innovation in Africa’s Real Economy and Closing the Mobile Internet Usage Gap in Africa – Innovation Award. Submissions open on 9 March 2026 and close on 30 April 2026.

And lastly, the Asia Mobile Awards (AMOs) will now become GLOMOs Asia, due to take place at MWC26 Shanghai (24-26 June 2026).

For more information about the GLOMOs, please visit: mwcbarcelona.com/mobile-awards

-ENDS-

About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office pressoffice@gsma.com 

Inclusion and diversity in the mobile industry: do we walk the talk? 

Wednesday morning kicked off with an unflinching session on inclusion and culture in the mobile industry. Gathered to discuss the launch of the GSMA’s Voice Report – a year-long survey intended to set a baseline against which to measure DE&I progress – the panel included CEO of Vodafone Intelligence, Gary Adey, APS Intelligence’s Professor John Amaechi OBE, and Sandra Healy of Inclusio. 

The results were a mixed bag, especially for gender, with Sandra highlighting, “More than one in two women reported limited career growth. Lack of recognition and appreciation is the top reason cited for considering leaving, and salary competitiveness is also a challenge.” 

In the panel discussion, John warned that trust and integrity in senior leaders is a business imperative, saying, “If you're hard to talk to, that's a risk to your business. Disclosure is earned; you must earn the right to hear from people, especially juniors.” 

The session ended with Sandra encouraging leaders to "review today's data, bring it back to their organisations, and build a business case for making culture the top focus.”  

MWC’s biggest gaming announcements 

Whether you pick up a controller for a casual session when the kids have gone to bed, or you’re a hardcore gamer with your own custom rig, there were some big announcements and cool demos on show this week. 

• Lenovo Legion Go Fold (concept): a genuinely wild-looking concept from Lenovo, the Legion Go Fold is a foldable gaming handheld with a flexible display that stretches to 11.6 inches when you need the full experience, or folds down to a more pocket-friendly 7.7 inches when you don't. Detachable controllers complete the package.
• nubia Neo 5 GT (ZTE, Hall 3): overheating mid-session is every gamer’s nightmare. nubia has decided to solve this in the most gloriously literal way possible by putting an actual fan inside the phone. The Neo 5 GT is the only device in its class with a built-in active cooling fan, paired with lightning-fast triggers, AI gaming coach and a gaming chatbot that can read and reply to your messages.
• Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5: looks like Lenovo is stealing most of the gaming headlines. Also making its debut this week at MWC, Lenovo’s new Legion Tab Gen 5 is a sleek-looking gaming slate packing a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, with a screen so ridiculously bright you could run a Fortnite session in the middle of the Sahara and still see every pixel. 

A need for speed 

There are several driving simulators dotted around the exhibition halls, including a NASCAR simulator from Surf Telecom in Hall 6 and a Formula E sim in the GSMA Pavilion in Hall 4. Or, go one step further and remotely operate a real car, as Elmo returns to MWC and the GSMA Pavilion in style after setting a new world record for the fastest remote driving speed, reaching 157km/h at the legendary F1 Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday. 

Not-so-large language models 

The AI language gap was in the spotlight on the Turing Stage as a panel of experts explored a sobering reality: of the world's 7,000 languages, fewer than 20 have high-resource AI models trained on them, meaning billions of people risk being locked out of the opportunities AI creates.  

“Not everyone reads and writes around the world,” said MeetKai’s President Peter John Alexander. “If you build this unbelievable tool that has the capability to solve a human capital crisis... but I can't use it because I can't actually physically write or read, well, what is that going to do?" 

Quote of the day 

“People and culture are not a cost to be managed. They are a growth multiplier. They shape how effectively this industry adapts, innovates, and delivers value, now and long into the future.” 
Lara Dewar, CMO, GSMA 

Travels on the showfloor 

First stop, an AI-powered Japanese city at the KDDI stand in Hall 4. Enticing attendees inside with its eye-catching flower shop, stuffed to the rafters with brightly coloured blossoms and neon lighting, you can choose a coupon linked to your favourite pastime, and enter the shop to pick up your personal bloom. The system uses video capture and AI to determine customer satisfaction and connects users with personalised retail offers. 

Over on the other side of Hall 4, we noticed Bango’s digital vending machine – a subscription bundling service connecting resellers with content providers via proprietary APIs. So far, the business has concentrated on telcos, but the technology is now being expanded out to other verticals like finance.  

And the award for the cutest tech goes to...  

Welcome to ZTE’s enormous stand with its beautiful minimalist display of cutting-edge technology. The crowds, however, were not to be found gazing at the slimline phones and slick tablets, instead they gathered round the iMoochi - ZTE’s AI pet. According to the blurb, the fuzzy little characters are a breed of ‘non-functional emotional companion’. These furry friends are intended to heal their owners’ anxiety with what can only be described as an overwhelming dose of cuteness – the audible cooing from the crowd spoke to ZTE’s success. 

Barcelona, 4 March 2026. – Talent Arena 2026, the event promoted by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and co-located with MWC Barcelona and 4YFN, closed its second edition with 25.000 visitors, a 25% more than last year, of whom 9.000 also attended the XPRO Zone, a cross-cutting space specifically designed for highly qualified professional profiles, offering advanced content, technical workshops and exclusive networking sessions.

With these figures, Talent Arena consolidates its position as Europe’s leading meeting point for digital talent and reinforces Barcelona’s role as an international capital of digital talent.

From 2 to 4 March, Talent Arena became the space where global technology leaders, professionals, developers, students, companies and tech communities connected, learned and explored new opportunities within the European digital ecosystem. The event brought together more than 25.000 visitors from 141 countries, with a 27% of international public. Overall, 55% of attendees were senior profiles, and more than 2.400 companies participated in this second edition.

From more than 200 international speakers to 45 exclusive workshops, Talent Arena addressed a clear need: placing digital talent at the centre of the technology conversation. This was reflected in the strong interest generated by this year’s hackathons and competitions, which attracted more than 4,000 registrations from 96 different countries.

Over the three days, Talent Arena delivered a top-tier programme addressing key trends shaping the accelerated digital transformation. Topics such as artificial intelligence, technology ethics, robotics, cybersecurity, quantum computing, NewSpace, semiconductors and technological sovereignty took centre stage in discussions led by companies and experts shaping the present and future of the sector. This year’s edition also placed particular emphasis on a critical issue in today’s context: digital talent management.

Francesc Fajula, CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, stated that “This second edition of Talent Arena consolidates our commitment to digital talent as a driver of competitiveness and reinforces Barcelona’s positioning as an international capital of technological talent.” He added: “The second edition faced the challenge of expanding its content offering for highly qualified professionals, the success of initiatives such as the XPRO zone demonstrates the event’s growth and its ability to respond to the global digital talent challenge.”

XPRO: from inspiration to specialisation

The main innovation of this edition was the XPRO Zone, featuring content aimed at a highly qualified audience. The exclusive programme included more than 72 conferences focused on real-world cases and 15 technically demanding workshops delivered by leading organisations such as NVIDIA, Huawei, the Linux Foundation, Qualcomm, Dynatrace, the Rust Foundation, Bitrise and Edge Impulse, among others.

In addition, exclusive meetups and dedicated networking areas established XPRO as a key meeting point for professionals seeking to deepen their technical expertise and strengthen industry connections.

Another highlight of this edition was the GSMA Open Gateway Devcon, featuring talks, demonstrations, case studies and experiences led by international experts driving the creation and deployment of network API-based services. Companies including Meta, Nokia, Google and Centillion took part.

Hackathons: talent in action

The five hackathons held during the event focused on real-world challenges related to artificial intelligence, APIs, cybersecurity and new digital development models. Over three days, hundreds of developers worked in multidisciplinary teams to build innovative solutions to specific technological challenges.

In total, the hackathons brought together 400 on-site participants, four times more than last year, establishing this format as one of the main drivers of talent development and applied solutions within the congress.

Jordi Arrufí, director of the digital talent programme of MWCapital, highlighted that “Talent Arena demonstrates that digital talent needs spaces not only for inspiration, but also for experimentation, creation and connection with real industry challenges. Here, technology is not only discussed – it is practised and developed. Barcelona thus reinforces its capacity to attract, train and project digital talent globally at a crucial moment for European competitiveness.”

A programme led by the figures shaping the future

Once again, the keynote programme was one of the edition’s main attractions. International figures taking to the stage included Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web; Kate Darling, researcher at the Boston Dynamics AI Institute; Steve Aoki, DJ, producer and entrepreneur; Tim Serewicz, Vice President of Education at The Linux Foundation; Tammy Okwara, Cloud Solutions Architect at Microsoft; and María Jesús Puerta, winner of NASA’s Lunar Recycle Challenge.

The XPRO Zone also featured leading profiles such as Bianca Cefalo, CEO of Space DOTS; Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, MIT professor and pioneer in graphene research; Abdel Sghiouar, Senior Cloud Developer Advocate at Google; Matteo Bianchi, Solutions Engineer at GitHub; and Konrad Young, former Director at TSMC.

The programme featured 40% female industry leaders, reinforcing the event’s commitment to increasing the visibility of women in senior technology roles.

The proposal was complemented by a dedicated gaming and robotics area, two fields gaining increasing prominence within the digital ecosystem. This space combined immersive experiences with more than 30 specialised content sessions focused on the latest trends in video game development, applied artificial intelligence, automation and new interactive interfaces.

Talent Arena 2027

Talent Arena 2027 will take place from 1 to 3 March, once again alongside MWC Barcelona and 4YFN, with the aim of further strengthening Barcelona’s position as a capital of digital talent and an international meeting point for developers, companies and tech communities.

Talent Arena is supported by CaixaBank as Main Partner and Schneider Electric and SEIDOR as Event Sponsors, playing a key role in strengthening the link between the business ecosystem and education, fostering the generation of new technological talent.

About Talent Arena

Talent Arena is Europe’s leading event dedicated to digital talent, organised by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and co-located with MWC26 Barcelona and 4YFN. Digital professionals, world-leading technology companies and educational institutions come together to create a hub for learning, networking and professional growth. Co-organised with GSMA and in collaboration with the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, the Government of Catalonia and Barcelona City Council, and supported by CaixaBank as Main Partner and Schneider Electric and SEIDOR as Event Sponsors, Talent Arena plays a key role in fostering Europe’s next generation of technological talent.

About Mobile World Capital Barcelona

Mobile World Capital Barcelona is a public-private foundation that promotes the digital development of society to build a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future through the humanistic use of technology. MWCapital helps position Barcelona as a global digital reference and strengthens the MWC legacy throughout the year by driving initiatives in technology transfer, digital talent promotion and innovative technological projects with social impact. MWCapital hosts MWC in Barcelona, founded 4YFN, and connects the international developer community through Talent Arena.

For more information:

Mobile World Capital
Víctor Solvas·vsolvas@mobileworldcapital.com ·+34 663 201 406
Emily Henley·ehenley@mobileworldcapital.com ·+34 673 004 102

Today, 86 operator groups, representing more than 300 networks and 80% of global mobile connections, are aligned around a common API framework. Alongside them, more than 60 channel partners - spanning hyperscalers, aggregators and CPaaS providers -- are commercialising network APIs at scale.

Together, we are seeing significant effort towards creating what the industry has always needed: a consistent, multimarket, cross-operator API environment that finally makes “write once, deploy everywhere” a reality.

Turning APIs into Real World Impact

What began with eight CAMARA APIs in 2023 has evolved into a commercially active portfolio. Today, we’ve seen more than 300 instances of 20 different CAMARA APIs commercially launched in 65 markets around the world, from Canada down to Chile and from the United States across to New Zealand. They’re tackling real-world problems with tangible solutions that boost security, reduce friction and enable new digital experiences. Including:

• Fraud prevention: Multi-operator launches in dozens of countries around the world are enabling banks and retailers to verify identity, detect SIM swap fraud, and secure transactions in real time.
• Quality on Demand: Increasingly adopted for enterprise connectivity, QoD enables applications to request enhanced network performance for online payments, streaming, gaming, autonomous vehicles, drone safety and other mission-critical operations.
• Mobility and location: APIs enabling edge discovery, geofencing, and device intelligence are expanding the ability of developers to optimise application performance dynamically.

We now have more than 60 technology channel partners, including sector specialists, working with mobile operators to embed APIs into the enterprise. Over the past year, we seen examples like Orange and Shabodi working together to transform manufacturing, China Mobile doubling in-app advertising conversation rates through the CAMARA number verification solution, and UK banks detecting SIM-swap scams at scale in real time.

In addition, GSMA Fusion is helping enterprises by acting as a demand‑side bridge between industries and the global mobile ecosystem, making it easier for businesses to access, influence, and benefit from advanced mobile network capabilities through standardised APIs.  

Rather than enterprises adapting to what networks happen to offer, Fusion enables sectors such as automotive, aviation, fintech, manufacturing, media and entertainment to collectively define what they need from connectivity—latency, reliability, security, identity, location, or prioritisation—across multiple markets. We’ve seen Tata Elxsi call on MNOs to standardise QoD APIs for the automotive and drone industries, FICO call for more markets to support Scam Signal to tackle scams, resulting in positive new developments in South Africa. Plus Skydio, request support from the MNO community to aid how drones can better support emergency service first responders.

Why Developers Are Embracing Network APIs

Beyond industry membership, a crucial measure of success is developer and enterprise uptake – because at the end of the day, awareness will not translate into adoption if these tools are inaccessible or do not contribute towards commercial scale. We have been successful in bridging this gap in several ways. 

Firstly, by solving the long-standing fragmentation challenge and facilitating consistent cross-operator behaviour. Secondly, CAMARA-standardized APIs have been crucial in enabling developers to deploy solutions and applications consistently across markets, while improved exposure platforms enable easier onboarding and application testing. 

Also, let’s not overlook the importance of meeting developers where they are – network APIs that have taken off are closely aligned with developer priorities. In our latest Open Gateway State of the Market report, we found that fraud prevention remains the most appealing use case for developers, followed closely by facilitating mobile payments. 

What Comes Next: Agentic AI and the Acceleration of API Deployment

Many of this week’s announcements and demos at MWC Barcelona also point to the next opportunity: AI-driven automation. Across the industry, there is growing evidence that agentic AI, autonomous software agents that can plan tasks, reason over multiple data sources, and interact with external systems, is poised to reshape how network APIs are exposed, discovered and consumed.

Telefónica and Nokia are among the leaders experimenting with this new paradigm. Their collaborative pilots use Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocols and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to orchestrate tasks across AI agents, enabling automatic API discovery, intelligent selection of network capabilities, chaining of multiple APIs, secure entitlement checking and goal-driven workflows without manual intervention. We’ve also seen other demos from Mplify with Colt, Orange and Google Cloud, as well as Nokia and AWS with Orange and du.

In practical terms, agentic AI turns static APIs into dynamic, self-optimising building blocks, enabling enterprises to integrate telco capabilities into their systems with minimal effort. For example, a fraud-prevention agent could autonomously request SIM-swap or device-swap verification from multiple operators in real time; a QoD-enabled video workflow could self-adjust based on network conditions, requesting enhanced capacity only when needed. Likewise, IoT, aviation, automotive, and industrial systems can autonomously negotiate performance requirements or identity checks.

The Path to a Fully Programmable Network Economy

The next phase will be defined not by APIs alone, but by the intelligence layered on top of them. Agentic AI will make APIs easier to use, faster to deploy, and more interoperable, lowering barriers for developers and unlocking the next generation of programmable network services. The result? A future where connectivity is programmed rather than consumed as passive infrastructure – and interoperable at scale.

Open Gateway has laid the foundation. Agentic AI will accelerate it. And together, they will set the blueprint for the next decade of telecom innovation.

See below for an overview of news announcements and demos featuring the GSMA Open Gateway Initiative at MWC26 Barcelona:

1. The Red Thread: Overview of Open Gateway Activity and Demos at MWC26 Barcelona
    
2. Vivek Badrinath, GSMA Director General, Keynote: Leading the future: intelligent, inclusive, unstoppable
    
3. Colombian operators join GSMA Open Gateway with two digital solutions to combat online fraud - Open Gateway
    
4. GSMA Open Gateway Joint Initiative in Poland: Mobile Operators Collaborate to Transform Fraud Prevention and Ensure Customer Security
    
5. GSMA Open Gateway: Italian Operators Unite to Combat Fraud and Enhance Digital Security
    
6. New Zealand telcos announce new collaboration that will enable real-time fraud and scam protections for customers
    
7. Aduna Accelerates Global Network API Adoption with Major Ecosystem Expansion at MWC
    
8. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon come together to bring first standardized 5G Network APIs to the U.S. leveraging Aduna
    
9. Strengthened BT-Ericsson partnership aims to give UK enterprises a 5G competitive edge
    
10. Elmo sets 157 km/h remote driving record at F1 Circuit Barcelona with street-legal Nissan Leaf over live commercial mobile network 
     
11. GMS Partners with Shabodi to Accelerate Network APIs Enablement and Aggregation
     
12. Mplify, Colt, Orange, Google Cloud, and GSMA Open Gateway Demonstrate Agentic Connected Experiences at MWC26 Barcelona
     
13. Nokia and AWS showcase industry-first agentic AI-powered network slicing with du and Orange #MWC26
     
14. Nokia expands Network as Code ecosystem, advances API-based agentic AI with Google Cloud #MWC26
     
15. Nokia: From network APIs to network AI agents - building the agentic future of connectivity with Google Cloud
     
16. One New Zealand Enters a Commercial Agreement to Launch Network Authentication APIs with Shush
     
17. Vonage Brings Network Innovation to Mobile World Congress 2026
     
18. Prudent Technologies Joins GSMA Open Gateway to Advance Secure Telecom API Standards and Strenghthen Fraud Prevention
     
19. Telefónica accelerates global rollout of Open Gateway with agreements with tech firms and companies from around the world
     
20. Teligen Joins GSMA Open Gateway Initiative as Channel Partner to Drive Global Mobile API Innovation - Open Gateway

H.E. Abdulsalam Haykal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, made the announcement at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, initiating a structured licensing process that will run through June 15, 2026. The full RFA has been issued by the Ministry in Damascus.

The new license represents one of the most significant telecommunications opportunities in the world today, combining an immediate revenue-generating operation with a 20-year tenure to build Syria's next-generation mobile network.

The new license will replace the existing MTN Syria license. As per the RFA, Syria will remain a two-operator market for five years. MTN Syria will continue to operate and serve its subscribers in full until the transition to the new operator is complete, ensuring uninterrupted service for all users.

Minister Haykal stated: "The Syrian people have waited long enough. They deserve a mobile network that matches their ambitions, their ingenuity, and their resilience. Today we open our market to the world's best operators with one clear mandate: build a network worthy of Syria's future. This process has been designed to meet international standards and attract serious global investors who share our long-term commitment to this country. Coverage for every community. Connectivity for every citizen. Enablement of digital economy and services."

License Framework

The Ministry is offering a 20-year mobile network operator license. The selected operator will assume responsibility for an existing mobile network operation, including subscriber base and infrastructure assets, and will drive the nationwide expansion and advancement of mobile services.

The license includes spectrum allocation in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2600 MHz, and 3500 MHz bands and authorizes deployment of advanced mobile broadband and 5G technologies. The framework includes defined rollout milestones, quality-of-service obligations, and a conditional lock-out period designed to provide investment stability during the initial deployment phase.

The shareholding structure includes an equity contribution of 25% by Syria's Sovereign Fund, with the remaining ownership open to the winning operator and their coalition.

Spectrum Framework

The spectrum package accompanying this license sets two unprecedented global benchmarks.

In a global first, the complete 800 MHz band is being awarded to a single operator. The 800 MHz band is the most valuable sub-1 GHz spectrum for rural and deep-indoor coverage, and while several countries have been moving toward similar models, Syria is the first to execute it. The inclusion reflects the Ministry's commitment to high-quality coverage across all of Syria, including rural and underserved communities where low-band spectrum is critical for broad geographic reach.

Syria is also the first country globally to include the 6 GHz band as part of a mobile operator licensing roadmap, positioning the winning bidder for the 5.5G and 6G era. This forward-looking inclusion gives the licensee a strategic two-decade head start in Syria's digital economy at a moment when next-generation network standards are still being defined worldwide.

Together with the 2600 MHz and 3500 MHz 5G bands in the core bundle, this is among the most generous and forward-looking single-operator spectrum awards ever made globally.

As part of its national telecommunications reform agenda, the Ministry is developing a phased roadmap for the managed sunset of 2G and 3G networks across Syria. This is a Ministry-led national policy, aligned with global best practice, and will apply across the sector.

The transition away from legacy network technologies will free up valuable spectrum for redeployment to 4G and 5G services, delivering faster speeds, greater capacity, and more reliable connectivity to citizens nationwide. Detailed timelines and transition arrangements will be published in due course following stakeholder consultation.

Competitive Process and Timeline

The licensing process consists of a qualification phase and a financial selection phase, with the deadline to submit proposals by 2 April 2026. Existing Syrian mobile operators are not eligible to apply.

Sector Reform and Regional Connectivity

The Ministry has stated that telecommunications modernization is a central component of Syria's broader economic recovery strategy. The RFA includes nationwide coverage requirements, universal access commitments, and performance benchmarks aligned with international technical standards.

The removal of international sanctions has opened the door to foreign finance and investment, and the Ministry has timed this process to capitalize on growing investor interest in Syria's reconstruction. With a young population, significant pent-up demand for digital services, and a market historically underserved, the new licensee enters a high-growth environment with substantial long-term upside.

The new mobile license is closely aligned with the broader SilkLink initiative, a regional fiber-optic connectivity project backed by Saudi Arabia's STC designed to expand international transport capacity and position Syria as a strategic digital corridor linking regional markets. Together, SilkLink and the new mobile license represent complementary pillars of Syria's long-term digital infrastructure strategy.

Contact

Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Syrian Arab Republic

MobileRFA@moct.gov.sy

Unveiled at MWC26 Barcelona, the challenge is part of GSMA’s support for the development of AI in Africa and positions Africa at the forefront of one of the most urgent questions in artificial intelligence: How to ensure powerful language models remain safe, reliable, and aligned across diverse real-world environments.

As generative AI systems scale rapidly into financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, education, and government platforms, safety failures carry increasing societal and economic risk. Yet most existing AI evaluation frameworks are built around a narrow set of dominant global languages and contexts.

With more than 2,000 languages, widespread multilingualism, dialect mixing, and culturally nuanced communication patterns, Africa presents a uniquely rigorous stress test for modern AI. Ensuring AI systems perform safely under these conditions is not only essential for African markets, but has global implications for how AI can be deployed responsibly in emerging and multilingual economies worldwide.

The African Trust & Safety LLM Challenge will run from 4 March to 19 April 2026 on the Zindi platform. It will tap into Zindi’s global community of more than 100,000 data scientists and AI practitioners across 180+ countries to systematically identify vulnerabilities in African-trained and Africa-deployed Large Language Models (LLMs).

Participants will generate structured adversarial prompts and safety classifications to stress-test models across underrepresented languages and code-switched contexts. The outputs will contribute to a reusable, Africa-focused AI trust and safety benchmark — creating practical evaluation tools with relevance far beyond the continent.

This initiative aims to strengthen digital trust, reduce downstream harm, and contribute to the evolving global conversation on AI governance and model accountability.

Celina Lee, CEO and Co-Founder of Zindi, said: “The future of AI will not be defined solely in Silicon Valley or Beijing, it will be defined wherever AI meets linguistic and cultural complexity at scale. Africa represents one of the most demanding real-world environments for modern language models. Through this challenge, we are positioning African AI talent at the center of shaping global standards for trustworthy AI that work across diverse languages, cultures, and contexts.”
 

Louis Powell, Director of AI Initiatives at GSMA, said: “As AI adoption accelerates across Africa’s mobile ecosystem, safety and reliability are paramount. Through this collaboration with Zindi, we are supporting the development of practical tools and benchmarks that reflect Africa’s linguistic diversity and deployment realities. Strengthening AI trust and safety is essential to unlocking the full potential of AI for inclusive digital growth.”

The competition offers a total prize pool of $5,000 USD and is open to participants across Africa and globally.

Further details and registration information are available at www.zindi.world.

About Zindi

Zindi is the world’s leading AI challenge platform focused on emerging markets, with a community of more than 100,000 data scientists and AI practitioners across over 180 countries. Founded in 2018, Zindi connects organisations with top AI talent to solve real-world business, environmental and social challenges using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Through large-scale competitions and community infrastructure, Zindi is building the talent pipeline and technical foundations for inclusive AI innovation worldwide.

About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. 

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com  

John Guisti, Chief Regulatory Officer of the GSMA and President of the GSMA Foundation, Aamir Ibrahim, CEO of JazzWorld, and Johan Buse, CEO of Banglalink, have launched the partnership with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Barcelona during MWC26 Barcelona, the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event. 

Under the terms of the MoU, JazzWorld and Banglalink will collaborate with the GSMA Innovation Fund to co-fund the Pakistani and Bangladeshi start-ups selected as grantees in the GSMA Innovation Fund’s 2026 funding rounds. In addition to financial support, VEON and its operating companies may also provide in-kind contributions including ecosystem visibility and capacity building support to help selected projects scale.

“Jazz and Banglalink, both part of VEON Group, play a leading role in shaping the digital landscape in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Collaborating with them will further enhance the support of the GSMA Innovation Fund for entrepreneurs driving positive social impact in these two countries” John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA and President of the GSMA Foundation. 
 

"JazzWorld has a strong track record of working with the Pakistan’s entrepreneurs to accelerate digital innovation in Pakistan. We look forward to collaborating further with the GSMA Foundation to support the next generation of entrepreneurs who are building locally-relevant digital solutions that generate growth for Pakistani communities across various service verticals," said Aamir Ibrahim, CEO, JazzWorld.
 

"Making digital services accessible and helping our customers, partners and ecosystem build a better life is the purpose that drives us at Banglalink. Our partnership with the GSMA Innovation Fund allows us to extend this mission further to Bangladeshi entrepreneurs at time when Bangladesh is rebuilding the foundations of its growth - and we look forward to the opportunity," said Johan Buse, CEO, Banglalink.

The GSMA Innovation Fund (the “Fund”) identifies and supports start-ups with models that drive positive social, economic, and climate impact through mobile technology in developing countries. Projects are selected by the GSMA Foundation transparently and on a competitive basis through a rigorous evaluation process following publicly-announced funding rounds. 

Further information on the Fund’s activities and supported projects in the current and previous funding rounds can be found on the Fund’s website: https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/connectivity-for-good/mobile-for-development/gsma-innovation-fund/

About VEON 

VEON is a digital operator that provides connectivity and digital services to nearly 150 million connectivity and over 140 million digital users. Operating across five countries that are home to more than 6% of the world’s population, VEON is transforming lives through technology-driven services that empower individuals and drive economic growth. VEON is listed on NASDAQ. For more information, visit: https://www.veon.com.

About JazzWorld:

JazzWorld is Pakistan’s leading integrated digital ServiceCo, serving over 100 million users through a portfolio spanning connectivity (Jazz), fintech (JazzCash), entertainment (Tamasha), ultra-app (SIMOSA), insurtech (FikrFree), enterprise cloud solutions (Garaj), gaming (GameNow), health-tech (Apna Clinic), fashion marketplace (Zarr), and more. This evolution reflects Jazz’s strategic shift from connectivity to capability, enabling platforms that ensure a better life for all through the power of technology. For more information, visit: www.jazz.com.pk 

About Banglalink:

Banglalink is one of the leading digital communications service providers in Bangladesh, working to unlock new opportunities for its customers as they navigate the digital world. Driven by the vision of transforming lives through technology, Banglalink also strives to transform into a future-ready service provider capable of catering to the demands of the new digital era. For more information, visit: www.banglalink.net. 

About GSMA:

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. 

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Forward-looking statements:

This release contains “forward-looking statements”, within the meaning of the Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to execution of the binding agreements between the parties and the successful selection of initiatives from Pakistan and Bangladesh for the Innovation Fund’s upcoming funding rounds – VEON legal to comment. There are numerous risks, uncertainties that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those expressed by such statements, including risks discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in VEON’s 2024 Form 20-F filed with the SEC on April 25, 2025 and other public filings made by VEON with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this release and VEON disclaims any obligation to update them, except as required by law.

Contact Information 

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com 

VEON

Hande Asik

Chief Strategy and Communications Officer

pr@veon.com

Organised by the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), IMC 2026 will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, global enterprises, startups and investors from over 100 countries.  As part of deeper collaboration, the GSMA Board will participate in IMC 2026, lending their global expertise and strengthening the forum’s international reach.

Addition to this, IMC and GSMA also signed an MoU today which will focus on strengthening strategic collaboration to enhance IMC 2026’s global positioning, deepen international industry participation and align policy and technology dialogues with emerging global telecom priorities. The partnership will centre on curating high-level leadership engagements, facilitating global CEO and board-level participation, enabling cross-border knowledge exchange and amplifying India’s role in shaping next-generation telecom, digital infrastructure and connectivity frameworks. 
 

Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister for Communications and Development in North East Region, Govt. of India said, “India stands as the second-largest telecom market globally, connecting over 1.2 billion citizens, fastest 5G rollout in the world, average mobile data consumption grown nearly 400 times in ten years. India is among a small group of nations to develop its own indigenous, cloud-native 4G stack, upgradeable to 5G, positioning us not only as users of advanced networks, but as builders of them. It is emerging as a trusted global source for telecom products, platforms and solutions and as a technology partner to the world as a growth bed for innovation and a global AI and deep-tech destination. As India completes a decade of telecom transformation, India Mobile Congress also enters 10th edition, enabling global launches, startup discovery, partnerships and industry–government collaboration. IMC’s journey mirrors India’s own digital journey from connectivity to intelligence and from access to impact and this edition will showcase AI-native networks, smart industries, sovereign platforms, startup innovation and global partnerships.”

This year marks a significant milestone as the platform completes a decade of shaping India’s digital and telecom ecosystem. The premier forum will bring together the brightest minds and leading innovators in the technology and telecommunications sectors. Announcing the dates, the Minister further unveiled that IMC 2026 is expected to attract over 150,000 attendees with participation from over 300 exhibitors and partners and showcase over 1500 technology use cases. 

This year’s edition aims to strengthen its position by showcasing use cases and innovations across Connectivity (5G & 6G), AI, Semiconductors, Electronics Manufacturing, Quantum Computing, Cybersecurity, Satellite communications, Deep-tech, Clean-tech, Smart Mobility, Industry 4.0 and Enterprise transformation. 
 

Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific, GSMA said, “India has firmly established itself as a global telecom leader, not only through the scale and speed of its 5G rollout, but through its ambition in 6G, AI and digital innovation. Through our enhanced role at India Mobile Congress 2026, the GSMA is bringing its global network of operators and industry leaders together to deepen collaboration, share best practice and reinforce India’s position at the centre of the global digital ecosystem.”
 

Abhijit Kishore, Chairman, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said, “Right from its inception in 2017, India Mobile Congress has served as a crucial platform for dialog, collaboration and action, highlighting the pivotal role of technology and connectivity in nation building. It has grown significantly in stature and scale over the years and has become an active platform for knowledge sharing and thoughtful leadership. IMC stands today as the largest digital technology forum in Asia and strategic partnership with GSMA also represents a quantum leap for this year’s edition.”

The pioneering startup program of IMC, ASPIRE is expected to witness participation from 400+ startups, more than 300 investors, incubators, accelerators and VCs, over 700 1-2-1 investor meetings along with mentorship workshops, live pitches, networking and partnerships. As IMC completes a decade, this edition will underscore its scale, institutional credibility and sustained industry impact. The edition is expected to feature more outcome-driven enterprise and operator engagement, stronger buyer–seller interactions and sharper startup-to-market linkages. IMC 2026 will also place greater emphasis on deployment-ready technologies that are closer to adoption and scale, while global participation will move towards more structured collaboration and long-term partnerships.

The last edition of the India Mobile Congress, held in October 2025 witnessed over 150,000 attendees in the 4-day forum and participation from over 400 partners and exhibitors, from over 100 countries. The event also showcased more than 1600 technology use case scenarios, hosted more than 100 sessions in which over 800 distinguished global and Indian speakers participated.

Breaking Bad habits: making the case for a more intentional digital life 

If you happened to be at BEAT Barcelona for an early drink yesterday, you missed a cracker of an afternoon keynote.  

Headlined by actor Aaron Paul sharing his thoughts on digital addiction and joined by Light’s CEO and Co-Founder Kaiwei Tang, the crowd was treated to a candid discussion about society’s increasingly strained relationship with smartphones and the business models designed to keep us hooked. 

Aaron doesn’t even own a computer, lamenting how his first laptop was stolen. “It felt like a part of my limb was taken away,” he recalled. “It was devastating. And then I just never got another one. And I realised how much more time I have on my hands.”  

Neither Aaron or Kaiwei were anti-tech or tech-sceptics, but both were clear about the trade-offs and deliberate about reclaiming attention from the tools built to capture it. You can watch Keynote 5 here. 

The original ‘web developer’ at Talent Arena 

“There are very few people I’ve met who had a world-changing idea and then gave it away for free.” The fireside chat between BBC journalist, Spencer Kelly and the inventor of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee started in a suitably reverential way. Their conversation ranged far and wide, back to ancient times (1989) when Sir Tim developed his idea while working at CERN, and into the future with the potential of artificial general intelligence.   

They covered many other subjects. Why apostrophes aren’t used in URLs (the apostrophe is not a reserved character in HTML). How Sir Tim persuaded private companies that if all browsers spoke the same language, the internet could become huge, but if they were battling each other, it’d go nowhere (how right he was). And finally, the ‘stretch friend’ hack – add people to your social network that challenge the way you think to steer the algorithm away from echo chambers.   

Admiring the latest restrictions on social media use in Australia, Sir Tim talked about his own passion project Solid, designed to return the web to Tim’s original vision, resist companies that prioritise profit over people and put personal data back into the hands of those who own it.   

Tech titans join forces to launch OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation 

Monday’s MWC ended with a significant move for the future of wireless communications. During an intimate fireside chat, Dr. Tom Rondeau, Principal Director of U.S. Department of War's FutureG Office, and Mike Woster, Chief Revenue Officer of the Linux Foundation, announced the formation of the OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation.  

The public-private partnership establishes a global hub for developing a foundational, open-source software stack for 5G and 6G Radio Access Networks (RAN). Its founding members include AMD, AT&T, DeepSig, Ericsson, Nokia, NVIDIA, SoftBank, SRS and Verizon. The foundation’s goal is to provide a common, trusted platform that will accelerate innovation and interoperability for the next generation of network solutions and applications. Read more here.  

“With nearly 150 years of supporting government communications, we’re proud to partner with the Department of War and Linux Foundation effort in advancing an open, multi-vendor ecosystem,” said Jeff McElfresh, Chief Operating Officer, AT&T, Inc. 

Quote of the day 

“We can’t stand five seconds of boredom anymore. And boredom is great. Boredom is where creativity comes out.” 
Kaiwei Tang, CEO and Co-Founder, Light 

The Darling of robotics 

Kate Darling, author of The New Breed and former MIT researcher, seemed hardwired for controversy with her take on the future of robotics, positing that we should view robotic development through the lens of animal husbandry, not sci-fi. 

She argued our expectations for our robot friends are too high, saying that although there are many ways in which machines are smarter than us, they’re also prone to making strange mistakes. Like in a recent meeting where her team sang happy birthday to a colleague and the AI tool they were using for transcription merrily wished that same person a “happy death day”. Condolences. 

“It shouldn’t be our goal to re-create human skill, it should be to create something different,” she said, and explained that robots are most helpful and powerful when they’re supplementing something humans do, citing a robot vacuum (hello, ‘Meryl Sweep’) as a great example of success – it does one thing and it does it brilliantly. 

Do androids dream of MWC? Our showfloor robot round-up 

As you’ve just read, robots are big news at this year’s MWC. If you’ve spent longer than five minutes in the exhibition halls this week, you’ll have seen how just how many are on the showfloor.  

From serving food to busting a move, and impeccable bedside manners to frantic factory floors, here’s our run-down of MWC’s most impressive mechanical marvels. 

• China Mobile (Hall 3): Fancy a cuppa? China Mobile's robot restaurant is serving up tea and nibbles.
• SK Telecom (Hall 3): SK Telecom have recreated a miniature factory floor where attendees can get behind the controls of remote forklifts. Whether it's a cutting-edge demonstration of industrial 5G connectivity or an elaborate game of bumper cars very much depends on who's at the controls.
• AGIBOT (Hall 6): Dotted around the halls all week, AGIBOT's X2 humanoid robot has been putting on quite the show: friendly waves, tai chi, champagne service and full-on dancing.
• GSMA Foundry x NUHS (Hall 6, New Frontiers):  A partnership between GSMA Foundry and Singapore's National University Health System. Powered by AI and 5G, this intelligent robot nurse companion can autonomously navigate hospital wards, deliver medicines and monitor patients with sensors. A friendly face on its screen and a genuine real-world use case, it’s one of the most heartwarming things on the showfloor this week. 

An electric atmosphere at 4YFN  

Bright lights, neon-drenched corridors and funky, soulful beats can only mean one thing.  

You're entering 4YFN. The place where wild ideas get their wings and underdogs become unicorns. 

Browsing Halls 8.0 and 8.1, you’re surrounded by ambitious founders and wonderful ideas from all corners of the globe. Haptic tech that can enhance how you game and watch sports, AI-powered jewellery design, a smart indoor garden app, and a VR jetpack experience that saw this lucky writer soaring over snow-capped mountains and sleepy Italian villages without ever leaving Fira. 

The countdown is also on for the 4YFN Awards Finale. For this year’s five worthy finalists (announced yesterday, check them out here), it’ll be the most nerve-shredding few hours of their lives.  

In front of a panel of leading investors and a no-nonsense audience, the electric pitching competition takes place on the Banco Sabadell Stage, Hall 8.0 tomorrow (Wednesday March 4) at 17:00.  

Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA, said: “Affordable smartphones are the gateway to digital and financial inclusion, economic opportunity and innovation. 3.1 billion people have mobile coverage but are not connected to the mobile internet. Together with the G6 group of leading African operators, we are sending a clear demand signal to bring low-cost 4G devices to market. In a global context of rising memory costs, governments have an important role in bridging the usage gap. Removing taxes and import duties on entry-level 4G smartphones will be critical to achieving scale.”

A Vast Untapped Opportunity

Africa remains home to one of the world’s largest mobile internet usage gaps. Millions live within broadband coverage but remain offline, with handset affordability consistently cited as the biggest barrier to adoption. Affordable 4G smartphones at scale could bring tens of millions of people online, unlocking access to education, healthcare, financial services, e-commerce and AI-powered tools.

Enabling Local AI Innovation

The impact of rising memory costs extends beyond connectivity. Memory-intensive technologies are essential for on-device AI, local language processing and the growth of regional tech ecosystems.

Against this backdrop, the GSMA-led AI Language Models Initiative – built in Africa, by Africa, for Africa – is advancing scalable, locally relevant AI models.

At the first Africa Pavilion at this year’s MWC26 Barcelona, the initiative will showcase:

• The launch and live demonstration of the first open Swahili reasoning model in collaboration with MeetKai Zambia, capable of browsing and translating online content to reduce language barriers to digital services;
• Expanded access to compute through strategic partners AMD and Cassava.
• Benchmarks and tools to ensure models reflect African languages, cultures and real-world use cases;
• A continental AI Talent Map highlighting researchers, engineers and institutions driving local-language innovation.

“AI has the power to amplify Africa’s voices, languages and innovation,” Badrinath added. “But without affordable devices and sustainable component pricing, its benefits risk remaining out of reach.”

A Call for Coordinated Action

With pilot markets identified and industry collaboration underway, the foundations for scale are in place. Public sector support will be critical to convert progress into sustained impact, both in Africa and beyond.

The GSMA and coalition members will reconvene industry leaders and policymakers at MWC Kigali (16-18 June 2026) to assess progress and advance discussions on handset affordability, closing the usage gap and locally relevant AI innovation.

-ENDS-

About GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

The paper, ‘Regulatory Preparedness for Satellite Services’, urges policymakers to take proactive steps to modernise regulatory frameworks and outlines five guiding principles to promote innovation, ensure consistent user protection across technologies, safeguard essential public-interest needs, support investment across communications networks, and build consumer trust. 

LEO satellite constellations are reshaping how services are delivered and expanding connectivity to underserved communities. However, regulatory approaches to these emerging services (when provided without partnership with mobile operators) remain uneven and, in many markets, underdeveloped. In many countries, existing frameworks are not designed for these new models, creating uncertainty for all communication providers, investors and consumers.

The paper argues that now is the right time for policymakers to refine regulations while deployments are still in their early stages. Aligning rules with technological shifts, will enable timely and effective market access and safeguard consumer and societal interests

John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer of the GSMA, said: “As LEO satellite services rapidly advance, they are transforming global connectivity, expanding coverage to underserved communities, strengthening resilience, and enabling new D2D services. A growing number of partnerships between mobile and satellite providers is accelerating innovation and enhancing the overall connectivity experience for users.  As these capabilities scale, governments are increasingly considering the need for greater regulatory alignment. Establishing comparable requirements for mobile and satellite providers delivering similar services will help ensure consistent consumer protection, support sustainable long-term investment across communications networks, and safeguard national sovereignty — all while delivering greater value, quality, and trust for users.”

The GSMA paper comes at a time when new satellites are being launched, and operators are expanding into new markets and services. As LEO constellations scale rapidly, forward-looking regulatory frameworks will be essential to maximise the potential benefits of these new technologies.

Five core principles to guide regulatory frameworks 

The paper sets out five core principles to guide the development of modern regulatory frameworks: 

1. Transparency and Predictability: Establish clear, consistent, and accessible rules for market entry so that both new satellite entrants and existing mobile operators can make confident, long-term investment decisions together.
2. Regulatory Parity: Maintain a level playing field by ensuring that satellite providers face the same legal and regulatory obligations as mobile operators.
3. Harmonisation: Align national policies with regional and international standards to reduce regulatory fragmentation, making it easier and more efficient for global satellite constellations to operate across borders.
4. Collaboration and Consultation: Maintain an open dialogue between governments, regulators, and the industry to ensure that new policies are evidence-based, inclusive of all stakeholders and reflect current market realities.
5. Balance Innovation with Regulation: Support technological growth while ensuring satellite operators comply with vital national interests, such as consumer protection, data privacy and national security safeguards. 

Read the full report here. 
 
-ENDS- 

About the GSMA 
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. 

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contact 

GSMA Press Office 

pressoffice@gsma.com 

MWC26 Barcelona, March 2nd, 2026. Today, RCD Bullitt introduces SatTag™ - a beautifully compact device that brings together item finding and satellite connectivity in an entirely new way. Designed to be carried every day, SatTag makes it easy to locate what matters, stay connected beyond mobile coverage, and access help when it’s needed most.

Unveiled at MWC26 Barcelona, the world’s largest connectivity event, SatTag demonstrates how direct-to-device satellite connectivity can be brought into everyday consumer accessories. At just 62mm x 27mm x 9mm, SatTag fits effortlessly into everyday life. It works seamlessly with both iOS and Android devices, and integrates with FindMy™ and FindHub™ networks, making it simple to locate personal belongings such as keys, bags and luggage.

But SatTag goes further.

With built-in direct-to-device satellite connectivity, SatTag enables users to send and receive messages, share their location, trigger SOS alerts, locate lost items and access an AI assistant—even when outside traditional mobile coverage. By embedding these capabilities into something users already carry, SatTag removes the need for a dedicated satellite device and ensures connectivity is always within reach.

Designed to Be With You, Everywhere

SatTag is designed around the idea that the most important technology is the one you already have with you. Its ultra-compact form factor and integration with trusted finding networks mean it naturally becomes part of everyday carry.

Users can connect multiple SatTags to a single account - on keys, in a glove box, inside luggage, or a handbag making it easy to keep track of important items. At the same time, any SatTag can be used to access satellite connectivity, giving users flexibility and reassurance wherever they are.

Powered by the Most Advanced Satellite Technology

SatTag is enabled by Skylo’s ultra-reliable satellite network, delivering coverage across more than 70 million square kilometres across five continents. This ensures consistent, dependable connectivity far beyond the reach of cellular networks.

At the core of SatTag is the Nordic nRF9151, the world’s most advanced NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) chipset. This advanced architecture ensures SatTag is future-ready for 3GPP Release 19, supporting the next generation of satellite-enabled services.

Built for Real Life

SatTag is designed for longevity as well as performance, offering up to 5 months of battery life with moderate satellite usage or 12 months + battery life if just using with FindMy or FindHub networks. It is fully USB rechargeable.

An Expanding Ecosystem

At MWC26 Barcelona, RCD Bullitt is highlighting how SatTag and its satellite connectivity platform can extend coverage beyond traditional mobile networks, supporting the event’s focus on unlocking the full value of 5G, NTN and AI-driven services.

With the introduction of SatTag, RCD Bullitt is establishing more than an innovative new product category - it is building an ecosystem of globally connected services. By combining consumer-friendly hardware with advanced satellite infrastructure, SatTag opens new possibilities for communication, safety, and everyday convenience.

RCD Bullitt’s connectivity platform also features a suite of open APIs, enabling developers and partners to bring third-party applications to the SatTag ecosystem and access non-terrestrial networks for the first time. This unlocks new possibilities across industries - from consumer applications to enterprise solutions - extending connectivity to places it has never reliably reached before.

Pricing and Availability

SatTag will be available later in Q2 with single SatTag retail prices at €39/$34/£34 with 3 months of satellite connectivity included

After the included trial, satellite services are available from €2.99 per month for SOS, or €4.99 per month for unlimited access to all features. FindMy and FindHub features do not require a satellite plan.

SatTag is a new way to stay connected

SatTag brings together the simplicity of item finding with the confidence of always-on connectivity. By placing satellite communication into the things people carry every day, it ensures that staying connected is no longer dependent on network coverage.

See SatTag at MWC26 Barcelona

Visit the Nordic Semiconductor stand at MWC26 Barcelona, Hall 7 Booth #7B51, to see SatTag demonstrated live and discover how direct-to-device satellite connectivity can be embedded into compact consumer devices.

Visit www.sattag.com to find out more or request a meeting or demonstration at mwcmeetings2026@bullitt.com

CIRPACK, a specialist in carrier-grade IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) telephony solutions, and Halys, a telecom software company delivering operator-grade mobile core platforms for private 4G/5G networks, have seamlessly integrated their technologies to provide a comprehensive private 5G solution with native Voice over New Radio (VoNR) capabilities.

CIRPACK will showcase this integration at MWC26 Barcelona (Hall 5, Stand 5B41), marking a significant step in combining 5G core network capabilities with native telephony services within private network environments.

Addressing industrial demand for private 5G with native voice 

As industries accelerate their digital transformation toward mobile and real-time operations, demand for private 5G connectivity with native voice services is growing. Manufacturing plants, healthcare facilities, transportation hubs and energy infrastructure increasingly require dedicated networks that combine the performance and reliability of 5G with advanced voice services — all within a secure and controlled environment.

While data connectivity is often at the center of private 5G discussions, voice communications remain a critical operational requirement in industrial and mission-oriented environments, where direct, reliable and low-latency communications between teams are essential for safety, coordination and continuity of operations.

Yet until now, deploying a complete private 5G infrastructure with carrier-grade telephony has remained a complex undertaking, often requiring the integration of multiple vendors and oversized solutions designed for large-scale public networks.

The CIRPACK-Halys integrated solution addresses this gap directly.

Combining 5G core network and IMS telephony expertise

Halys provides operator-grade 5G core software platforms enabling organizations to deploy secure and sovereign private and public mobile networks, with full control over data flows, access policies and operational parameters. The solution supports on-premises, edge and cloud deployments, addressing the operational constraints of industrial and enterprise environments.

CIRPACK's IMS solution delivers a proven, fully software-based telephony platform, providing the complete SIP service chain — from user authentication and service management to HD voice, video, and VoWiFi. Deployed by operators worldwide for public fixed and mobile networks, MVNOs and private networks alike, the solution scales from small private deployments to several million subscribers in public networks, with a minimal infrastructure footprint.

Both Halys platforms and CIRPACK’s IMS solution are designed in compliance with 3GPP and relevant industry standards (GSMA, ETSI), ensuring seamless interoperability across private and public 4G/5G deployments.

A private 5G solution aligned with Industry 5.0 principles

Aligned with Industry 5.0 principles of resilient infrastructures, human-centric operations and digital sovereignty, the integrated CIRPACK-Halys solution is designed for industrial and enterprise environments where reliability, security and operational continuity are essential. It delivers a complete private 5G network with native VoNR services, combining high-performance data connectivity with enterprise-grade telephony. The solution brings together:

• Native, carrier-grade voice and multimedia services fully integrated within the 5G architecture, without relying on legacy telephony infrastructures
• Built-in enhanced security mechanisms, including authentication, access control and topology protection, designed to support critical operations across industrial, healthcare and transport environments
• Lightweight, virtualized deployments that reduce infrastructure complexity and operational costs, making private 5G accessible beyond large-scale operators
• Standards-based interoperability, ensuring seamless integration with existing public networks and providing a clear evolution path toward future network generations
   

Patrick Bergougnou, Chairman and CEO of CIRPACK, said, “This partnership reflects a shared conviction: the next generation of private networks must be secure, flexible, include voice services and built on European innovation.”

Samuel Dralet, CEO of Halys, said, “As private 5G adoption accelerates across Europe, driven by the need for resilient and sovereign infrastructures, this collaboration brings together complementary technologies to support the shift toward private 5G communications in industrial and enterprise environments.” 

By combining their expertise, CIRPACK and Halys deliver a sovereign, right-sized alternative to large-scale solutions traditionally offered by global equipment vendors. 

Further information on CIRPACK, Halys and their services is available at  www.cirpack.comor www.halys.fr.

About CIRPACK

Founded over 27 years ago, CIRPACK is a French telecom software company specializing in full-IP core network, voice, and unified communications solutions. Fully virtualized and deployable in the cloud or on-premises, CIRPACK platforms are used by more than 120 fixed and mobile operators -including MNOs and MVNOs- across 24 countries in Europe, Africa, and Latin America, handling over 10 billion communications annually.

Its portfolio - IMS, Session Border Controller, and UCaaS - enables operators and large companies to modernize their network infrastructures, deploy VoIP, VoLTE and 5G services, and secure their communications against fraud, free from dependency on major American or Asian vendors. At a time when digital sovereignty has become a strategic priority for Europe, CIRPACK stands as the independent European alternative for critical telecommunications infrastructure. 

About Halys

Halys is a telecom software company delivering carrier-grade mobile core platforms for private 4G/5G networks, enabling organizations to deploy secure, sovereign mobile connectivity under their full control.

Halys also provides interconnection and roaming software platforms for MNOs, MVNOs and carriers, supporting international signaling and data exchange (SS7, Diameter, GTP) as well as messaging services (SMSC, MMS). These platforms are deployed by operators worldwide to serve millions of subscribers and interconnect hundreds of mobile networks.

With more than 20 years of expertise in mobile core networks and international interconnection, Halys software platforms are designed for on-premises, edge and cloud deployments, combining strong security, data sovereignty and operational control across private, public and hybrid mobile network deployments. 

CIRPACK Contact:

Alban Couturier

Head of Core Product 

alban.couturier@cirpack.com

Halys Contact:

Marc Lovighi 

General Manager

marc.lovighi@halys.fr 

+33 6 58 66 97 32

Press Contact:

Xpresso Communications

Fiorenza Mella

Ceo & Technology Marcom Consultant

T. +31 620618769

E: fiorenza@xpressocommunications.com     

Sarawak’s participation this year reflects a strategic positioning at a time when the global geography of digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence deployment and advanced manufacturing is being actively reshaped.

The Sarawak Pavilion at MWC26 Barcelona serves as a working platform for structured engagement with technology firms, energy providers, data infrastructure operators and institutional investors exploring Southeast Asia’s next wave of industrial expansion.

The Honourable Datuk Liwan Lagang Deputy Minister for Utility and Telecommunication Sarawak, officiated the launch, underscoring that Sarawak’s digitalisation agenda is now entering an operational phase.

“The global technology industry is entering a new stage where energy, digital infrastructure, and stability are as important as innovation. In Sarawak, we are working precisely on that foundation: ensuring competitive electrical capacity, reliable connectivity, and industrial environments prepared for large-scale projects. The Mobile World Congress is an opportunity to engage with companies and institutions seeking to diversify supply chains and develop infrastructures linked to the digital economy. We want to build long-term alliances based on trust, execution, and shared objectives”, said the Deputy Premier.

During the official launch, the State Government reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating technological innovation, expanding global partnerships and positioning Sarawak as a leading digital economy within the ASEAN region. 

The pavilion served as a strategic platform to showcase Sarawak’s digital ecosystem, investment opportunities and progress in smart infrastructure, connectivity, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, semiconductors and other emerging technologies.

Participation was further strengthened by the exchange of five memoranda of understanding between Sarawak agencies and international technology partners, including Hewlett Packard (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Huawei Technologies (Malaysia), ZTE (Malaysia) Corporation Sdn Bhd, Llamalitica, and Worldsensing. These collaborations are designed to foster knowledge transfer and accelerate technology adoption. 

MWC26 Barcelona: A Platform for Strategic Engagement

Throughout the congress, Sarawak’s delegation is holding bilateral discussions, technical briefings and sector-focused engagements with industry stakeholders evaluating Southeast Asia’s evolving industrial landscape.

The Sarawak Pavilion is located at Hall 6, Booth 6F41, Fira Gran Via, Barcelona.

Sarawak at MWC26 Barcelona

The Sarawak pavilion is in Hall 6, stand 6F41, Fira Gran Via, Barcelona (Spain).

END OF RELEASE.

For more information, visit: https://premier.sarawak.gov.my/web/home/index/

The previous record of 115 km/h has now been significantly surpassed — twice — confirming that high-speed, road-legal remote driving is  already in active public operation.

First run: 150 km/h – remote driver trackside 

The first record-breaking run reached 150 km/h and was performed by licensed remote driver Risto Parri, who controlled the vehicle from a Generation 1 remote driving station located trackside at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. 

“It’s actually pretty crazy to become a new world record holder — even if only for a moment — and to do it on the legendary F1 circuit in Barcelona. Driving 150 km/h with no one sitting in the car proudly demonstrates the high level and maturity of our technology,” said Risto Parri, licensed remote driver at Elmo.

Second run: 157 km/h – 3,300 km cross-border remote control 

The record was broken again shortly after, when Enn Laansoo, Jr., licensed remote driver and CEO of Elmo, controlled the same street-legal Nissan Leaf with Generation 3 remote driving station from Elmo’s headquarters in Tallinn, 3,300 km away, reaching 157 km/h — effectively the maximum speed officially permitted for the vehicle. 

This high-speed cross-border remote driving test demonstrates that modern commercial mobile networks (5G) are  already capable of supporting globally scalable teleoperation, including high-speed applications. 

“Driving a vehicle at 157 km/h from 3,300 kilometers away proves that distance is no longer the limiting factor for high-speed remote driving. This is further evidence that remote driving is a practical and scalable alternative to full autonomy in many use cases,” said Enn Laansoo, Jr., adding, “I am extremely proud of the team effort and the result of six years of dedicated development of our remote driving technology.” 

Elmo has been operating remotely controlled vehicles in public service since 2022, becoming the first company globally to commercialize road-legal remote driving at scale. The Barcelona milestone builds on years of real-world operational experience. 

5G, network quality & global partners 

The demonstration was conducted in collaboration with Telefónica, providing local connectivity; Nokia, monitoring network performance and quality parameters in real time; and GSMA, organizer of the broader MWC26 ecosystem. 

“Huge congratulations to the Elmo team on their incredible achievement. Breaking a land‑speed record at the CircuitX demo showcase provides a glimpse into the future of connected mobility. What we saw at the Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya proves how advanced connectivity, real‑time data and engineering excellence can come together to push the limits of performance and safety. Elmo’s record‑setting run captures the spirit of innovation that CircuitX was built to showcase, and we’re proud to celebrate this moment with them.” — Richard Cockle, Head of GSMA Foundry.

GSMA Fusion and Elmo have also been collaborating closely with the mobile industry through the GSMA Open Gateway initiative to validate network capabilities for remote driving. As part of this work, the companies have been exploring how Open Gateway network APIs – including Quality on Demand, location, and edge compute – can support the consistent, low-latency connectivity required for teleoperation. By enabling common, standardized network interfaces across operators, Open Gateway helps ensure that remote driving solutions can scale globally without bespoke integrations, aligning with broader automotive industry calls for interoperable, future-ready connectivity frameworks.

This builds upon Elmo’s previous long-distance remote driving milestones, including the 4,300 km cross-border record from Doha to Tallinn during Doha MWC25 and the earlier 3,400 km record from year ago, reinforcing Elmo’s position as a global leader in road-legal remote driving technology. 

A practical alternative to full autonomy 

Unlike fully autonomous vehicles requiring complex AI stacks, high hardware costs and additional remote drivers support, Elmo’s remote driving modular platform enables low latency real-time human-in-control operation, integration into existing vehicles, immediate regulatory compliance, and rapid deployment across urban, logistics, and defense use cases. 

The F1 circuit test confirms that teledriving technology can handle not only urban driving but also high-speed, performance-critical environments, over very long distance.

About Elmo

Elmo is a European mobility deep-tech company and the world’s first to commercialize road-legal remote driving in public operations. Since 2022, Elmo has operated remotely controlled vehicles on public streets across Europe and demonstrated cross-border teleoperation at distances exceeding 4,300 km. 

Its technology enables safe, scalable remote operation via 4G/5G, satellite, and multi-network architectures — with applications in smart mobility, logistics, and defense.

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organization unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organizations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. 

More information: 
 
Elmo 

info@elmoremote.com

APIs enable different apps and services to connect and share information with each other automatically and securely, making digital experiences faster and more seamless for businesses and their customers.

The initial focus will see the telcos working together on scam and fraud prevention APIs such as ‘Number Verification’ and ‘SIM Swap’, helping businesses to combat fraud, reduce identity theft, and improve digital trust for customers. These capabilities are increasingly in demand across sectors such as banking and financial services, online shopping platforms, and digital payment systems.

For example, when a customer makes an online payment, the bank can use a secure API to confirm the phone number is still safely linked to their account and hasn’t been compromised through a SIM swap. If anything looks unusual, the transaction can be paused or blocked. This process allows the bank to verify the customer in real time behind the scenes, rather than relying on SMS one‑time passwords.

Through the GSMA Open Gateway, the three telcos will develop common APIs that are compatible and can be easily integrated across networks, using guidelines set by CAMARA, an open-source initiative developed by the GSMA and Linux Foundation to unify telecom APIs. 

This collaborative approach aligns New Zealand with a growing global ecosystem of mobile operators and technology partners participating in GSMA Open Gateway, which now represents the majority of global mobile connections.

Mark Beder, Chief Commercial Officer at Spark, says, “This GSMA collaboration ensures that as an industry, we are innovating together to keep our customers safe, while also making it easier for businesses to consistently access our networks to provide secure and seamless digital experiences to their own customers.”
 

Kieran Byrne, Chief Technology Officer at One New Zealand, says: ““Participating in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative will allow us to work better together as an industry and use the power of telecommunication networks to solve some of NZ’s biggest challenges.”

Mark Callander, Chief Executive at 2degrees, says, “Keeping our customers safe requires cross-organisation and cross-industry collaboration. Working together through GSMA Open Gateway ensures a standards‑based, interoperable approach that benefits developers, enterprises, and customers alike.”

“The GSMA Open Gateway is transforming how developers engage with mobile networks worldwide. The collaboration of New Zealand’s mobile operators demonstrates strong momentum behind a common, global approach to network APIs,” said Henry Calvert, Head of Networks and Open Gateway at the GSMA.

The announcement coincides with the Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2026, where GSMA Open Gateway continues to gain global traction, with telcos across multiple markets committing to the launch of consistent commercial network API services.

Today, 85 operator groups, representing more than 300 mobile networks and around 80% of global mobile connections, are part of the Open Gateway community. The unified ‘Number Verification’ and ‘SIM Swap’ APIs for Spark NZ, One NZ and 2degrees are currently in development, and are expected to launch later this year. 

For more information contact:

Spark

Althea Lovell, Corporate Affairs Lead Partner 

021 222 2992

althea.lovell@spark.co.nz 

One NZ

Matthew Flood, Senior Corporate Affairs Lead

027 216 1205

matthew.flood@one.nz 

2degrees

Quentin Reade, Head of Communications

021 847 908

quentin.reade@2degrees.nz 

GSMA

Dan Thomas, PR Director

+44 (0)7816 267848

dan.thomas@gsma.com 

GMS provides a unified framework that connects operator capabilities directly to enterprise consumption. Based on GSMA Open Gateway principles and CAMARA-standardized APIs, this model allows operators to monetize network data at scale while ensuring secure, interoperable access across markets. For enterprises, Network APIs provide an alternative for authentication and fraud prevention, powered by trusted network signals such as SIM Swap detection, Number Verification, Device Status, and Location Validation. Advanced use cases include Quality on Demand, QoS Profiles, KYC, and many more. By aggregating these capabilities across multiple operator environments, GMS strengthens identity assurance, reduces fraud risk, and accelerates time-to-value while maintaining high security, privacy, and regulatory compliance standards.

What differentiates GMS is its position across the full Network API value chain. Unlike technology-only vendors focused on exposure or aggregators focused solely on distribution, GMS combines deep network expertise, proven aggregation capabilities, and established enterprise relationships at scale. Built over 20 years of industry experience, GMS is uniquely positioned to translate standardized Network APIs into real commercial value. GMS platform supports end-to-end orchestration, network-agnostic deployment from 4G to 5G standalone environments, and seamless fallback between Network APIs and traditional messaging channels. This enables operators to efficiently monetize network intelligence while delivering secure, interoperable services to enterprises across markets.

GMS’s Network API Platform, powered by Shabodi, enables operators to seamlessly transition from capability exposure to CAMARA-based standardization and monetization, regardless of their current API maturity. The platform allows operators to unlock the value of network intelligence without complex transformation initiatives. By eliminating dependency on full core modernization, operators can accelerate Network API adoption while preserving existing infrastructure investments.

Charles Upchurch, CEO at GMS, commented on this announcement: “Connectivity and messaging remain the foundation of our industry, and advanced network capabilities now expand how operators can monetize and deliver network intelligence. Network APIs represent an important addition to our portfolio, enabling operators to securely expose network data and unlock new revenue streams. We are proud to collaborate with Shabodi as our technical partner, whose expertise strengthens the foundation of this initiative. Together, we are helping bridge network innovation with enterprise demand while reinforcing trust across the ecosystem.” 
 

Ramesh Kaza, President of Shabodi, said: “We are proud to partner with GMS as they expand into the Network API business. By combining Shabodi’s technical expertise with GMS’s deep operator relationships and aggregation capabilities, we are enabling a scalable foundation for standardized Network API exposure and monetization.”

As part of its broader strategic approach, GMS has joined the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, supporting the global effort to standardize Network API exposure across operators. GMS has already received GSMA Open Gateway certification for four Network APIs, with certification for more expected shortly, further strengthening its standards-aligned Network API portfolio. GSMA Open Gateway APIs are developed in collaboration with the CAMARA open-source community, which defines common, interoperable API specifications to ensure portability, consistency, and secure enterprise consumption across markets. This alignment ensures that GMS’s Network API enablement and aggregation approach is built on globally recognized industry frameworks.

About GMS 

GMS is the world’s leading AI-driven communications solutions partner for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and enterprises. GMS’s deep understanding of messaging business, profound expertise in network protection, and global connectivity set the foundations for GMS to move into the future: AI communications solutions. For 20 years, GMS has greenlit secure engaging conversations that foster trust between brands and their customers, helping businesses grow and improve operational efficiency.

For more information, visit: http://www.gms.net/

About Shabodi
Shabodi is transforming telecommunications by making advanced mobile network capabilities easily accessible through a powerful API platform. Its NetAware platform accelerates the commercialization of GSMA Open Gateway/CAMARA APIs by providing technology to operators and aggregators. By exposing real-time network intelligence—such as Number Verification, SIM/Device status, Location, and Quality of Service, just to name a few APIs—NetAware bridges telecom infrastructure with digital innovation. Built on global standards from GSMA Open Gateway, CAMARA, and TM Forum, the platform ensures interoperability across operators and aggregators worldwide, enabling rapid adoption of programmable networks and next-generation connected services.

For more information, visit: https://www.shabodi.com 

Welcome to ICYMI
With eight halls, three co-located events, and four football fields-worth of ground to cover, it’s almost impossible to see everything at the world’s largest and most influential connectivity show. That’s why we created ICYMI – your daily MWC update capturing all the excitement, news, award-winners and announcements you might have missed.  

Monday’s highlights at MWC26 Barcelona 

Welcome to day one of this year’s event 

Spotted at keynote one 

There was serious star power present for the opening keynote of MWC26 Barcelona, with King Felipe VI of Spain, President of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and President of the Government of Catalunya, Salvador Illa, all in attendance.  

Opening MWC, Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA, outlined three ‘mountains’ the industry must climb together: completing the 5G journey, rising to the AI challenge – including a new Open Telco AI initiative and the launch of an Open Swahili Reasoning Model to tackle the growing AI language gap – and protecting the world from the escalating global scam epidemic.  

Ambitious? Absolutely. But as Vivek put it, “the journey that lies ahead won’t be easy. The challenges are massive, but the opportunities are exciting”. 

Quote of the day 

“We are entering a new era where seamless interoperability meets legitimate requirements of sovereignty, resilience and protection. If we are to remain the nervous system of the digital world, we must evolve and act as bridges between countries, industries and people.”  

Vivek Badrinath, Director General, GSMA 

Connectivity “from the seabed all the way up to the stars” 

Joining the stellar lineup of speakers in keynote one was “real life” (in the words of his interviewer, Margherita Della Valle) astronaut, Tim Peake. Briefly touching on loneliness in space – and connectivity’s role in enabling contact with his family during his six months in orbit on the International Space Station – the two called for collaboration in the “Wild West” of space, and “a new coordinated set of rules that can be applied to our use of the sky.” 

This address came on the same day as GSMA Foundry and the European Space Agency (ESA) announced new funding worth up to €100 million for projects to accelerate the convergence of space and mobile industries. 

If you didn’t catch it today, ESA will offer live satellite demonstrations at the ESA and Foundry NTN Showcase tomorrow (Tuesday) at 11:00 and 14:00, where you can see how Europe will explore the moon in the coming decade. 

Exhibition highlight 

Airport of the Future – now boarding

The Airport of the Future (AotF) at MWC26 is what happens when aviation and cutting-edge connectivity finally sit next to each other in first class – and it's a very comfortable ride. 

Imagine a living, breathing real-world testbed for the frictionless, hyper-connected airports of tomorrow – and MWC attendees can walk right through it today. 

AotF's showstopper is a live, full-scale Motional Digital Twin of the entire exhibition zone, powered by Outsight's Spatial AI technology, the first time this has ever been deployed at a tech event. Using 3D LiDAR sensing, it anonymously tracks the movement of every person in real time, offering a live window into how airports around the world are already managing passenger flows, queue dynamics and terminal operations.  

But there's more to explore – tag your luggage digitally and sort your pet's travel passport at check-in with Aena. Step aboard Airbus' connected aircraft experience and customise your own cabin environment. And catch Neutral Wireless demonstrating low-latency live video from a 5G-connected aircraft.  

MWC announcements

• Amazon’s Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer, David Zapolsky announced that AWS is vastly expanding its infrastructure investment in Spain to a total of $33 billion, up $18 billion from the figure announced a few years ago. As David put it, the investment reflects Amazon’s “long-term commitment to Spain, to make Spain the AI epicentre for our operations in Europe.”
• The tech giant also announced it will be opening seven new solar facilities in Spain, as well as an advanced manufacturing plant in Aragon, forming the centre of Amazon’s European server and server rack manufacturing.
• Vodafone's new open access company, Satellite Connect Europe, in partnership with AST SpaceMobile, will allow European operators to access satellite operations based in Europe. Vodafone announced today that operators including Orange and Telefónica, representing 10 European markets, have chosen to work with Satellite Connect Europe, following its launch last week 

MWC26 takes place at a defining moment for the global connectivity industry, as advanced 5G, AI, and rising digital threats reshape economies, industries and societies at pace. In his opening keynote, GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath set out three urgent priorities for the years ahead: investment in standalone networks, expanding access to open and inclusive AI, and coordinated action across industries and governments to build a safer digital future for all. 

Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA, said: “Last year, mobile connected 5.8 billion people and contributed $7.6 trillion to the global economy. However, if we want to unlock the full promise of 5G, harness AI responsibly, and protect people from escalating digital threats, we must act with urgency. As the industry that connects the world, we have a real responsibility to champion open collaboration across borders to secure networks, close digital gaps, and strengthen trust in the digital economy.”

The GSMA Mobile Economy 2026 Report

Launched today at MWC26, The Mobile Economy 2026 report shows how the industry is shifting from a connectivity-centric model to one powered by advanced digital platforms, 5G standalone, AI and open APIs.

• Mobile technologies and services generated $7.6 trillion of economic value in 2025, equivalent to 6.4% of global GDP, and are projected to reach $11.3 trillion, or 8.4% of GDP, by 2030.
• Despite 96% of the global population living within mobile broadband coverage, over three billion people remain unconnected, with the usage gap almost 10x larger than the coverage gap.
• The mobile ecosystem supported 50 million jobs worldwide in 2025 and contributed more than $800 billion in public revenues through taxation.
• By 2030, 57% of all mobile connections will run on 5G, while legacy 2G and 3G will account for just 1% and 5% of connections respectively.
• Operator revenues are projected to grow from $1.19 trillion in 2025 to $1.36 trillion by 2030, supported by $1.2 trillion in capital expenditure over the period.

The report also projects that the global cost of cybercrime, including fraud, will rise from $9.22 trillion in 2024 to $15.63 trillion by 2029. As networks become more software-defined and AI-enabled, more than 90% of operators already rate the threat environment as high or very high. The scale of the risk demands a unified, urgent response.

MWC26 keynotes will be live streamed on the MWC26 website and app, as well as by Mobile World Live. All this content, plus select conference sessions, will also be available on demand via the MWC website. MWC26 continues through to 5 March 2026. Get the latest news and information live from the MWC26 Press Zone. 

-ENDS-

About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office pressoffice@gsma.com  

And this year we celebrate 20 years of MWC in wonderful Barcelona. Back then 3G had just launched, and the Motorola Razr V3 was the phone of the moment. Today there are almost 9 billion connections, and our industry connects 5.8 billion people - 70% of the world’s population. Last year we contributed $7.6 trillion, or 6.4% of global GDP and this will grow to over $11 trillion by 2030 as we contribute to an increasingly broad list of industries and sectors. 

Over the last twenty years, the mobile industry has seen incredible growth. We became the nervous system of our digital world but today the landscape is changing. While anniversaries are an opportunity to marvel at the journey travelled, they are also an opportunity to look up and look ahead. As we do this, the next steps of the journey are clear and before us rise three mountains we must climb together. 

First, we must complete the 5G journey. 5G is the modernisation of society itself. In a future where cities think for themselves, factories run autonomously, and robotics are part of daily life, investing in 5G standalone is essential and countries that hesitate will fall behind. In markets where adoption is at least 10%, operators are seeing double the revenue growth compared to those without it. 5G standalone could add up to $187 billion to mobile revenues by 2030. Just look at the US, China, and the Gulf States: they have ports, factories, hospitals – all running on 5G‑Advanced. These are not just proofs of concept, they are real-life operations and services in commercial use. But in Europe, we are losing ground. There is much more to be done to unlock the potential of 5G, in particular, slicing, to support these use cases.

Today, more than anything, the lack of scale is hindering operators from making the necessary investments. We welcome the Commission’s review of merger guidelines and have worked on concrete proposals to support this essential work. If we want to realise the full promise of 5G, and lay a healthy foundation for 6G, we must complete the 5G standalone journey.

Now, the second mountain we face is rising to the AI challenge. AI is transforming the world and the way we relate to it. And as telcos we have a crucial role to play because we are a foundational layer of the AI stack. Our infrastructure allows AI to run at the edge, in real time, for billions. As an industry we have embraced AI, and operators are investing at scale. From Deutsche Telekom’s €1‑billion AI factory, to China Mobile doubling its AI investment by 2028, to AT&T going all‑in on agentic AI. Indeed, there is incredible opportunity, but the research also shows that today’s AI models fall short of telco-specific needs. If we want to unlock the full benefits of AI for telco, we need telco-grade AI. We recently announced Open Telco AI, a new initiative where we will work with partners to: 

• Launch a suite of open-telco models and datasets
• Open access to more compute for model training
• Benchmark progress through the Telco Capability Index
• And build community

But along with all this opportunity, we also have a responsibility. There are over 7,000 languages in the world, yet AI is trained in only a handful. A new AI language gap is emerging, on top of the gaps we already face – the coverage and the usage gap. If people cannot use AI in the language they speak, they are excluded from the opportunities it creates and the relevance of the models is vastly reduced.

Today, 300 million people are not yet covered by a mobile network and 3.1 billion people who live within coverage, are not using mobile internet for a variety of reasons. That means, 3.4 billion people are still not connected. Access to mobile money, precision agriculture, digital education and health services is already transforming millions of lives, now we must make them accessible to billions.

It’s crucial that we close these gaps and at the GSMA, we are working with partners to address challenges like handset affordability, digital skills and security. And of the 7,000 languages I mentioned, 2,000 are spoken in Africa so this is an exciting market to prove a new, open AI approach. We also recently launched the first Open Swahili Reasoning Model and I’m also pleased that 2 new compute providers have committed to support building a series open African-language models. The next AI breakthrough could come from anywhere but only if everyone is connected. 

This brings me to our third mountain, as we continue forward in our journey, another reality becomes unavoidable: safety. Today, scammers are winning the arms race - using technology to stay ahead, exploit gaps between sectors and countries, and adapt. This global threat needs urgent, coordinated action. As an industry, we are collectively committed to fighting back. We’re investing in cutting edge defences, focusing on the safety and security of our handsets and networks and sharing intelligence with all digital partners to improve detection.

GSMA Open Gateway is a key tool here. The Scam Signal API, for instance, has improved scam detection rates by up to 40%, and is now being rolled out globally.  Indeed, we will continue to do our part as an industry to address this challenge, but the reality is that the majority of scams happen beyond the control of operators.  This is not a challenge that will be solved by one industry alone. We must all be united against scams – operators, security experts, ecosystem players, government and consumers – to build a safer digital future for us all. The journey that lies ahead won’t be easy. The challenges are massive, but the opportunities are exciting. 

It’s clear we are in a new era, seamless interworking is confronted by the new, legitimate requirements of sovereignty, resilience, and protection. If we are to remain the nervous system, today, more than ever, we have a responsibility, to grow, to evolve, and to become the bridges between countries, industries and people. Because even as the global landscape shifts the world still needs a seamless connection. 

And we can only deliver this if we preserve what has always powered our progress: global standards, global scale and global innovation. Our standards got us here - nobody wants to go back to the days where we had to change phones when we travelled. Our scale comes from our global market of almost 9 billion connections enabling us to scale up supply chains and bring down costs. And all of this drives global innovation, from the most sophisticated industrial 5G applications to funky video snippets to mobile money.

Global standards. Global scale. Global innovation. They brought us here and they will drive us forward, but we must work relentlessly to preserve them. If we achieve this, I believe we can ensure the best ideas, from everywhere, are the ones that shape a better future for us all.

Colt is exploring ways to apply agentic AI throughout the customer journey, from pricing to onboarding and beyond. This pricing agent is one of the first proofs of concept to be explored and delivered as part of the Colt programme. In just three days Colt and Microsoft trained the agent to deliver complex deal pricing across the majority of its markets, with 99% accuracy. While the quotes are generated by the agent, Colt’s skilled teams check them before issuing to customers. 

This agentic AI engine is one of the first tools to be developed as part of Colt’s broader ‘people first’ AI strategy, which focuses on creating secure, scalable and responsible AI ecosystems for its employees and customers, empowering them to face an AI defined future with confidence. 

Frank Miller, chief AI and platforms officer, Colt Technology Services says, “Enterprise IT buying has always been complex. A large-scale global infrastructure project can take weeks for providers to generate accurate pricing, but there’s no question it can slow down delivery. Together with Microsoft, we wanted to explore how AI capabilities can break this pattern. By accelerating and clarifying pricing, our customers can focus on achieving their goals, faster, while we keep them connected across the world. Businesses deserve connectivity without complexity and its down to global digital infrastructure providers to make sure this happens.”

 Frank added, “We’ll continue the innovation journey with Microsoft in building the factory for agentic application in telecommunication with a specific focus on the best possible customer experience; fast, simple, accurate, secure and reliable.”

“Agentic AI has the potential to transform complex enterprise workflows in the telecom industry, where speed, accuracy and scale are critical,” said Rick Lievano, Worldwide CTO, Telco, Media & Gaming at Microsoft. “Colt’s initiative, combining deep telecom domain expertise with Microsoft cloud AI capabilities, helps automate complex processes, improve consistency, and give customers faster access to the information they need to make informed decisions.”

The agentic AI engine for pricing is expected to become available for use later this year.

About Colt Technology Services

We’re Colt. We own and operate exceptional digital infrastructure which powers the global AI economy, connects societies, builds communities and transforms lives. Thousands of colleagues in 65+ offices across Europe, Asia, and North America share a deep commitment to delivering an outstanding experience and making every interaction effortless for our customers.

Customers and partners choose our award-winning fibre infrastructure, digital platforms and security solutions, delivered across a network that spans continents and crosses oceans. We’re Europe’s largest B2B operator: we connect 40+ countries, 32,000 enterprise buildings, 275+ points of presence, and 12 cable landing stations and we manage eight subsea cable systems. We also co-manage AS3356 - the most widely peered network in the world.

Founded in London over 30 years ago, we’re privately funded and driven by values of fairness, inclusion and equity. We’re known for our urgent call for social and sustainable change and we're guided by our purpose in everything we do: creating effortless connections and extraordinary outcomes for our customers, communities and people. Be a part of our story: come on over to www.colt.net  or join our amazing communities at LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube. Media enquiry? Email us at pressqueries@colt.net.

The total planned investment in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Europe (Spain) Region, located in Aragón, is estimated to contribute €31.7 billion to Spain's total GDP through 2035, supporting an estimated 29,900 full-time equivalent jobs annually in local businesses, including direct, indirect, and induced. Of these, 6,700 are full-time jobs from Amazon's direct investment across multiple categories, including highly skilled data center operations staff and employees of AWS’s suppliers such as construction workers building the facilities and data center security personnel, among others.

Amazon is also planning to build supply chain facilities in Aragón that will directly support its data center operations across Spain and Europe. When fully operational, the facilities are expected to create approximately 1,800 jobs in Aragón. The project will include a server manufacturing plant to complete assembly and testing, a manufacturing fulfillment warehouse, and a dedicated AI and machine learning (ML) server manufacturing and repair facility, a key component of Amazon's circular economy strategy.

Since its arrival in Spain in 2011, Amazon has invested more than €20 billion in the country across retail operations, logistics network, cloud and AI infrastructure, community development programs, and innovation for customers and businesses. 

“As Amazon marks 15 years in Spain, this new infrastructure investment reinforces our long-term commitment and will be pivotal for the country’s digital and economic future,” said David Zapolsky, Amazon's chief global affairs and legal officer. "We're supporting Europe's digital capabilities and expanding cloud and AI infrastructure that businesses and organizations are already using to grow and innovate. Our investment will create meaningful opportunities for Spanish citizens, including high-skilled jobs and community initiatives, while advancing water stewardship and promoting carbon-free energy projects. This is a long-term bet on Spain, and we're proud to make it.”

Building on years of infrastructure investment in Spain to boost customer innovation at scale

Amazon’s commitment to operating data centers in Spain began with the launch of the AWS Europe (Spain) Region in Aragón in November 2022. 

The AWS Region is already driving digital transformation for organizations throughout Spain, across Europe, and around the world. This investment will support the increasing demand for cloud computing and AI, accelerate AI adoption and capabilities, and enable the continued modernization of Spanish and European organizations of all sizes. 

AWS makes cloud and AI capabilities available to public institutions across Aragón and Spain, including universities, vocational training centers, and research institutes, empowering the next generation of researchers, educators, and innovators. 

National organizations and businesses leveraging the AWS Region in Aragón include Telefónica, BBVA, Iberia, Indra, Iberdrola, Mapfre, Moeve, Multiverse Computing, Idealista, Ibercaja, WiZink, Gobierno de Aragón, IE, Insud Pharma, Grupo Editorial Edelvives, Grupo San Jorge, Smadex, ONCE, and the Spanish Red Cross. 

Amazon infrastructure investments benefiting the local community

Amazon intends to invest €30 million in community programs through 2035 in the areas where it operates infrastructure in Spain, focusing on education, sustainability, social impact, and local development.

Since 2023, Amazon has supported more than 100 community programs and initiatives across Aragón. This includes two Community Funds promoting 48 hyperlocal projects, as well as technology and community partnerships with Real Zaragoza and SD Huesca football clubs that have engaged more than 2,000 children in youth community tournaments while promoting inclusive sports, among others. In 2023, Amazon also launched the Think Big Space in Aragón, a robotics training program that has engaged more than 7,400 students across 45 schools in Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel.

"Amazon's support has been instrumental in helping us transform rural Aragón through digital innovation," said Alberto Alfonso, CEO of Adoptanolivetree.org, a social project restoring abandoned olive trees while driving rural employment and heritage conservation. "Our rural digitalization project is revitalizing the Aragonese countryside by empowering 450 rural entrepreneurs through digital training and financial support. The initiative, started in Teruel but now spans 43 municipalities across all three provinces of Aragón, has also inspired more than 550 local students through hands-on workshops and real-world examples of rural innovation. Amazon's commitment has enabled us to demonstrate that technology and tradition can work together to create sustainable opportunities for rural communities.”

Nationally, AWS has trained more than 200,000 people in Spain since 2017 to develop digital skills, empowering individuals to advance their careers and drive the nation's digital transformation. Amazon, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport, is committed to training half a million students in AI and digital skills by 2027 in Spain through programs like AWS Futuro IA, AWS re/Start, AWS Spain Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance, and Amazon Future Engineer.

Commitment to renewable energy and water stewardship to support infrastructure expansion

Amazon has committed to be net-zero carbon by 2040. To power operations with renewable energy and support expanded local cloud infrastructure, Amazon is investing in 100 solar and wind projects across Spain, including seven new solar farms. In Aragón, AWS data centers have been matching electricity use with 100% renewable energy since opening in 2022.

AWS is committed to being water positive by 2030, returning more water to communities than it uses in its direct operations. In 2024, AWS was 53% of the way toward that goal. In Aragón, AWS is supporting five water projects with an investment of €17.2 million: detecting and reducing water loss through leaks in aging pipework, increasing reused water flow to local farms, implementing an innovative flood management system for Zaragoza, providing farmers access to an AWS-based AI agriculture solution to maximize crop yields while reducing water footprint, and modernizing a crucial water pipeline in Huesca.

"We used to over-irrigate out of caution because we lacked precise data," said Miguel Angel Ferrer, agricultural director at Finca El Forado in Aragón, an olive and almond farm in Zaragoza. "AWS-powered smart irrigation has changed everything. By analyzing 50 to 100 data points—from soil moisture to weather forecasts—we now know exactly when, where, and how much to irrigate. We're saving up to 50% of our water annually, around 93 million liters, improving our harvests, and reducing costs. We waste less water, respect the environment, and grow better crops. It's a win for both our farm and our community."

Driving digital and economic transformation at regional level

AWS data centers are driving economic growth by creating opportunities for local suppliers and services, generating skilled employment opportunities, and enabling Aragón to emerge as a European digital hub. This investment will continue to help the regional economy and local businesses to grow, with more than half of the investment impact concentrated directly in Aragón—€18.5 billion contributing to Aragonese regional GDP through 2035 and supporting an estimated 13,400 full-time equivalent jobs annually in local businesses, of which 4,200 are full-time equivalent direct jobs from Amazon’s investment in Aragón.

The Aragonese company ALAN COMMISSIONING, which offers services for data center infrastructure from construction to full operation, such as installing and testing, exemplifies the regional business growth enabled by AWS. "The arrival of AWS infrastructure in Aragón allowed us to specialize in services for data centers and, thanks to this opportunity, we have expanded our offering. Today ALAN COMMISSIONING has a team of 65 professionals and is a reference in the infrastructure industry. In line with AWS's work in Aragón, we are also firmly committed to young Aragonese talent through the creation of an internal training plan aimed at recently graduated engineers from the area," states Ángel Bernad, ALAN COMMISSIONING COO and founder.

With this expansion, Amazon is the first technology company to announce plans to build data centers in the province of Teruel, in addition to new facilities in Huesca and Zaragoza, bringing advanced cloud infrastructure to all three provinces of Aragón and creating jobs and business opportunities across the region.

Learn more about the ways in which Amazon data centers benefit local communities and businesses in Aragón.

Building on the GSMA’s Mobile AI Community, established in 2025, the initiative brings together operators and ecosystem partners to advance the development of AI-enabled connectivity, edge intelligence and cloud-network collaboration. Its focus is on enabling scalable, secure and trustworthy foundations for AI applications across the real economy, as well as driving the development of telecom services, computing services and intelligent services.

The initiative is structured around three core pillars: intelligent networks, ecosystem collaboration, and industry adoption.

Building AI-native intelligent networks

The initiative aims to support the evolution of mobile networks from passive connectivity platforms into intelligent, adaptive systems. Through the combined approaches of AI for Networks and Networks for AI, operators will work towards networks capable of real-time perception, optimisation and decision-making.

With the support of participating operators, the GSMA will advance industry alignment on the integration of 5G-Advanced and AI, including the deployment of AI-enabled edge capabilities and the delivery of high-quality, deterministic network services to support large-scale AI use cases.

Sihan Bo Chen, Head of GSMA Greater China, said: “AI is moving rapidly with fast, real-world deployment. To scale responsibly and effectively, it requires connectivity that is ubiquitous, low-latency, programmable and secure. Mobile networks provide a unique foundation for this next phase of AI development. Through this initiative, we are bringing together global expertise and practical experience to help build the intelligent infrastructure that AI-enabled societies will depend on.”

Enabling a collaborative device-edge-cloud ecosystem

The initiative will encourage collaboration across the value chain to support the development of Mobile AI devices and platforms. This includes work to align on technical specifications and accelerate innovation across key device categories such as AI-enabled smartphones, wearables, connected vehicles and robotics.

Through the GSMA Open Gateway framework, participating organisations will also explore approaches to secure, trusted data exchange, helping to reduce fragmentation and support responsible AI development across networks and platforms.

Supporting AI adoption across industries

A further focus of the initiative is enabling AI applications across priority sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, transport and urban services. Building on existing GSMA work on operator-led AI deployments, the initiative will support knowledge-sharing and collaboration between operators, technology providers and industry partners.

This includes the development of a cross-industry innovation platform to showcase practical Mobile AI Innovation use cases and support the emergence of new AI-enabled services. With the launch of the Mobile AI Innovation Initiative, the GSMA and its partners aim to support the next phase of AI development by aligning innovation with trusted connectivity, open collaboration and real-world impact.

As part of the initiative’s implementation, the GSMA also confirmed that MWC26 Shanghai, taking place from 24-26 June, will serve as a key global platform for advancing Mobile AI Innovation collaboration. Marking the 13th edition of the event – an auspicious number in Chinese culture – MWC26 Shanghai will reflect a new phase in its evolution, with a dynamic agenda focused on next-generation technologies shaping the mobile and digital ecosystem.

Introducing more strategic partners in support of MWC26 Shanghai

In a move to complete the strategic partners initiative in support of MWC26 Shanghai, announced last year, the GSMA has unveiled more partners who bring their industry and technological leadership, forming an essential part of MWC26 Shanghai, taking the total number of strategic partners to over 30. The new partners include Alibaba Cloud, Asiainfo, Intel,  AgiBot, APSAT and 5GAA. 

MWC26 Shanghai will feature dedicated zones and content showcasing advances across Mobile AI, robotics, 5G-Advanced, early 6G research, Low altitude economy and satellite–mobile convergence. The strategic partners of feature zones include China Mobile Group Device Co., Ltd., Unicom Vsens Telecommunications Co., Ltd., China Mobile (Chengdu) Institute of Research and Development and China Telecom Low Altitude Economic Industry Alliance. This dynamic programme will bring together operators, technology providers and industry partners to demonstrate how AI-enabled connectivity is being applied in real-world environments.

Join us for MWC26 Shanghai 

MWC26 Shanghai will return from 24-26 June 2026. Find out more information about how you can get involved in MWC26 Shanghai as an exhibitor, sponsor or speaker and stay up to date with the latest news on the press zone.   

Registration is open to all attendees. We invite members of the media and industry analysts to apply for a complimentary media pass to the event by following this link. 

-ENDS- 

About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations a

cross the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. 

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office  
pressoffice@gsma.com

Baracoda, a global leader in AIoT, unveils at MWC 2026 the latest evolution of BConnect to accelerate the creation of connected products while restoring sovereign control over user data.

Across Europe, companies face a shared structural challenge: bringing a connected device to market remains slow, capital-intensive, and reliant on fragmented technologies. Core infrastructure layers are frequently hosted beyond European borders, placing strategic product data under external jurisdictions and limiting the ability to fully harness its AI-driven value

“BConnect becomes the engine that turns an idea into a real connected product, disrupting the manufacturing value chain of connected devices, compressing time-to-market from months to days. BConnect enables a sovereign ecosystem of connected devices, allowing European brands to restore industrial autonomy across design, software infrastructure, and data governance.”

BConnect is not a coding assistant.

It is a full-stack system generation platform that transforms an idea into:

• deployable firmware
• mobile applications
• cloud infrastructure
• governed data systems

Based on a proprietary multi agentic system.

It offers to users:

• Faster conception.
• Lower development cost.
• Clearer ownership of technology.

Two Strategic Uses

• For Creators: BConnect turns a structured product definition into core software, cutting development time, costs, and external dependencies.
• For Sovereign Brands and Retailers: It restores control over data, infrastructure, and lifecycle, enabling sovereign, compliance-ready connected products at scale.

Manufacturers and global brands are required to meet more and more demanding European sovereignty standards. BConnect provides an integrated, end-to-end platform that enables them to meet the highest levels of compliance while remaining agile and competitive in a rapidly evolving market.

About Baracoda

Baracoda is a global leader in AIoT platforms, designing connected products and building digital infrastructures that power millions of daily interactions worldwide.

Built on more than 20 years of industrial expertise, the company has deployed over 60 million devices, developed a portfolio of 80+ patents, and established a track record of proven global industrial execution.

More information: www.baracoda.com 
Visit Baracoda at MWC 2026
4YFN – Booth 8.0D35.1

Building on the success of the GSMA Foundry and ESA partnership established in 2024, this major financial commitment from ESA is designed to fast-track the commercialisation of hybrid networks, and help ensure seamless global connectivity through the integration of satellite and terrestrial assets. The funding targets four strategic pillars, focusing on:

• AI x NTN: Leveraging artificial intelligence to orchestrate dynamic spectrum and traffic across multi-orbit satellite and terrestrial networks.
• Direct-to-Device (D2D): Supporting pilots that deliver standards-based connectivity directly to consumer smartphones and IoT devices globally.
• 5G/6G Hubs: Establishing collaborative testbeds for operators and developers to co-create the next generation of hybrid network infrastructure.
• 6G Innovation: Focusing on early-stage 6G technologies, such as edge intelligence and advanced IoT, by emphasising areas where satellite-terrestrial convergence will play a crucial role.
   

Laurent Jaffart, Director of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity at ESA, said: "Our Member States' unwavering support in our programmes, particularly during the ESA Council at Ministerial Level (CM25), has made this collaboration with GSMA Foundry possible. At Mobile World Congress, we’re collectively marking a pivotal moment for the convergence of Europe's space and telecommunication sectors. By offering access to funding for AI, NTN, and D2D, we are not just supporting the development of technology – we are preparing for the seamless, global 6G infrastructure of tomorrow.”
 

Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer at GSMA, added: "By combining the reach of the mobile industry with ESA’s space expertise, we are unlocking a new era of connectivity. This funding and our showcase demonstrate that hybrid networks are no longer a concept – they are a commercial reality. The collaborative breakthroughs you see today signal a step-change for digital transformation, making seamless and universal connectivity possible even in the most remote regions. Together, we are driving forward innovation that will empower businesses, revolutionise industries and bring transformative benefits to society as a whole."  

ESA and GSMA Foundry NTN Showcase at MWC26 Barcelona 

The ESA and GSMA Foundry NTN Showcase is a highlight of the New Frontiers zone in Hall 6. Featuring fifteen live demonstrations that bring space-to-mobile convergence to life, the showcase will include standards-based D2D connectivity, NTN orchestration, AI-driven networks, and early 6G innovation illustrating how hybrid satellite and terrestrial architectures expand coverage to boost resilience and enable new services. The demonstrations will be supported by Accedo, Autodiscovery, AWTG, Celeste, Filtronic, Keysight & Sateliot, Lasting Software, MediaTek & Rohde & Schwarz, Microamp, MinWave Technologies, NextWorks, Nokia RXRM, OQ Technology, Photon Industries and Qoherent.

On Monday at 12:00, Laurent Jaffart, Director of Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity at ESA, will join GSMA's Chief Technology Officer, Alex Sinclair, on the New Frontiers Stage for a discussion on the €100M funding announcement from ESA. 

In addition, Fabrizio De Paolis, ESA 5G/6G Implementation Manager, will be moderating a panel on NTN experimentation on the New Frontiers Stage on Tuesday at 10:30, while Antonio Franchi, Head of ESA’s Space for 5G/6G & Sustainable Connectivity programme, will speak at the Satellite and NTN Summit on Wednesday at 10:00. The discussions will outline the roadmap to 6G and the role of space in sustainable, real-world deployments for operators, developers and enterprises. 

At the ESA and GSMA Foundry NTN Showcase, ESA will offer live satellite demonstrations on Monday at 14:00 and Tuesday at 11:00 and 14:00, allowing visitors to see how Europe will explore the Moon in the coming decade. The live demonstration brings the capabilities of LUNA – Europe’s gateway to the lunar surface – to the world stage, by showcasing how advanced connectivity, robotics, mixed reality and satellite communications will support ESA’s role in the international return to the Moon. 

The LUNA‑themed demonstration at MWC26 showcases the future of space exploration powered by advanced European connectivity. Companies from across Europe – including Nokia RXRM, Photon Industries, Autodiscovery and Microamp – are joining ESA to show how 5G mmWave, satellite networks, mixed reality and robotics will make it possible to remotely control lunar landers, rovers, and even humanoid robots from Earth or the International Space Station (ISS). 

A mixed‑reality model of ESA’s Argonaut lunar lander, the European lander designed to deliver scientific payloads and cargo to the Moon, is a key feature. Visitors can watch Nokia RXRM’s ultra‑high‑resolution 360° camera streaming from inside the LUNA facility and remotely operate an ESA training rover connected over satellite, proving how astronauts and experts could one day work together seamlessly across Earth–Moon distances.

Celebrating the GSMA Foundry Excellence Awards winners 

The GSMA Foundry Excellence Awards Ceremony held on Sunday 1 March at the iconic Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya also saw the ESA and GSMA Foundry Challenges 2025 winners honoured for their breakthrough contributions to the ecosystem in the following categories: 

• AWTG: Winner of the Fixed Mobile Convergence for TN-NTN Networks category, recognised for delivering an innovative solution that enables seamless integration between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.
• Keysight & Sateliot: Winners of the 6G Innovation category for their groundbreaking advancements in next-generation mobile network technology.
• Lasting Software: Recognised as the first award recipient to receive funding for 5G/6G Hubs in Romania, supporting collaborative development and innovation in hybrid network infrastructure.
• NextWorks: Winner of the NTN x Open Gateway Challenge for pioneering integration of NTN in mobile core architectures across 5G, IoT, private networks and GSMA Open Gateway APIs. This project is notable as the first completed initiative from ESA x GSMA Foundry funding.
• OQ Technologies & Celeste: Winners in the D2D Connectivity category, recognised for their achievements in D2D connectivity, expanding global reach for consumer smartphones and IoT devices.

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

About the European Space Agency

 The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space. 

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. 

 ESA has 23 Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia are Associate Members. 

 ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement. 

 By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions. 

 Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

Delivering Premium User Experiences with Helpful Features

Now, a wider range of carriers can provide their customers with the high-quality, premium Android experiences they have come to expect for their devices out-of-the-box. By using GSMA standardized entitlement infrastructure, carriers can modernize operations, drive new revenue, decrease churn, and increase user satisfaction. Android Network Ready utilizes a standardized process to streamline the launch of advanced features providing the foundation for a more delightful experience for users and more revenue opportunities for carriers.

Eligible carriers can expect a supported and streamlined onboarding experience where Google support guides the integration, testing, and validation process, which typically takes months.

The program empowers carriers to expand their service portfolios with a suite of advanced capabilities including:

• Modern Messaging with RCS: Helps carriers stay competitive by offering the rich, modern communication features consumers enjoy, making every interaction more helpful and expressive.
• Seamless eSIM Management: Removes the friction of physical cards by automating the onboarding process, allowing for a smooth and entirely digital, customer-centric setup experience.
• Satellite Connectivity: Provides users with essential peace of mind by offering expanded coverage options in remote areas where traditional signals may fail.
• Core Reliability: Streamlined access to Phone Number Verification ensures users stay connected and secure.
   

“The world of Android is most powerful when it’s accessible to everyone,” said Elmar Weber, Vice President and General Manager of Android & Business Communication, Google. “By democratizing access to these premium services with Android Network Ready, we’re not just helping carriers modernize their operations; we’re ensuring that users everywhere can enjoy the peace of mind and ubiquitous connectivity that Android provides.”

Empowering Carriers and MVNOs to Modernize Operations

The Android Network Ready program enables carriers and MVNOs to modernize their operations while improving the customer journey. By utilizing entitlement servers to help automate the onboarding process, carriers can significantly reduce their customer support load as users transition to intuitive, self-service models. Beyond operational efficiency, the program unlocks new revenue-driving experiences:

• RCS for Business (RBM): Enables carriers to offer branded business messaging as a clear growth driver.
• Secure Phone Number Verification: Offers a carrier-based alternative to traditional SMS verification, adding a layer of security and trust for businesses and users alike.

Giving More Users Access to Android Services

By removing barriers and making the adoption of these Android services seamless, Android Network Ready helps ensure that carriers and MVNOs have access to the latest in convenience, safety, and connectivity features. Whether it is the safety of satellite connectivity in a remote location or the convenience of an automated eSIM transfer, this program helps bring Android’s rich technology to more users than ever before.

To learn more about Android Network Ready, mobile operators can reach out to: android-network-ready-support@google.com.

Media Contact Info Google PR press@google.com

AINNOV8 is designed to help operators move beyond traditional connectivity and enter the Agentic AI era. The platform enables telecom providers to offer AI-powered phone numbers and multimodal AI agent services, transforming conversations into scalable, revenue-generating digital services.

The AINNOV8 Platform includes a comprehensive portfolio of network-based and AI-driven services:

• CALL SENTINEL – Network-level call screening and call listening to reduce spam and fraud
• CALL SPARK – Tools for businesses to create voice, visual, and chat AI agents
• CALL NOVA – Multimodal AI agents powered by visual AI technology for customer service
• CALL MATE – AI personal assistant for handling incoming calls
• CALL MARKET – Conversational AI solutions for digital commerce

These services enable telecom operators to offer premium AI-powered solutions across enterprise and consumer segments, opening new revenue streams across multiple industry verticals.

By leveraging their strategic assets, including voice, messaging, mobile data, identity, billing, and trust, operators can use AINNOV8 to build a scalable ecosystem for AI-powered communications. The platform positions telecom networks at the center of the emerging Agentic AI economy, where AI agents become active participants in digital interactions.

Throughout MWC26 Barcelona, WIT Software will demonstrate the AINNOV8 Platform and present real-world use cases illustrating how telecom operators can transform their networks into platforms for AI services.

For more information, visit www.wit-software.com.

About WIT Software

WIT Software is a global technology company specializing in innovative products and software solutions for Mobile Telecom Operators. With 25 years of expertise in mobile messaging, IP voice and video, RCS technology, mobile payments, IPTV, value-added services, and 5G applications, WIT Software continues to drive innovation in next-generation communications and AI-powered digital services.

Media Contact:

Teresa Chaves

Press & Social Media

WIT Software

press@wit-software.com
+351.239801030

While frontier AI models have advanced rapidly, they continue to underperform on telecom specific tasks. Many general-purpose models struggle to interpret network data, understand standards documentation, or automate network operations with sufficient accuracy. This performance gap limits progress: only 16% of telecoms GenAI deployments1 have been applied to network operations. 

Open Telco AI meets this challenge by uniting industry and academic partners to build the foundations of telco‑grade AI models, data, compute, benchmarks and community. Progress is tracked through the Telco Capability Index, which measures model performance across an expanding set of telecom‑specific tasks.

As founding supporters of Open Telco AI, AT&T and AMD are making significant contributions. AT&T is releasing a family of open telco-models developed and trained on open, publicly available data to be hardware and cloud‑agnostic, demonstrating that AI can deliver value across projects of any size and with varying levels of compute resources. AMD is providing compute capacity for model training, fine‑tuning, inference and evaluation through its GPU platforms, cloud partner TensorWave and open toolchains.

The initiative is also supported by community programmes that bring together developers, researchers and operators to solve real-world telecom‑AI problems. This includes competitions such as the AI Telco Troubleshooting Challenge which attracted over 1,000 registrations and will announce its winners at MWC26 Barcelona.

Louis Powell, Director of AI Initiatives, GSMA, said: “Today’s AI models still fall short of the complexity, precision and reliability the telecom industry demands. Put simply, AI does not yet speak telco and operators are often deploying technology that cannot meet the required levels of accuracy, safety or efficiency. Establishing clear benchmarks and collaborating across the industry on datasets, models and agentic systems is essential. Open Telco AI provides a shared foundation designed to close this gap, an approach that other regulated sectors such as finance and healthcare can follow.” 
 

“Telco networks are among the most demanding and regulated environments for AI and moving from promising demos to telco-grade performance requires an open foundation for data, workloads and compute,” said Philip Guido, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, AMD. “Through Open Telco AI, with GSMA and AT&T, AMD delivers the enterprise and AI compute needed to train, fine-tune and run open, telco-grade models efficiently from core to edge.”
 

Andy Markus, Chief Data and AI Officer at AT&T, said: “The telecom industry needs AI that understands the realities of networks – not only generic models repurposed for telco tasks. Through Open Telco AI, AT&T is helping build the datasets, models and evaluation frameworks that make telco‑grade AI possible at scale. By contributing our expertise and shaping realistic test environments, we’re demonstrating how generative and agentic AI can improve customer experience, reduce operational friction and ultimately create new value. This collaboration with GSMA is accelerating the industry’s path toward intelligent, automated networks.”

Building the Open Foundations of Telco-Grade AI

The new portal will support the co‑creation of the essential building blocks for telco‑grade AI, including:

• Telco Models: High performance open weight models designed for telecom tasks, from network troubleshooting to standards interpretation, including modelsof multiple sizes and architectures from AT&T, a radio-frequency language model from Khalifa University called RFGPT and a Large Telco Model (LTM) from AdaptKey AI built on NVIDIA Nemotron.
• Open Data: A library of knowledge graphs, embeddings, and fine-tuning datasets of text, logs, and curated standards material from GSMA, Huawei Technologies France, Khalifa University, Mantis NLP, NetoAI, Pleias, Purdue University, The University of Texas at Dallas, University of Leeds and Yale University, and pipelines for generating synthetic data from NVIDIA.
• Compute: Access to compute and open toolchain for projects training and inferencing open models via AMD and TensorWave.
• Benchmarks: A leaderboard assessing model performance on seven telecom‑specific benchmarks, along with tools for evaluating and submitting models from local environments.
• Community: Resources, challenges and engagement activities to encourage collaboration, including the AI Telco Troubleshooting Challenge and Agentic Challenge.

The Open Telco AI initiative is supported by a host of valued contributing partners that have submitted data, models, and use cases including AMD, AT&T, Datumo, Huawei Technologies France, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, KDDI, Khalifa University, KPN, LGU+, Mantis NLP, NetoAI, North Carolina State University, NVIDIA Orange, Ooredoo, Pleias, Purdue University, RelationalAI, SK Telecom, Softbank, Swisscom, TensorWave, Turkcell, University of Leeds, University of Texas at Dallas, and Yale University. Open Telco AI also has the support of valued participants partners including Adaptive ML, BMC, China Telecom, China Unicom, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, DU, e& UAE, Google Cloud, IBM, Liberty Global, Queens University, Telefónica and Vodafone.

For more information, and to register interest, new partners can visit GSMA.com/open-telco-ai.

-END-

[1] Source: GSMA Intelligence, Telco AI: State of the Market, Q4 2025, (published January 2026)

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

About AMD

AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) drives innovation in high-performance and AI computing to solve the world’s most important challenges. Today, AMD technology powers billions of experiences across cloud and AI infrastructure, embedded systems, AI PCs and gaming. With a broad portfolio of AI-optimized CPUs, GPUs, networking and software, AMD delivers full-stack AI solutions that provide the performance and scalability needed for a new era of intelligent computing. Learn more at www.amd.com.

About AT&T

AT&T helps more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus nearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to its 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, @ATT innovates to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), please visit about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com.

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

Hon'ble Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India

Venue: Mobile World Congress, Fira Barcelona Gran Via, Barcelona

Location: CC2 Room 2.3 (GSMA Insights Hub)

Date: Tuesday, 3rd March 2026

Time: 14:45 PM CET onwards

We request you to kindly share your contact number for effective on-ground coordination during the event, as we will be present to oversee the arrangements.

For further information, please contact:

(Present on-ground at MWC Barcelona)

Saurabh Gupta | media@indiamobilecongress.com | +91 98180 75578

Ashwani Gupta: +91 98187 45476

*All numbers are available on WhatsApp

As AI, cloud computing and mobile connectivity continue to converge, decisions taken at the intersection of technology and telecoms are increasingly shaping markets, regulation and long-term global growth. The Nova Future Summit brings those decisions into sharp focus by putting the people who can move fastest and furthest under the same roof.

The event will unite challenger CEOs, C-level trailblazers, Venture Capital firms and board directors from across the global telecoms and technology ecosystem, including leaders from mobile network operators, core telecom groups, and large technology platforms, alongside investors, founders, and regulators across industries.

The agenda is strictly outcome-driven and anchored in real-life business challenges, with discussions centering on the real choices that will define our planet’s next wave of digital growth, including business models, partnership frameworks, capital allocation, and governance.

Further details will be shared via the GSMA Newsroom and the Nova Future Summit.

-ENDS-

About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com.

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office pressoffice@gsma.com  

About Wing Venture Capital

Founded in 2013, Wing works with ambitious founders to enable the AI-first transformation of business. We invest early, before it’s obvious, leading Seed and Series A financings and engaging deeply with our signature company-building skills and resources. The current Wing portfolio includes some of today’s most important enterprise technology companies such as Snowflake, Cohesity, Pinecone, and Gong. For more information, visit: www.wing.vc

Contact

Moxie Communications Group
wing@moxiegrouppr.com

It’s an opportunity that must be taken because the core Telco business has become commoditized and growth has become a challenge. Yet, the broader geopolitical and technological changes driven by AI open a great opportunity for Telcos to be the sovereign, responsible and scalable guardians of this AI revolution. 

What’s exciting for me is the role Infosys has in pulling together the various technologies, platforms and business strategies that can help the Telco operators use this moment to leap ahead rather than be left behind.

Moderator:
There has been much talk about AI’s effectiveness, or lack of thereof. Where do Telco’s stand on AI as a technology within their organizations today?

Anand Swaminathan:
Over the last few years, most Telcos have moved beyond experimentation — almost every organization has tried AI in some form. But the reality is that most of this progress is still happening in pockets where the value stays fragmented.

At the same time, the technology itself has advanced dramatically. We now have the infrastructure, models and agentic capabilities to automate far more of the enterprise than ever before. And that has created a gap: AI is ready for scale, but the operating model of most Telcos isn’t.

That’s why we’re seeing this shift in mindset. Leaders are realizing that AI isn’t just a cost‑takeout tool or something for the Ops and IT teams. It’s a catalyst to redesign how the entire organization works — how decisions are made, how services are delivered, and how quickly value reaches customers.

This recognition is what’s pushing the industry to think bigger. Instead of incremental automation, they’re now asking: “What would our business look like if AI was embedded end‑to‑end?”

Moderator:
Is that shift what led to the idea of the ‘Frontier Telco’?

Anand Swaminathan:
Yes, our ‘Frontier Telco’ details how a Telco can navigate to a more Autonomous operating model, identifying specifically which elements of the business can be highly automated through AI, and which can generate new customer value and strategic oversight through combined human and AI enablement.

Moderator:
So is this an operating model shift, or a business architecture?

Anand Swaminathan:
It is a business architecture, but it’s also more than this. It’s a mindset shift for the whole organization. It is not just about how AI is done in IT or Ops, it also tackles what it means for colleagues, customers, business value and innovation. It’s holistic, it’s futuristic but it’s also a structure to proceed on a learning journey towards effective Enterprise AI enablement.

Much of this is enabled by agentic AI which helps Frontier Telcos transition from data silos to context-driven, agent-first architectures. These enterprises capitalize on Big Data as a strategic asset, exposed through governed APIs, and continuously curated by AI agents. In this model, data becomes the central nervous system of the enterprise, not a bottleneck.

Moderator:
Can you walk us through it how this is applied through an organization?

Anand Swaminathan:
The Frontier Telco is structured around three interconnected layers:

The Strategic Steering & Enablement layer is where AI supports executives with insights, but where human expertise, judgement and strategic thinking is paramount. It is where the performance of the whole organization and it’s AI elements is responsibly and safely orchestrated and monitored. 

In the customer value layer, AI guides sales and service teams and handles transactional interactions, while humans step in when empathy or nuanced understanding is required—such as resolving issues during travel or complex service scenarios.

In the intelligent operations layer, things are highly automated, with AI executing close to 80 or 90% of tasks. AI here acts as assistant, executor, and eventually autonomous operator, with humans validating only exceptions.

Moderator:
The Integrated Intelligent Operations layer seems to be where AI plays the defining role. How does this layer operate?

Anand Swaminathan:
This Integrated Intelligent Operations layer functions as a set of shared, automated platforms. AI agents manage the heavy lifting of operational work - service provisioning, network monitoring, incident resolution - at machine velocity.

Zero-touch fulfillment platforms automatically configure services. AI-Ops platforms predict and remediate network issues before customers are impacted. Humans intervene only for anomalies or complex scenarios, and these interventions are used to enhance the system continuously. 

Moderator:
How important is the Customer Value Orchestration Layer first. What changes for customers interacting with a Frontier Telco?

Anand Swaminathan:
The high level of automation in the operations layer of a Frontier Telco means that it can invest more in human-led value generation at the Customer Value Orchestration layer. Frontier Telcos can replace fragmented account structures with permanent, cross-functional Customer Value Stream Teams, aligned to specific segments and using the integrated operations layer below them to rapidly shape and deliver services to customers as per their needs.

Such teams own end-to-end outcomes - from solution design to ongoing performance. Importantly, these high-performance teams are measured on shared metrics such as customer uptime or time-to-revenue. Internal handoffs disappear, ensuring a deeply responsive and accountable engagement model.

For customers, this represents a very real shift.
Instead of navigating multiple teams, customers interact with a single, empowered group that understands their context, their history, and their priorities — supported by real‑time intelligence and predictive insights. Issues are resolved before they surface. Services are configured faster. Interactions feel more human, even if the underlying operations are highly automated.

And importantly, this isn’t about removing the human element. Quite the opposite — it elevates humans to focus on trust, relationships, and strategic dialogue, while AI ensures the customer experience is consistently fast, accurate, and adaptive.

Moderator:
How does Strategic Steering & Enablement maintain control without reverting to bureaucracy?

Anand Swaminathan:
At this layer the focus is on navigating and steering the system, not managing tasks. Finance teams move from static annual budgets to real-time capital efficiency models. People teams focus on reskilling - developing roles such as AI-Ops specialists and AI trainers.

Strategy teams monitor system health and negotiate trade-offs using live data. Governance becomes adaptive, while aligning with the pace of change. It becomes about orchestrating and enabling rather than interfering or micro-managing.

Moderator:
The Frontier Telco model you’ve developed also defines a long list of new roles that appear central to this model. Why are they necessary?

Anand Swaminathan:
New roles become essential because a Frontier Telco operates very differently from a traditional telecom organization. Once AI begins to automate 70–90% of operational work and starts influencing decisions across the enterprise, the human workforce must shift from doing the work to designing, supervising, and elevating the work. That requires capabilities that simply don’t exist today in most Telcos.

Some of these roles are evolutions of existing skills, but many are entirely new.

For instance, the role of an AI orchestrator doesn’t exist today but will be critical to the Operations layer. Or that of an AI Ethicist in the Strategy and steering layer, or Value designer at the Customer experience layer. Roles such as model trainer, evaluator, manager will also need to be developed, and training will have to be delivered to help people evolve into these new capabilities.

So, this is not just a technology adoption exercise — it’s a talent transformation as well. It will require reskilling at every level: frontline teams, middle management, and senior leadership. And that is what makes a Frontier Telco fundamentally different.

Moderator:
Large business transformations don’t have a great track record typically. What would you say to Telcos that might see this as yet another big digital transformation initiative.  

Anand Swaminathan:
It’s true that large transformations have historically struggled — but what we’re seeing now is categorically different. The risk of not transforming is far greater than the risk of acting. If Telcos don’t make this shift, they’ll stay trapped in legacy cost structures, fall behind on innovation and customer service, and risk becoming utilities in the AI economy instead of value creators.

So, this is not “another transformation program.” It’s a fundamental redesign of how value is created. And leaders now understand there is no Plan B.

That said, it is a mammoth task. It requires deep re-architecture across technology, operations, data, governance, and talent. No Telco can do this alone, and they shouldn’t have to.

Infosys is very proud of our Topaz Fabric, a multi-layer agentic services suite that unifies infrastructure, models, data, applications and workflows into a composable, agent-ready ecosystem. All of which is supported by deep partnerships with leading players such as Nvidia, OpenAI, Anthropic, ServiceNow, Palo Alto Networks, Cognition, and hyper-scalers such as Google, AWS, Microsoft, Salesforce and Oracle. 

Moderator:
As telcos prepare for MWC 2026, what are the key shifts leaders be thinking about?

Anand Swaminathan:
Telco leaders need to think about the role their organizations have to play in the future of global AI success. That means looking at how their existing infrastructure, assets and customer relationships can be transformed to support more safe, sustainable, sovereign and secure AI that provides benefits and opportunities for all people

Warsaw, 25 February 2026 – In collaboration, T-Mobile, Orange, Plus and Play, Poland’s leading mobile operators, have united in discussion under Polish Chamber of Information Technology and Telecommunication to work on a joint open standard of innovative network APIs under the GSMA Open Gateway initiative. This collaboration brings a new era of enhanced digital security and fraud prevention to the market, demonstrating the mobile industry’s commitment to protecting the identities and online safety of mobile customers in Poland, while driving progress in the digital economy.

This mobile industry initiative marks a milestone for Poland’s telecommunications sector, as market leaders come together to deliver Number Verification and SIM Swap APIs. Through this shared effort, T-Mobile, Orange, Plus and Play are working to empower businesses with solutions unlocking new possibilities to combat fraud and safeguard online experiences.

Revolutionizing Digital Security with Joint Innovation

Based on the CAMARA standard, developed by Linux Foundation and GSMA, Number Verification and SIM Swap APIs represent powerful tools for combating fraud and improving authentication processes.

• Number Verification: Designed to securely and automatically verify user’s phone number (MSISDN) during login processes or onboarding. This API gives users the option to authenticate without SMS-based one-time passwords; by streamlining authentication into an automated background process, businesses can deliver a smoother user experience while reducing vulnerabilities associated with manual input methods.
• SIM Swap: Built to detect when a mobile number has been recently linked to a new SIM card, this API helps enterprises mitigate account takeover fraud - particularly for sensitive transactions in sectors like financial services. Businesses can use this tool to enhance their security protocols and ensure safer interactions with customers.

Fraud Prevention and Seamless Experiences

The T-Mobile, Orange, Plus and Play collaboration has made it possible to launch solutions that are redefining security standards in Poland’s mobile services market. By introducing these APIs, they address critical challenges and they provide enterprises and developers with reliable tools for customer protection.

The initiative is open to financial institutions, fintech companies, digital service providers and other organizations seeking to strengthen fraud prevention capabilities.

At the same time, the new services promote simplicity and interoperability, enabling digital platforms across Poland to deliver faster, safer, and frictionless user experiences. Later this year, T-Mobile, Orange, Play and Plus will take innovation a step further with the introduction of Number Verification v2, expanding its functionality to third-party connections like WiFi and VPN, further enhancing its impact on the market. 

A Unified Commitment to Market Safety and Growth

This collaboration underscores a shared vision of fostering safety and growth within Poland's mobile ecosystem.  By joining forces T-Mobile, Orange, Plus and Play showcase the power of industry collaboration in delivering added value to customers and enterprises alike.

Global Perspectives Through GSMA Open Gateway

The joint initiative aligns with the global GSMA Open Gateway, a framework unveiled at MWC23 Barcelona that unites telecommunications networks worldwide through programmable APIs. With 85 operator groups representing 300 networks and 80% of mobile connections globally, the initiative further amplifies the value of the services launched in Poland, enabling developers to expand internationally and drive revenue opportunities beyond borders.

Industry Leaders Comment on the Collaboration:

Dorota Kuprianowicz-Legutko, SVP, T-Mobile Polska said: “At a time when cyberthreats are growing at an unprecedented pace, collaboration remains our strongest defense. Protecting our customers is our highest priority, and this initiative - supported by the joint efforts of all major Polish operators - allows us to significantly strengthen the security of millions of people across the country. It also creates a safer environment for financial institutions, helping them better protect their customers from emerging digital threats.”

Piotr Jaworski, Management Board Member in charge of Network and Technology at Orange Polska, said: “We are joining forces with telecommunications operators for the common good of strengthening the digital security of our customers, particularly in preventing fraud. Our collaboration shines a spotlight on what can be achieved when industry leaders come together for the customers safety. With these APIs, we’re also creating meaningful change for enterprises, based on proven implementations in other markets”

Michał Ziółkowski, Chief Technology and Information Officer at Play, said: "This partnership brings together a shared approach to shaping more resilient and secure digital ecosystem. By combining industry-leading expertise, we deliver solutions that build lasting trust and create tangible value for customers in an increasingly complex digital world."

Andrzej Abramczuk, Management Board Member, Plus: "This joint initiative by Plus, Play, Orange and T-Mobile is an important step towards creating a safer market for the services we provide to millions of customers in Poland. It demonstrates that the telecommunications industry can work together effectively to protect customers and support the development of innovative services. We are delighted to be co-creating standards that will genuinely raise the level of security and trust in the digital world."

Henry Calvert, Head of Networks, GSMA, said: “This aligned market launch of anti-fraud and verification CAMARA APIs by Poland’s leading mobile operators will make it easier for banks and other online commerce sites to protect customers safe from the growing threat of digital scams. GSMA Open Gateway brings the industry together to offer APIs in a standardized, global manner. This enables developers to accelerate the creation and commercialization of applications across multiple markets, while delivering more secure, seamless and simple user experiences.”

For ManageEngine, participation in this event is essential. The biggest players in the market will be present, the world's most important clients will visit the fair, and it will be the perfect stage to strengthen the brand's presence in the region.

On this occasion, Romanus Prabhu, Director of Technology of ManageEngine, will deliver the keynote "Engineering Cohesion: Unified Endpoint Management for the Future of FinTech", in which he will present how it is possible to support companies in the BFSI sector through an adequate unified endpoint management strategy.

This keynote will take place on Tuesday, March 3rd at 2:15 PM CET as part of the "Fintech and Commerce Summit" to be held in Hall 4, focused on Connected Industries for this session. Add this Keynote to your agenda!

Additionally, the company will have a booth where attendees can approach and request solution demonstrations, learn about their offering in detail, and interact directly with ManageEngine specialists.

You can explore ManageEngine's complete offering at booth 4A50!

Why is Engineering Cohesion Important for the Fintech Sector?

A successful digital transformation strategy in the financial sector requires coordinated work from IT management. Achieving harmony between business needs and infrastructure optimization requires 'cohesive engineering'.

What does this mean? It's not simply about facilitating access to information from all areas for IT management. Technical judgment is needed to diagnose potential failures in time and see opportunities where others only see crises.

This aspect is essential when we talk about the financial sector. A small error can lead to very costly failures for the companies themselves or for their clients. In this scenario, a minimal oversight can cost millions of dollars.

Many FinTechs have built their infrastructure on the Platform as a Service (PaaS) model and depend entirely on AWS, Google, and Amazon clouds for their operations.

Data indicates that this trend will continue to rise. According to Grand View Research, the PaaS market will reach $287 billion by 2030. In 2024, the figure reached $89 billion.

Working in isolated teams can be practical for some organizations that are not very large or whose processes do not require high levels of detail. But for a 100% digital company, this method is dangerous.

According to recent Gartner estimates, companies lose between $9.7 and $15 million per year due to small inefficiencies and diluted, fragmented decision-making. If you don't have all the information, you don't make the right decision.

Depending on different vendors to resolve different incidents generates very diverse data that is measured disparately, resulting in unreliable final information and an immense number of iterations to have a final version of a basic report.

If we add to this different measurement methods and different approaches to the concept of continuous improvement, what we have is a large amount of data without order, without structure, and with many problems that are not resolved because there are no ways to correlate events or incidents.

That's not even counting regulatory and compliance challenges. An EY survey found that 57% of FinTech organizations have these challenges at the top of the most complex operational tasks.

Now: if data can become a complication in a disorderly environment that works in a siloed approach, imagine the impact at the compliance and regulatory level: an odyssey of epic proportions.

This is where the concept of Engineering Cohesion appears. Everything would be simpler if we could manage all devices (including servers) from a single console.

Resilience: A Key Element

Surviving in today's world is only possible with resilience. In addition to the previously mentioned challenges, organizations must deal with AI-powered cyberattacks, a growing trend of online fraud, and the pressures of a market at the mercy of geopolitical tensions of the moment.

Frameworks such as Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), GDPR, and PCI DSS can help companies better organize their information and comply with international standards.

However, applying best practices for identity management, software updates, multi-factor authentication, and encryption can be useful in this context.

All these concepts can be managed centrally with a Unified Endpoint Management and Security (UEMS) approach. It is now even possible to manage the security of each device individually, but in the same console where assets are registered, their maintenance data, warranty, updates, and patches are marked.

If you want to learn more details, you can visit the ManageEngine booth at MWC26 Barcelona or attend the company's keynote on Tuesday, March 3rd.

For two decades, the flagship MWC event and Barcelona have grown together, helping to transform the city into a global hub of digital innovation and create this iconic event for the global mobile and technology industries.  

Bringing together global leaders, innovators and policymakers under one roof to explore the next phase of mobile and digital transformation, this year’s MWC agenda concentrates on real-world use cases and their impact on industry and society. From completing the 5G journey and rising to the AI challenge, to protecting people and businesses from growing threats such as fraud and scams. 

Event highlights 

From live-action demos to first-time installations, MWC26 will play host to a powerful line-up of live experiences and exciting demos across the show floor: 

• Airport of the Future: A bold new chapter in MWC’s Journey to the Future series, this large-scale aviation exhibition explores how AI, automation and advanced connectivity are transforming airport environments and reshaping the future of air travel.
• New Frontiers: A new dedicated exhibition and content space shining a light on exciting technologies exploring the outer limits of innovation, including Quantum Technologies, Embodied AI and Robotics, and Satellite and Non-Terrestrial Networks.
• CircuitX: Located at New Frontiers, CircuitX makes its MWC debut as an immersive showcase of connected mobility and innovation, where attendees can explore interactive demo pods, live expert-led sessions, and explore a Formula E Gen3 Evo, the net-zero carbon electric race car.
• 4YFN: MWC’s world-famous startup platform returns with its own dedicated event entrance, welcoming an expanded roster of industry-leading speakers and over 1,000 startups and exhibitors shaping the future of entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Connected Industries: Bringing together leaders from fintech, manufacturing, smart mobility, and sports and entertainment, Connected Industries demonstrates how connectivity and AI are reshaping operations across the global economy. 

Over 1,700 speakers will take to 24 stages across MWC. New for this year, the conference programme is debuting six curated networking sessions to meet the speakers. On the MWC Main Stage, leading voices will take part in thought provoking discussions including speakers from Blizzard, Character.AI, OURA, Qualcomm, SpaceX and Starlink as well as the actor, producer and entrepreneur, Aaron Paul and, the British European Space Agency astronaut, Tim Peake. 

2,900 exhibitors, sponsors and partners are bringing their innovations to MWC26 including Accenture, Adobe, Amazon Web Services, AT&T, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Cohere, Dell, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, EY, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Honor, Huawei, Intel, KPMG, KT, Liberty Global, Meta, Microsoft, Nscale, Nokia, Palo Alto Networks, Qualcomm, Samsung, SAP, Siemens, SKT, Telefonica, Toshiba, Viasat, Vodafone, Xiaomi and ZTE. The show floor will also host over 100 Pavilions, representing countries, regions and technologies including, for the first time, pavilions showcasing Africa, China, Palestine and Seoul.  

The latest news and announcements live from the show floor will all be available via the Press Zone. Registration for MWC26 Barcelona remains open, and members of the media are invited to apply for a complimentary press pass here. 

-ENDS- 

About GSMA  

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts  

GSMA Press Office pressoffice@gsma.com   

In collaboration with Colt Technology Services, Orange, Google Cloud, and GSMA Open Gateway, Mplify is showcasing how agentic AI combined with standardized network APIs, enables closed-loop orchestration across wireless and wired networks. Automotive innovators DENSO and Tata Elxsi are contributing real-world use cases demonstrating how these capabilities support connected vehicles, and autonomous systems. The demonstration highlights how networks dynamically adapt to meet real-time data, control, and perception demands of these advanced mobility solutions.

Using connected vehicles as an example, the demonstration shows how AI-driven agents dynamically request Quality on Demand via CAMARA APIs exposed through the GSMA Open Gateway framework on Orange’s mobile network, while simultaneously invoking Mplify Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) APIs through Colt’s Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) capabilities on private, fixed-line network breakouts. This coordinated orchestration enables the network to support diverse use cases such as safety-critical vehicle coordination, immersive in-vehicle experiences, telemetry uploads, and over-the-air software updates. The same approach extends to drone-based mobility solutions, where stable low-latency connectivity is essential for live video streaming, navigation, and command-and-control operations.  Google Cloud’s AI infrastructure underpins the intelligence layer and provides multi-agent orchestration to enable an intuitive, intent-driven developer experience.

Building on Mplify’s participation in the GSMA Open Gateway framework, the MWC26 Barcelona showcase demonstrates how agentic AI creates a closed-loop system that can observe conditions, decide, and act across heterogeneous network domains. By continuously analyzing network telemetry and application-level signals, AI-driven agents gain end-to-end visibility into conditions impacting the connected experience and dynamically adjust network behavior to maintain predictable performance.

This initiative marks an important milestone in Mplify’s work to advance NaaS as a foundation for AI-powered mobility and autonomous systems, transforming the network from static infrastructure into an active, intelligent participant in the connected experience.

Live Demonstration and Sessions at MWC26 Barcelona

Mplify and its partners will showcase the Agentic Connected Experience through a combination of live demonstrations and conference sessions at MWC26 Barcelona, highlighting both the technical implementation and the business value of agentic, API-driven connectivity.

• Live Demonstration - Tuesday & Thursday, 08:30–19:00, Open Gateway Demo Partner Pod
  A live showcase demonstrating how agentic AI and standardized APIs enable dynamic, end-to-end connectivity.

   

• DevCon - Tuesday, 3 March, 16:45–17:00, XPro Stage
  Google Firebase will demonstrate the Number Verification Network API across wireless and wired networks, followed by a session from Google Cloud, Colt, and Orange showcasing new use cases enabled by seamless cross-domain connectivity through agentic AI and standardized APIs.

   

• Presentation: “Connected Outcomes” - Wednesday, 12:20, CC5 Focus Stage, Upper Walkway
  An executive-level discussion reframing connectivity around business value and how ecosystem partners deliver measurable outcomes for the automotive industry.
   

“Connected experiences increasingly rely on on-demand NaaS for AI-driven networks that can reason, adapt, and act autonomously,” said Pascal Menezes, CTO, Mplify. “This demonstration shows how agentic AI and standardized CAMARA and Mplify LSO APIs work together to orchestrate communication quality across complex, multi-domain environments, delivering the predictable performance required for connected vehicles, drones, and the next generation of intelligent mobility.”

“As connected services become increasingly intent-driven and autonomous, AI platforms play a critical role in enabling systems to interpret intent and act in real-time,” stated Sridhar Gollapudi, Telco Market Lead, Google Cloud. “This demonstration shows how agentic intelligence, combined with open network APIs, can help deliver predictable, outcome-based connectivity across complex, multi-domain environments.” 

“Modern mobility services need to work seamlessly across fixed, mobile and cloud networks. By integrating Colt’s NaaS and agentic AI capabilities with Mplify LSO APIs and CAMARA‑based mobile APIs, this demo shows how end‑to‑end connectivity can be orchestrated in real-time,” said Mirko Voltolini, VP - Technology and Innovation, Colt Technology Services. “We’re continually trialing new technologies with world‑class partners, and this collaboration is a great example of how the industry is pushing boundaries to deliver more reliable, flexible, and high‑performance mobility solutions for our customers.”

“Network APIs are one of our core assets, enriching and enabling advanced use cases in Industry 4.0, V2X, and safety and health domains. Orange is evolving its mobile network solutions by integrating agentic AI, a useful tool that makes it easy to invoke and use connectivity APIs such as Quality on Demand, combined with location or anti-fraud APIs. Applications can dynamically request and adapt network performance in real time," said Otilia Anton, Director, LiveNet B.U., Orange. “This demonstration shows how agentic AI, combined with CAMARA APIs and cross-domain orchestration, enables mobility solutions to achieve predictable, real-time communication quality across complex network environments.”

“As vehicles become increasingly connected and autonomous, ensuring consistent, low-latency communication across network domains is critical,” said Roger Berg, VP North American R&D, DENSO International America, Inc. “This demonstration highlights how standardized network APIs and agentic intelligence can help support next-generation vehicle systems by delivering the predictable, performance-aware connectivity for advanced driver assistance, over-the-air updates, and real-time data exchange.”

“As automotive platforms evolve toward software-defined and AI-enabled architectures, seamless integration between vehicle systems, cloud platforms, and network capabilities becomes essential,” said Rajagopalan Rajappa, CTO, Communication Tech & Platforms, Tata Elxsi. “This initiative demonstrates how open, standardized APIs and intelligent orchestration can help enable scalable, outcome-driven connected experiences across the broader mobility ecosystem.”

“CAMARA and Mplify provide the common, open-source service and fulfillment API layer within the GSMA Open Gateway framework, enabling developers and enterprises to access mobile network capabilities in a consistent and interoperable way,” said Henry Calvert, Head of Networks, GSMA. “This demonstration highlights how open APIs allow networks across domains such as CAMARA and Mplify to dynamically adapt to support advanced mobility solutions, including connected cars, drones, and other autonomous systems, that depend on real-time data.”

Learn More

Visit https://www.mplify.net/ and follow us on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube. 

About Mplify

Mplify is a global alliance of network, cloud, cybersecurity, and enterprise organizations working together to accelerate the AI-powered digital economy through standardization, automation, certification, and collaboration. As the defining authority behind Carrier Ethernet, Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) APIs, and certified SASE and SD-WAN, Mplify has developed the global blueprint for Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) that is empowering the industry to innovate, interoperate, and scale trusted network services across a global ecosystem.

Media Contact:
Amy Foschetti
Mplify
amy@mplify.net

And what this means is that we start with a clear conviction: technology must serve people, not the other way around. Artificial Intelligence has extraordinary potential to improve lives, from healthcare to sustainability, but only if ethics, transparency and inclusion are embedded from the very beginning.

The vision behind Catalunya’s AI 2030 strategy is to build an ecosystem where companies can innovate, talent can thrive, and society as a whole benefits from progress that is both responsible and scalable.

Thank you for sharing that vision. Stepping back, many say we are living through a historic shift. How do you see this moment?

We’re living in a moment of profound transformation. Artificial Intelligence is accelerating transformations across sectors at extraordinary speed - reshaping productivity, business models and the global economy. By 2030, advances in AI and information processing are expected to transform 86% of businesses worldwide. That scale of impact forces leaders to think beyond technology and consider ethics, trust, inclusion, and sustainability. This is where Europe is taking the lead.

And how is this global shift playing out locally? What’s the reality in Catalunya today?

Catalunya’s tech economy is on a steep growth curve. In 2024, more than 2,200 startups generated 2,340 million euros in revenue and created over 22,800 jobs with a 9% year‑on‑year surge. 

Catalunya now hosts 203 international tech hubs, adding 4,100 million euros in annual impact and employing 46,080 professionals, cementing it’s position as one of Europe’s most dynamic innovation hubs. However, when you zoom out, the global AI race tells a very different story.

Right—the race feels very concentrated. Who’s really leading, and what does that mean for Europe?

Today, AI leadership is heavily concentrated in the United States and a handful of firms dominate the most advanced systems and cloud infrastructure. Meanwhile, Europe still imports much of the technology it consumes, and that level of dependence is far from ideal. Which is why Europe is taking a different path.

A different path… what does that look like?

It looks like the EU Artificial Intelligence Act. The world’s first comprehensive AI framework. It embeds human-centric, rights-protective, risk-based governance into a unified European market. In short, Europe is saying YES to innovation, but not at any cost. That philosophy sets us apart globally.

So we’re talking about very different models. How would you describe them?

Worldwide, three models coexist. Leading the way, we have the US model, that concentrates power in major tech platforms that accumulate vast amounts of data, wield significant influence and have the ability to shape the reality we perceive. The Chinese model integrates AI with state control and surveillance. Meanwhile, the European model puts innovation at the service of democracy and fundamental rights. It does this by banning unacceptable uses like social scoring, regulating high-risk applications with documentation and human oversight and setting obligations for general-purpose AI providers. Europe is betting on trust as its competitive edge and Catalunya is ready to lead the way.

Lead the way, how?

Through Catalunya’s AI 2030 strategy. It’s our roadmap to position AI as a strategic, ethical, and transformative asset for competitiveness and quality of life. It's composed of 8 strategic axes and 88 actions that are fully aligned with the EU AI Act. It’s about combining industrial scale with ethical leadership and those starts with clear principles.

So, what are those principles?

Ethics and democracy; transparency and continuous innovation; equity and inclusion; territorial cohesion and, of course, collaboration between the public and private sector, because leadership in AI requires joint effort from government, industry, and academia. But of course, those principles only matter as long as we translate into action.

So what does action look like?

Apart from mobilizing 1,000 million euros by 2030, it means helping SMEs adopt AI. It means transforming 200 public services so the public sector becomes a driver of innovation. Training 30,000 civil servants for responsible AI use and expanding talent pipelines with new degrees, masters, bootcamps and initiatives like ELLIS Barcelona. 

And because infrastructure matters, we’re deploying a sovereign public cloud and federated data spaces for sectors like health, mobility and energy. This enable us to give companies secure and EU-compliant environments to build and scale. That’s how our vision becomes a reality.

That’s a big step toward sovereignty. Will these infrastructures also help smaller players like start-ups and SMEs?

Absolutely. The goal is to democratize access to advanced computing and trusted data environments. We are so lucky to count with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and one of the European AI Factories here in Catalonia. By reducing dependency on non‑European platforms, we’re creating a level playing field where SMEs can innovate confidently, knowing they meet EU standards from day one and that’s what makes Catalunya attractive, not just for local entrepreneurs, but for global innovators.

Those are ambitious targets. Beyond strategy, what does the ecosystem look like today—and how would you quantify Catalunya’s hub potential?

Catalunya’s ecosystem isn’t just growing, it’s maturing and gaining global influence. Nearly half of local start-ups now surpass €500,000 in annual revenue, and international tech hubs here increasingly hold strategic mandates, not just delivery roles. 

AI is becoming central to their portfolios, supported by a highly specialised scientific ecosystem. Currently there are 29 research centers working in advancing AI tech in close collaboration with start-ups, digital clusters and local talent. The Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the Center for Computer Vision, i2CAT, or the Institute for Robotics are some examples. 

That’s impressive. And when we look closer, are these startups mainly local, or is international participation shaping the ecosystem?

It’s a mix, but the international footprint is growing fast. As mentioned, beyond startups, Catalunya hosts 203 international tech hubs, many of these aren’t just delivery centres, they actually hold global decision-making mandates.

So it’s not just quantity—it’s strategic influence. What about deep tech? Is AI really taking off?

Absolutely. On the deep‑tech front, we’ve seen explosive growth: 488 AI companies, up a 173% since 2019 and over 14,000 specialized jobs, supported by world-class institutions like the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Centre de Visió per Computador (CVC), Eurecat, i2CAT, IIIA‑CSIC, and the ELLIS Unit Barcelona, among others. 

And talent? Every global hub competes for it. How does Barcelona measure up?

Talent is one of the biggest challenges we encounter when facing AI market adoption. Catalonia accounted on over 172,000 ICT workers in 2025. ICT job growth is very focused in Barcelona and its metropolitan area. This is proof of our global attractiveness and strong talent pipelines.

Definitively, that’s a strong signal of global appeal. For someone visiting MWC, where can they actually see this innovation in action?

If you want a glimpse of Catalunya’s tech ecosystem in action, join us at the Catalonia Pavilion in Congress Square and in 4YFN and engage with some of the organizations providing cutting-edge solutions across strategic sectors such as health, manufacturing, mobility, and space.

Make sure to also step by Talent Arena. Last year we held the first edition, with over 20,000 attendees – such an impressive response. This year it‘s even bigger, many global companies will be present, and we expect to raise even more interest.

I’ll make sure to drop by. Now… innovation also raises big questions and AI is everywhere now. How do you make sure this transformation is built on trust and ethics?

For us, innovation isn’t enough, we need to set the rules of the game. That’s why Catalunya is leading the Manifesto for Advancing Trustworthy AI, a global commitment to make AI ethical, transparent and inclusive. For us it’s not a side project, it’s a core pillar.

So far 17 Governments from across the globe have signed up the Manifesto, from Massachussetts in the US, to Gyeonggy in South Korea. 

That sounds like a strong commitment. Can you break it down for us, what does the manifesto actually stand for?

It’s about putting people at the center. The manifesto promotes an ethical governance to protect rights and democratic values and aims to ensures transparency and accountability. It also advocates for inclusivity and sustainability by reducing bias and minimizing its environmental impact while fostering collaboration between government, industry and academia to create a shared framework for responsible AI.

So ethics isn’t just a statement, it’s embedded in your strategy. How does this connect to Catalunya’s 2030 AI strategy?

It’s fully aligned with both our strategy, but also with the EU AI Act. Together, they ensure that as we mobilize 1,000 million euros and help SMEs adopt AI, we do so with guarantees, not just speed. We empower and educate our citizens to access the tools to both understand and use AI; We also use AI to improve public services in a transparent and trustworthy manner. Our vision is clear: technology must serve humanity, not the other way around.

You’ve emphasized responsibility and alignment with EU standards. Globally, we see similar efforts through initiatives like ITU’s AI for Good. Where does Catalunya fit into that movement?

We’re fully aligned with it, and we turn it into action. AI for Good isn’t just a slogan for us, it’s a roadmap. Catalunya works closely with ITU’s AI for Good, and we see how it truly contributes to deploy real projects that create positive impact, from emergency response systems to healthcare innovation. It’s about making sure AI improves lives, not just processes. 

Give me an example—what does AI for Good look like on the ground?

One example is emergency response. AI helps predict natural disasters and supports real-time decision-making for services like 112 and Civil Protection. It’s about saving lives through data and foresight.

That sounds powerful. Are there other sectors where this vision is making a difference?

In healthcare, AI is improving diagnostics and operations, from imaging to triage to smart process automation, making patient journeys faster and reducing administrative burdens.

We are running an ITU’s AI for Good Innovation Factory Catalonia here at MWC. It is focused on solutions that use AI to improve health. And last year, the winner, a Catalan start-up called Predictheon made it to the grand finale at ITU’s AI for Good Global Summit.

And what makes these projects move from concept to reality?

It takes strong vision, alignment and instruments. The Center CIDAI acts as a public-private catalyst for pilots and adoption, turning ideas into implementation. OEIAC, our Ethics Observatory, ensures trust and accountability across AI projects. We also run an AI Accelerator to bring ideas into projects.

And what role does the public sector play in this transformation?

Twofold. On the one side, we act as a vision setter: our AI2030 Strategy aligns interests, and focuses efforts in a specific direction. On the other side, we act as catalysers: public sector projects in health, emergency, and connectivity act as tractors of demand, accelerating adoption and de-risking investment. 

You’ve emphasized making AI serve people. Beyond public services, AI is also reshaping the workplace. How do you make sure people stay at the center of this transformation?

That’s an important question. Catalunya’s digital workforce is large and continues to grow. Nevertheless, we see a gap between the fast digital job generation and the talent that we currently have, can acquire or can form. Even though the big job creation in the sector in 2025, some studies indicate a gap on over 9,000 ICT jobs still vacant in Catalonia.

There’s clearly a gap between offer and demand of talent. AI is reshaping workplace and is displacing activities and jobs – even in the ICT sector. We are promoting a National Pact for Digital Talent, to ensue companies and the market meet the talent they need. And we’re focusing very much on lifelong reskilling.   

And beyond skill, what about rights and protections for workers in this new AI-driven economy?

We advocate a renewed social contract for the digital age. Ensuring auditability, explainability, and human oversight, alongside privacy by design, clear limits on cyber surveillance, structured dialogue among platforms, unions, and employers, responsible remote work regulation, and the right to disconnect. Digital literacy programs are also key to empower workers and avoid asymmetries of power.

So this isn’t just about technology, it’s about trust and fairness too.

Exactly. These commitments align with the EU AI Act’s risk-based framework, reducing legal and reputational risk for companies while enabling scalable deployment. It’s about creating an environment where innovation and rights go hand in hand.

Building trust clearly matters for adoption. How do you translate that into an environment where both global companies and start-ups can grow and innovate?

By combining scale with responsibility. For global companies, Catalunya offers something unique: a strategic location within the EU, regulatory clarity under the AI Act and access to a deep talent pool. And it’s not just about delivery anymore, our international hubs increasingly hold global decision-making mandates, making Catalunya a true nerve center for innovation.

And what about start-ups? How do they fit into this picture?

Start-ups are at the heart of our ecosystem. We have more than 2,200 tech ventures, strong funding networks, and public-private platforms to accelerate adoption and de-risk investment. Under the Digital Catalonia Alliance (DCA) we connect with over 650 start-ups which we call Catalonia’s tech offer. We work with them so that they can design and offer solutions to the needs of our ecosystem, including industry and traditional sectors. 

So companies can really test and scale here before going global?

Exactly. And beyond that, we encourage companies to invest in hubs that hold global decision-making mandates. Catalunya’s hubs increasingly sit at the strategic core of parent companies, not just as execution centers.

Scaling globally is exciting, but it comes with regulatory challenges. How do you support companies in meeting compliance from day one?

That’s why we embed Responsible AI from day one: map your use cases to EU AI Act risk categories, implement model governance and human oversight and communicate transparently with employees and regulators.

Time is running out... before we wrap up, what’s your closing message to MWC attendees?

The time to advocate for trustworthy AI is now. The direction AI takes is not inevitable—it is a choice. Today, we are witnessing developments that risk deepening social inequalities and amplifying existing harms. This places us at a critical intersection of technology, ethics, and social impact. AI is not merely a tool for efficiency; when guided by clear values and intent, it can become a powerful catalyst for progress—helping predict natural disasters, improve healthcare diagnostics, optimize energy consumption, and bridge gaps in education. The question is not whether we use AI, but how and for whom. Let’s choose to use AI for good—for everyone.

So Catalunya isn’t just following the trend, it’s shaping the future.

Absolutely. Catalunya is a hub for trustworthy AI and ethical innovation. If you resonate with our vision, come by our Pavilion and we’ll show you how we’re doing it. 

The new partnership is committed to transforming healthcare delivery by integrating advanced mobile technologies such as 5G private networks with digital twin, XR, IoT devices and ambient AI. The collaboration will initially focus on global collaboration and technical acceleration in areas such as 5G enabled remote surgical assistance, XR training and simulation, robotic systems and intelligent facilities management.

Adjunct Associate Professor Gao Yujia, Assistant Group Chief Technology Officer at National University Health System (NUHS), commented: “By harnessing advanced connectivity and innovative technologies such as ambient AI, XR and robotics, we are accelerating the development of truly intelligent hospitals. This integrated approach enhances clinical workflows and allows care teams to work more efficiently and effectively. I am passionate about how AI and connected systems can transform hospital operations – elevating precision, improving patient experience and empowering clinicians with the tools they need to deliver better outcomes across every stage of care.”
 

Richard Cockle, Head of GSMA Foundry, said: “Connected health is one of the most impactful frontiers for mobile technology. Our agreement with NUHS demonstrates how collaboration can accelerate innovation, delivering secure, scalable solutions that improve patient outcomes and operational efficiency. We are excited to start work at sites in Singapore with more early adopter centres to follow worldwide.”
 

Daniel Ode, Head of Ericsson Singapore, Philippines and Brunei, shared: “Ericsson is proud to be a core enabler of the connected health journey led in Singapore by NUHS. In partnership with Singtel, we have shown how differentiated connectivity, built on high-performance 5G and combined with AI and robotics technologies, have already delivered tangible patient and operational benefits over the past few years. We are excited to see these efforts now being showcased to a global audience, amplifying the impact of our joint work. This is a journey we are excited to continue – advancing secure, scalable healthcare solutions that extend care beyond hospitals into new contexts worldwide.” 
 

Keith Leong, Chief Customer Officer, Enterprise, Singtel Singapore, said: “Singtel’s advanced 5G standalone network, secure virtual private networks and network slicing capabilities are purpose-built to support the most demanding healthcare environments, delivering the ultra-reliable, low-latency and secure connectivity required for mission-critical applications. Working closely with NUHS, we have already demonstrated tangible outcomes — from enabling remote surgical support and immersive XR training to powering intelligent robotics and hospital-at-home models that improve patient experience and clinical efficiency. Through the GSMA Foundry, we are excited to scale these innovations and push the boundaries of connected health to accelerate the next wave of advancements towards 6G-enabled care.” 

NUHS and GSMA Foundry at MWC26 Barcelona
At MWC26 Barcelona, NUHS will be prominently featured at the GSMA Pavilion, Hall 4 where they will showcase the future of healthcare powered by AI and 5G, in collaboration with Ericsson and Singtel. Visitors to the GSMA Pavilion will have the opportunity to experience groundbreaking innovations including a robot nurse companion, 3D holographic surgical planning with Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, AI-driven augmented reality for precise vein detection and advanced hospital-at-home technology that extends care beyond traditional hospital settings.

Dr. Gao will participate in several key sessions at the show, including the Digital Health Summit and Global Health Connector Summit at 4YFN, sharing his expertise on harnessing connectivity and artificial intelligence to bridge gaps in healthcare delivery, drive digital transformation and democratise medical expertise for communities worldwide. These sessions will provide valuable insights into the practical applications and future potential of connected health solutions, further reinforcing NUHS’s commitment to innovation and excellence in patient care. 

— ENDS —

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

This year Accenture is featured as the GSMA’s Connected Industries Knowledge Partner, bringing deep industry and technology expertise into the programme.  

Visitors will experience a showcase of real-world digital transformation across sectors including manufacturing and production, fintech and commerce, smart mobility, and sports and entertainment. 

From AI-driven aviation systems and IoT-enabled manufacturing automation to smart city infrastructure, the event demonstrates what connectivity can achieve now and where it is taking industries next. The agenda also includes practical learning through masterclasses on sovereign AI and private networks, providing frameworks and tools for developing effective enterprise strategies based on real-world examples.  

In what ways are connected technologies driving the evolution of sectors like manufacturing and production, fintech and commerce, smart mobility and sports and entertainment? 
 
Connected technologies are driving the evolution of sectors such as manufacturing and production, fintech and commerce, smart mobility, and sports and entertainment by embedding AI, 5G, IoT, cloud, and secure connectivity into core operations to create more intelligent, automated, and data-driven ecosystems. In manufacturing, AI-driven automation, IoT sensors, private networks, cybersecurity, edge intelligence and predictive maintenance are converging with digital twins to enable more autonomous, adaptive and resilient industrial operations; in fintech and commerce, mobile-first platforms, AI-powered fraud and risk detection, digital wallets, and cross-border payment innovations are enabling new business models while increasing the importance of trust and cybersecurity; i Advanced connectivity and AI support autonomous vehicles and aviation systems through real-time situational awareness, smarter traffic management, and safer operations integrated with smart infrastructure, while in sports and entertainment, smart venues, immersive AR/VR experiences, 5G-enabled broadcasting, and data-led fan engagement are transforming how events are delivered, experienced, and monetised, collectively showing how connected technologies are reshaping industries toward more responsive, efficient, and opportunity-rich futures. 

Beyond traditional connectivity services, what new opportunities exist for telecom operators to expand their business? 

Beyond traditional connectivity services, operators have the opportunity to move from a pure infrastructure role to becoming strategic partners across multiple industry verticals. By combining their network leadership with capabilities in cloud, AI, cybersecurity and edge computing, telcos can co‑develop solutions with technology vendors, integrators and sector specialists. This enables them to address complex enterprise needs in manufacturing, fintech, smart mobility, and sports and entertainment ranging from automation and predictive maintenance to secure payments, autonomous transport, and immersive fan experiences. Rather than acting solely as connectivity providers, operators are increasingly forming multi‑party partnerships that deliver integrated platforms, joint go‑to-market models, and outcome-driven services tailored to each vertical’s specific challenges and opportunities.  

What factors are pushing telecom operators to innovate, and what organisational mindset or cultural shifts are needed to succeed in this transformation? 

Telecom operators are under pressure to innovate for several reasons. Enterprises increasingly expect integrated technology solutions, not just connectivity, especially as AI and cloud capabilities become critical across industries. Rapid technology advancements and competitive pressures from cloud providers, security specialists and digital native companies are accelerating the need for telcos to broaden their offerings.  

To succeed in this shift, operators need a business-driven mindset, aligning propositions with enterprise needs, being customer centric, and fostering agility and innovation. There is also a growing emphasis on security and resilience as digital transformation initiatives proliferate. Operators that embrace these cultural shifts and adopt enterprise-oriented solution strategies are better positioned to unlock new revenue streams and meaningful value for customers.  

How is the GSMA helping to foster collaboration and innovation across industries, and what benefits does this bring to operators and enterprises? 

The GSMA is providing a collaborative environment for cross sector innovation through its connected communities initiative, designed for operators and industry players to work together on shared digital transformation goals. These communities bring together operators, industry leaders, technology vendors and other relevant stakeholders  to share insights, co-develop solutions and accelerate real-world deployment of technologies across sectors such as manufacturing and production, fintech and commerce, smart mobility and sports and entertainment Through shared market intelligence, whitepapers, reports, case studies, and ecosystem building, connected communities help operators and enterprises translate emerging technologies into tangible business outcomes and new commercial opportunities. 

Italy is making huge strides in how it’s digital transforming its society and economy, with the European Commission highlighting how it’s made remarkable progress in digital infrastructure and the rollout of digital public services. Mobile connectivity now plays essential part in how Italian’s communicate, shop, bank, maintain their health and interact with government.

However, despite the strong cyber security in place, we’re seeing cybercriminals constantly evolving their tactics, which has led to a growth in fraudulent. Online scams cost Italians €114 million in 2022, a figure that had grown to €137m by 2023. 

To stay ahead of these growing threats the Italian telecommunications industry is innovating to build a robust defence. Through the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, Italy’s leading mobile operators are collaborating on a unified framework of network APIs to protect consumers and streamline digital identity.

A Unified Front for the Italian Market

The Italian market is seeing significant momentum. TIM and Wind Tre have already taken the lead by launching their first CAMARA APIs, providing developers with immediate tools to enhance security.

Other operators in Italy are also working with them with the aim to reach a cross‑market coverage.

Focus on Identity and Anti-Fraud

While the GSMA Open Gateway supports a wide range of capabilities, the immediate priority for the Italian market is Identity and Anti-Fraud APIs. By utilising real-time network data, these tools allow financial institutions and digital services to verify users with unprecedented accuracy:

• SIM Swap API: Detects if a SIM card has been recently changed, a common indicator of account takeover attempts.
• Number Verification: Provides seamless authentication without the need for vulnerable SMS-based OTPs (One-Time Passwords).
• KYC Match: Validates user-provided identity details against verified operator records to ensure data integrity and streamline the onboarding process without sharing personal data.

While the current focus remains on safeguarding the digital economy, operators are also evaluating advanced performance APIs to support future innovations in mobile gaming, remote healthcare, and augmented reality.

Why CAMARA Standards Matter

By adopting global CAMARA standards, Italian operators are removing the complexity for developers. Instead of writing unique code for each carrier, developers can "plug into" a single framework that works across the different operators. This interoperability is key to scaling 5G services and ensuring that Italian startups and enterprises can compete on a global stage.

Join the Initiative

The GSMA Open Gateway is a global movement, supported by 85 mobile operator groups, representing 300 mobile networks and over 80% of mobile connections worldwide. In Italy, the transition from individual launches to full market coverage is well underway, signalling a new era of cooperation.

Businesses, developers, and service providers interested in leveraging these network capabilities or participating in early trials are encouraged to take the next step.

Get Involved: Interested parties should reach out directly to the Italian mobile operators or contact the GSMA Open Gateway Team to learn how to integrate these APIs into their security roadmaps.

As we gather at MWC26 Barcelona, the message from Italy is clear: by opening the network, we are closing the door on fraud.

Land, sea and air private 5G deployments, pop-up N40 spectrum innovation and live demonstrations of nibOS configuration and monitoring software to feature at the Airport of the Future zone

Barcelona, Spain, February 2026 – Neutral Wireless will showcase its latest Flying Private 5G deployments at MWC26 Barcelona, demonstrating how rapidly deployable connectivity is reshaping live TV and streaming production, smart stadium infrastructure and mission-critical communications.

Located within the MWC Airport of the Future zone, the Neutral Wireless stand will focus on practical deployment innovation rather than conceptual telecoms demonstrations. Visitors will experience real-world systems used across live sports production, connected events and Public Protection & Disaster Relief (PPDR), including airborne and mobile private 5G networks designed for high-uplink performance and rapid activation.

At the centre of the showcase will be a 5G-enabled Groppo ultralight aircraft, previously used in trials for live TV production and PPDR deployments. The exhibit will also feature live demonstrations of nibOS, the company’s award-winning orchestration software, which automates network operations across land, sea and air environments. The showcase builds on concepts first explored through the IBC Accelerator Innovation Programme “Conquering the Air(waves): Private 5G from Land to Sea to Sky”, where Neutral Wireless contributed to early airborne private 5G broadcast workflows.

A key theme of the showcase is the evolution of pop-up private 5G, supported by the upcoming availability of short-duration N40 spectrum by Ofcom in the UK. This shift is expected to significantly reduce deployment timelines for temporary live events and news gathering, enabling networks to be activated in days rather than months.

Sustainability is a core part of how Neutral Wireless designs and deploys private 5G networks. Lightweight airborne and mobile systems reduce the need for heavy infrastructure, large outside broadcast deployments, and energy-intensive workflows. The MWC Barcelona exhibit will demonstrate how Flying Private 5G can support lower-impact production models, with mobile deployment platforms capable of operating using battery solutions and alternative power sources such as BioLPG and locally generated energy. By combining efficient radio design with intelligent orchestration through nibOS software, Neutral Wireless aims to enable more sustainable connectivity for live events, smart stadiums and Public Protection & Disaster Relief operations.

Neutral Wireless is collaborating with a number of organisations and technology partners to deliver elements of the MWC Barcelona showcase, bringing together expertise across private 5G infrastructure, edge compute, satellite connectivity and live production workflows. The initiative is supported by GSMA Fusion, IBC and the Dept of Public Expenditure Infrastructure Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Ireland, alongside contributions from technology partners including AMD, Amarisoft, AW2S, Cisco, Druid Software, Eutelsat, Haivision, Logicalis, Qualcomm and StrathSDR.

“The industry is full of big promises about future networks, but our focus is on what’s already working in the real world,” said Professor Bob Stewart, CTO and Director at Neutral Wireless. “At MWC, we’re showing how private 5G can be deployed quickly, sustainably and in places traditional infrastructure struggles to reach. Whether that’s live sport, major events or emergency response, the goal is to make connectivity more flexible, more efficient and ultimately more useful.”

Neutral Wireless will be conducting media briefings and live demonstrations throughout MWC Barcelona, highlighting real deployments across broadcast, news, connected venues and PPDR environments.

About Neutral Wireless

Neutral Wireless specialises in rapidly deployable private 5G and non-public network solutions for live production, smart stadiums, large-scale events and mission-critical operations. Combining airborne and mobile connectivity platforms with nibOS orchestration software, the company enables high-performance wireless workflows across land, sea and air environments.

In a recent sit-down with Eulalia Ripoll Giralt, Head of Business, Events, GSMA it’s clear that MWC26 Barcelona has evolved into a high-stakes brand laboratory - a place where the future is not just predicted, but physically prototyped.

This evolution lands in what GSMA defines as 'The IQ Era’ - an age defined by deep thinking, critical analysis and clarity of intent. This isn't technology for technology's sake; it's the strategic application of intelligence to solve global challenges. From the debut of the ‘New Frontiers’ zone to the immersive ‘Airport of the Future,’ MWC26 Barcelona provides the roadmap for this new epoch.

The rise of ‘New Frontiers’

The most significant addition to the 2026 floor plan is the New Frontiers zone in Hall 6. This area defines the spirit of MWC, moving beyond traditional mobile into the next generation of growth, featuring:

• Embodied AI: no longer confined to code, AI is taking physical form. The shift is from digital tools to physical partners such as machines, drones and cars.
• Quantum technology: from quantum-secure encryption to real-time traffic optimisation across vast networks, quantum is set to play a vital role in creating a vast array of opportunities for tomorrow’s digital society.
• Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN): exploring the integration of satellite technology with terrestrial mobile connectivity, bridging the digital divide in underserved regions, and ensuring uninterrupted global coverage - enabling global brand reach in previously unreachable markets.

The ‘Airport of the Future’

The ‘Airport of the Future’ is a debut immersive exhibition designed to showcase the transformation of aviation through cutting-edge technology and seamless wireless connectivity. Located at the MWC Entrance near Hall 2, this dynamic zone serves as a real-world testbed where attendees can experience futuristic, frictionless air travel firsthand. 

A centrepiece of the exhibition is a live, full-scale Motional Digital Twin provided by Outsight, which uses 3D LiDAR and Spatial AI to anonymously track passenger movement, manage queues and optimise terminal operations in real time.

Connecting industries

Laia describes the MWC26 Barcelona content programme as a dual-layered experience that balances high-level strategic vision with deep-dive technical expertise. While the main conference stages feature "the big news and big trends," there are many splinter summits, which "get more in the weeds" to inform and inspire delegates on specific technologies like generative AI, smart cities, 5G IoT, security and eSIM. 

A major focus for 2026 is the ‘Connected Industries’ stage, which is dedicated to how vertical sectors e.g. manufacturing, fintech, and aviation, are practically integrating mobile connectivity into their solutions. Laia emphasises that the goal of this year's programme is to "set the pace" in a rapidly moving market, ensuring attendees leave with the actionable insights needed to grow their businesses.

Simplifying the complex

When asked her biggest piece of advice for exhibitors Laia said it isn't about more tech - it’s about better storytelling. She emphasises a basic rule for demos: "keep it simple”. This isn't just a throwaway line, it’s a key tactic for the show floor. As technical as the content gets, the press and C-suite delegates want clear, human-centric messaging. 

Killing VR fatigue with physicality

The era of "VR headset fatigue" is officially over. Laia encourages exhibitors to move away from passive experiences where attendees are "looking at a video on screen" in favour of live network demonstrations and physical interaction. Visitors want to see reality, not a simulation. Leading by example, GSMA’s own booth in Hall 4 will include:

• Live networks in action: the NUHS (National University Health System of Singapore), in collaboration with Ericsson and Singtel, showcasing the future of AI and 5G-powered patient care - from an intelligent robot nurse to holographical surgical planning.
• The Remote Driving Experience: to prove the power of low-latency 5G coupled with quality-on-demand Open Gateway network APIs, GSMA hosts Elmo’s tele-driving service so attendees can drive a car at the Circuit de Catalunya, by steering it from the MWC show floor. 

Tips for first time attendees & exhibitors

With the exhibition floor sold out, the sheer scale of MWC remains the biggest challenge for attendees. Laia suggests a strategic approach to the four days:

• The hidden gem: don't overlook 4YFN in Hall 8. It’s the heart of the startup community and the best place to see innovation before it hits the mainstream.
• Pre-show legwork: the golden rule for first timers - don't wait for the doors to open to start your show. By Thursday afternoon, most attendees realise they haven't seen half of what they intended. Set meetings in advance and plot your route across the 25+ theatres and thousands of exhibitors now.
• Networking opportunities: there are many networking events for newbies at MWC Barcelona. For those with a Leaders Conference or VIP Pass, 2026 introduces an opportunity to join curated networking sessions with high-profile speakers from the main stage after their sessions.

For first-time exhibitors Laia recommends a robust pre-event marketing strategy with a clear way for visitors to book meetings in advance. New exhibitors should focus on creating show-stopping content to ensure they can compete for attention among the thousands of other brands. 

Ultimately, MWC26 Barcelona is more than a milestone event, it is the launchpad for 'The IQ Era’, where the world’s most ambitious brands shape a smarter, more purposeful future.

Enterprise demand has not shrunk but shifted. Deals are bigger, more multi-dimensional, and more dependent on partners than ever before. Costs are rising. Expectations for speed and predictability are higher. 

Most operators have responded with more tools, more point solutions, and more programs. Yet the core experience for enterprise customers has not changed enough. Quoting still takes too long. Contracting is still manual. Activation and billing still reveal issues too late. 

The blockers are no longer just technology choices. They are operating models designed for another era—protecting legacy processes, accepting manual reconciliation as “normal,” and treating transformation as a series of large, slow initiatives. 

AI changes that equation, but only if it’s deployed differently. 

AI as the enterprise compass, not a magic wand

Across industries, AI has earned a reputation for driving productivity. However, in enterprise B2B, the results have been uneven. Some operators are seeing faster deal cycles and fewer errors. Others are stuck in pilot mode, with dashboards that don’t change how the business behaves. 

The difference is not the model. It’s the business AI is asked to support. 

When operations are fragmented, AI spends its time surfacing contradictions: conflicting product definitions, inconsistent pricing logic, orders that don’t match contracts. It becomes a spotlight on problems rather than a path to better outcomes. 

When operations are unified, AI becomes an enterprise compass. It can: 

• Flag configuration and commercial issues before quotes are approved.
• Highlight contract gaps before provisioning begins.
• Predict where orders are likely to stall and why.
• Surface billing risk before it hits customers or revenue.

In this role, AI does not replace people or automate judgment. It reduces uncertainty so teams can move faster with more confidence. 

Accelerate every interaction: speed as the new currency

In enterprise B2B, speed now decides who wins long before anyone compares network features. Enterprise buyers expect fast answers, clear pricing, and predictable activation. When quoting takes weeks and activation takes months, they don’t wait—they move on. 

Speed, however, is not about pushing teams harder. It’s about removing friction across quotes, contracts, orders, and bills. AI helps when it is embedded into connected workflows: 

• Quotes built are deliverable by design because AI validates configurations and dependencies up front.
• Contracts flow into executable workflows, with terms translated directly into how orders are orchestrated and how margin is protected.
• Orders are monitored in real time, with likely bottlenecks flagged before they cause delays.
• Billing is aligned from the start, reducing exceptions and disputes that would otherwise consume weeks of effort.

This is what it means when we say AI powers the new pace of business. It’s not about instant change but about compressing cycles that used to take months into minutes, safely and repeatably. 

AI unlocks collaboration at scale

The future of enterprise growth is ecosystem-driven. Operators are no longer selling only their own capabilities. They are orchestrating combinations of connectivity, cloud, applications, and industry solutions with partners. 

Without automation, these ecosystems buckle under their own weight. Manual onboarding, bespoke integrations, and spreadsheet-based revenue sharing introduce too much friction. 

Here again, AI is most valuable when it stabilizes the system: 

• Standardized onboarding workflows augmented by AI catch gaps before partner go-live.
• Shared catalogs and structured revenue models let AI validate joint offers end-to-end.
• Pattern recognition across multi-party orders and settlements surfaces anomalies early and before they turn into customer or partner disputes.

The result is an ecosystem that can grow without adding equivalent operational overhead. Partners see an operator that is easy to work with, transparent, and predictable—exactly what is needed to win and keep their best collaborations. 

Predictive intelligence: from reactive fixes to proactive reinvention

Historically, enterprise operations have been reactive. Issues appear as missed SLAs, delayed activations, billing disputes, or manual workarounds. Teams do their best to fix each incident. The business absorbs the cost as the price of complexity. 

Predictive AI changes that posture. By combining structured data across quote-to-cash and partner operations, AI can: 

• Detect patterns that signal emerging risk, before customers feel it.
• Recommend where to streamline workflows and remove unnecessary checks.
• Identify which offers, segments, or partners are driving disproportionate effort versus value.
• Guide investments in automation and process change based on measurable impact.

This isn’t about chasing an abstract “AI-first” vision but using intelligence to make reinvention faster, safer, and more predictable. 

The CSG point of view: Reinvention Unleashed with practical AI

At CSG, we believe AI creates a sustainable advantage only when it’s built on a business that is clear and ready to use it well. Reinvention Unleashed is how we help operators rethink how their business runs, so they can meet rising enterprise demands and innovate smarter. By applying practical AI, operators can simplify processes, strengthen partner models, and turn clarity into sustained innovation and growth. 

We help operators: 

• Unify the full quote-to-cash lifecycle (quoting, contracting, ordering, billing, partner settlements, and customer engagement) into one consistent operating model.
• Apply AI where it delivers measurable value, from guided quoting and early error detection to proactive order management and margin protection.
• Eliminate rework and manual reconciliation, so teams can spend more time on activities that drive growth and less on firefighting.
• Prepare for AI-driven enterprise demand, with operations that are predictable, auditable, and ready to scale.

When operators take this path, the impact is tangible: more enterprise wins, faster revenue realization, lower operating costs, and new revenue channels through structured ecosystems. 

This isn’t a distant future state. It’s a practical way for operators to run their business differently today, powered by AI that doesn’t just promise transformation, but delivers progress in every quote, every order, and every partnership. 

If you are ready to turn complexity into clarity and unlock your next phase of growth, visit CSG at MWC26 Barcelona, Hall 5, Booth 5A51, to explore how AI-powered experiences drive speed, scale, and measurable ROI.

Key takeaways

• Operators don’t need more AI experiments. They need AI that changes how their business runs day by day. That starts with unifying the quote-to-cash lifecycle to give AI a reliable foundation.
• AI delivers the most value when it is predictive and practical, surfacing risks and opportunities inside real workflows instead of chasing abstract “transformation” goals.
• The new competitive edge comes from how fast you can move with confidence. AI helps operators quote, contract, order, bill, and settle faster, without trading speed for risk.
• Ecosystems and partners multiply AI’s impact, but only when onboarding, revenue sharing, and co-innovation are automated and transparent.
• CSG helps operators use AI to bring clarity, speed, and scalability to enterprise B2B, turning today’s complexity into a competitive advantage.

The MWC Ministerial Programme is where global leaders, policymakers, and industry innovators converge to deliberate on the digital future. At Qualcomm Technologies, we view this year’s event as a pivotal moment to share our vision for AI-driven innovation and the transformative potential of advanced connectivity - a future where societies connect, compute and thrive.

AI at the Edge: The Foundation for Digital Sovereignty and Inclusion

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a distant concept—it is embedded in the devices we use and the networks that power them. Qualcomm Technologies is leading this evolution with Edge AI and on-device generative AI powered by Snapdragon processors, delivering ultra-low power, high-performance capabilities that enable smarter, more personalized. Efficient and secure experiences.

Edge AI is where people and technology meet, enabling real-time, context-aware decisions while keeping sensitive data local and reducing energy consumption. From smart energy grids to connected transportation, AI is unlocking new possibilities for governments and citizens alike.

But to scale these benefits globally, we need robust, energy-efficient connectivity - and that is where 4G, 5G, and 6G come in. The next wave of AI will be driven from the edge outward, reinforcing sovereign control, reducing energy consumption and extending the reach of cloud investments.

Connectivity as the Catalyst

Connectivity is the backbone of digital transformation. 4G remains a critical enabler for many nations, providing reliable mobile broadband and supporting essential services where 5G deployment is still in progress. For these regions, strengthening 4G infrastructure ensures inclusion and lays the foundation for the future with 5G. 

As countries move beyond 4G, the impact of 5G is already evident—transforming how we exchange data and run mission-critical applications. The leap to 6G will be even more profound: an always-sensing network that bridges cloud and edge, embedding AI into the very fabric of the radio to deliver predictive services, immersive XR, and ultra-reliable autonomy. This isn’t just about speed; it’s about intelligence at every layer of the stack and about defining the network as a core part of what we export. Pre-commercial 6G devices are expected by 2028 and standards-based rollout around 2030. Governments should act now—on spectrum allocation, standards development, security frameworks, and incentives for next-generation network deployment—to ensure their nations are ready to harness the AI that rides on the airwaves.

Why Policymakers Should Act Today

For countries still building out 4G networks, policies should prioritize affordability, coverage, and energy efficiency while creating pathways to 5G and beyond. Investing in open standards, developer education, and cross-border collaboration is essential for building resilient, competitive digital economies. The eventual transition to 6G will require forward-thinking policies on spectrum allocation, infrastructure investment, and security frameworks. It is also an opportunity to ensure digital inclusion, particularly in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, where connectivity can drive economic growth and social progress. In our work with more than 60 startups across five continents in 2025, one theme has become unmistakable: the center of gravity in AI is shifting to the edge. What began as experimental deployments is now industrial muscle: robots navigating without maps, drones positioning indoors, and IoT devices reasoning in real time. This momentum should shape how ministers think about the next decade of connectivity.  Qualcomm Technologies Inc. is committed to supporting these efforts through initiatives such as the Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program and strategic collaborations that foster innovation and entrepreneurship worldwide.

Empowering Developers and Ecosystems

No transformation is complete without the people who make it possible. Developers are the architects of the digital future, and their creativity determines how quickly edge AI moves from concept to reality. Qualcomm Technologies’ acquisition of Arduino and support for open platforms empower a new generation of creators to build applications that run on AI chips, talk to clouds, and take advantage of next-gen wireless. Their creativity will accelerate adoption across strategic sectors and across the world.

Our Call to Action

At MWC26 Barcelona, Qualcomm invites ministers and stakeholders to join us in shaping a future where AI and connectivity work together to empower people. Visit our sessions at the Ministerial Programme to explore:

• AI demos powered by Snapdragon showcasing real-world applications.
• Insights into 4G, 5G, and 6G readiness and their policy implications.
• Collaborative opportunities to accelerate digital transformation globally.

Looking Ahead

The convergence of AI, 4G, 5G, and 6G is more than a technological milestone - it’s a societal imperative. Together, we can build a future that is inclusive, intelligent, and sustainable, putting technology in the hands of people who will create economic prosperity. We stand ready to lead this journey, partnering with governments, industry, and developers to make it a reality.

 Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Visit MatSing at MWC26 Barcelona in Hall 2, Booth 2B60.

“Venues are no longer willing to trade performance for aesthetics or complexity for capacity,” said Bo Larsson, CEO of MatSing. “With our latest WiFi lens antenna, we are giving them both: unmatched performance and centralized simplicity. This is how the next generation of stadiums will stay ahead — cleaner, faster, and built to scale.”

MS-30.30W45 WiFi Antenna: A Centralized Solution for High-Density Venues

• Supports 16 independent beams and 4x4 MIMO in the WiFi 6E band (5.125 to 7.125 GHz)
• Designed to cover thousands of simultaneous users from a single mount point
• Helps venues reduce antenna clutter and streamline infrastructure
• Enables simplified deployment and easier ongoing maintenance

Just like MatSing’s proven lens technology, the new WiFi antenna uses a single lens to deliver multiple high-capacity sectors, extending the same centralized, high-performance approach to WiFi 6E.

Unlike traditional panel antennas that rely on dozens of distributed mounting locations, MatSing’s centralized lens antenna design provides broad, high-performance coverage from fewer positions. This results in cleaner stadium aesthetics, improved fan experience, and lower long-term operational costs.

MatSing’s lens antennas currently power many of the world’s premier sports and entertainment venues. The company continues to lead the evolution of wireless infrastructure with solutions built for scale, efficiency, and performance.

Learn more about MatSing’s lens antenna technology and stadium solutions.

At our stand, located in Hall 4, #4B30, we will bring together industry innovators and ecosystem leaders to demonstrate how telcos can leverage data, AI, and automation to accelerate their path to L4/L5 autonomous networks, open new B2B markets, reinvent the B2C experience to drive loyalty, and transform their operating model.

For the fifth consecutive year, Accenture proudly returns as the GSMA’s exclusive Connected Industries Knowledge Partner in Hall 4. From AI-ready manufacturing networks to AI-powered fan experiences, from agentic commerce to the future of mobility and logistics, we'll explore today’s cutting-edge connectivity solutions and a preview what the future could look like. 

Live Solution Demos

We will be showcasing AI-powered solutions that reinvent networks, B2B growth and customer experiences, including:

• Agentic autonomous network reinvention: Reinvent how networks are planned, deployed and operated using agentic AI and digital twin technology.
• AI-driven network deployment and acceptance: Accelerate rollout, improve quality and reduce rework with AI-powered deployment and acceptance solutions.
• Predictive operations and intelligent NOC: Move from reactive operations to predictive, automated network management with agentic AI.
• Sovereign AI and new B2B growth: Unlock new enterprise markets with secure, sovereign AI-powered connectivity platforms.
• AI-driven B2C growth and loyalty: Reimagine customer engagement with AI-powered marketing, sales and service solutions.
• Enterprise reinvention in the AI economy: See how the Accenture Telstra Joint Venture is scaling AI from pilot to enterprise-wide impact.

On Stage – Key Speaker Highlights

2nd March 

• Connected Industries Opening remarks and Manufacturing and Production Summit: Building AI-Ready Networks for Resources (Connected Industries, Hall 4 at 11:00-11:45)
• Rewiring Business: The New AI-Driven Enterprise Ecosystem (Johnson Stage, Hall 6 at 13:00-13:45)
• AI Powered. Future-Ready (Johnson Stage, Hall 6 at 14:15-15:15) 

3rd March 

• Fintech and Commerce Summit: Agentic Commerce and the Human Experience (Connected Industries, Hall 4 at 10:00-10:30)
• IOWN Global Forum - Beyond Connectivity: From AI Ambition to Infrastructure Reality (Partner Theatre 5, Hall 8.0 – 4YFN & Partner Theatres from 15:00-18:30)
• Masterclasses - Sovereign AI and cloud (Connected Industries, Hall 4 at 16:30-17:45) 

 4th March  

• Smart Mobility Summit: Connectivity meets autonomy (Connected Industries, Hall 4 at 10:00-10:30)
• Smart Mobility Summit: Built for Tomorrow - Infrastructure for Intelligent Mobility (Connected Industries, Hall 4 at 10:30-11:00)
• Intelligent Resilience: Building Networks That Endure (Turing Stage, Hall 6 at 15:15-16:00)
• Personality Engineering: How Does Your Agent Represent Your Company? (Marconi Stage, Hall 6 at 16:45-17:30)
• Masterclasses - Private networks and IoT (Connected Industries, Hall 4 at 16:45-17:30) 

5th March 

• CX-Factor: Can AI Truly Win the Customer’s Heart? (Johnson Stage, Hall 6 at 10:00-10:45)
• From field to screen: AI-powered, immersive fan experiences at scale (Connected Industries, Hall 4 at 10:00-10:30) 

Booth location:  Hall 4, stand #4B30.

• Accenture Media Relations contacts: Molly McDonagh (molly.mcdonagh@accenture.com) and Chandra Deschpande (c.b.deshpande@accenture.com).

Available Resources: Refer to our Accenture at MWC site for the latest speaker, demo and news updates: MWC26 Barcelona | Accenture

AI in overalls is a simple image for a complex shift: AI moving from analysis to action, from recommendation to execution, from digital workflows to real world operations. It is intelligence embedded in machines, in production lines, in logistics flows, and increasingly in collaborative robots that share space with people. It is also intelligence embedded in the infrastructure that connects it all: mobile networks, edge computing, cloud platforms, and the data foundations that turn signals into trusted decisions.

At MWC26 Barcelona, we are bringing this conversation to the Connected Industries space, because the future of industrial AI is inseparable from the future of connectivity. When low latency, high reliability networks meet virtual twins and embodied AI, industry gains something more powerful than automation: adaptive capability.

This article explores what it means to scale intelligence across the industrial value chain, why robotics is becoming the most visible frontier of AI, and how leaders can move from pilots to industrialization without compromising safety, sovereignty, or human purpose.

From insight to agency: the new shape of industrial AI

Industrial organizations are not short on data. They are short on usable understanding. A factory generates telemetry from machines, quality stations, energy systems, and material flows. An enterprise adds ERP transactions, supply chain events, engineering change orders, customer configurations, and service records. A network layer adds its own stream: device location, throughput, latency, and network conditions. The result is a flood of information, but too little shared meaning.

The first wave of industrial AI focused on pattern recognition: predicting failures, spotting anomalies, optimizing scheduling. Valuable, but limited. The second wave is shifting toward systems that reason and act in context, combining machine learning, symbolic and semantic techniques, and workflow automation. In practical terms, it means AI that can interpret intent, link cause and effect across domains, and propose actions that respect constraints.

The third wave is where the “overalls” metaphor becomes real: embodied AI. Intelligence that is not only observing industrial reality, but physically participating in it through robotics and autonomous systems. When AI becomes embodied, the challenges change dramatically:

• Decisions must be real time, not batch.
• Safety is a design principle, not a checklist at the end.
• Reliability is measured in uptime and throughput, not in model accuracy alone.
• Trust is earned through traceability and explainability, not by impressive demos.

This is where connectivity stops being a utility and becomes strategic. The industrial value chain is becoming a distributed system of intelligence, and distributed intelligence needs a nervous system.

Connectivity as the nervous system of autonomy

Autonomy depends on reliable connectivity, and connectivity reaches its value when paired with intelligence. Mobile technologies, including private 5G, advanced 4G, and emerging edge architectures, provide the characteristics industrial AI needs: deterministic performance, prioritization, scalability, and the ability to connect a heterogeneous ecosystem of assets. In the industrial world, the network is not simply a pipe for data. It is an active enabler of orchestration. Consider what changes when you can rely on consistent low latency and high reliability communications across a production environment:

• Vision systems can coordinate with robotic arms with tight timing constraints.
• Autonomous mobile robots can navigate dynamic shopfloors with fewer safety buffers.
• Remote experts can support maintenance with high fidelity video and sensor overlays.
• Inference can run at the edge while higher level context and learning remain in the cloud.
• Multi-site operations can standardize processes and improve resilience across global footprints.

This is not just about faster connectivity. It is about making industrial systems composable. Intelligence can be distributed across devices, edge nodes, and cloud services, while maintaining a coherent operational view. The industrial value chain begins to behave like a single adaptive organism.

But there is a catch. To scale, we need more than connectivity and more than AI. We need a shared reference of truth that bridges engineering, manufacturing, and operations. That is the role of virtual twins.

Virtual twins: the control tower for AI in overalls

Take the example of robots as advanced, autonomously operating cyber systems. They are impressive, but the real breakthrough is not the robot itself, but the system that makes it safe, efficient, and governable at scale. A virtual twin provides that system level perspective. It is a science based, continuously synchronized representation of products, processes, and operations. It connects what you design with what you produce and what you operate. It links behavior, constraints, and performance across the lifecycle. When you combine AI with virtual twins, several powerful capabilities emerge.

1. Safer autonomy through virtual validation
   Embodied AI learns. Learning in the physical world is expensive and risky. Virtual environments allow you to test behaviors, validate edge cases, simulate disruptions, and assess safety scenarios before deploying changes on the shopfloor. This is how you industrialize robotics without experimenting on live operations.
2. Better decisions through contextual intelligence
   AI models are only as good as the context they can access. A virtual twin provides semantic structure: how assets relate, how processes flow, what constraints must be respected. It turns disconnected data into operational knowledge. That is a prerequisite for AI systems that can reason rather than merely correlate.
3. Continuous improvement, not one-off optimization
   Industrial performance is not a single metric. It is a balance: throughput, quality, energy, safety, resilience, cost, and time to market. Virtual twins allow you to run continuous trade off analysis, explore scenarios, and align decisions across stakeholders. AI becomes a partner in that loop, not a black box generating isolated recommendations.

This is one reason we speak about virtual twin experiences on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and, more broadly, 3D UNIV+RSES: environments where organizations can imagine, design, simulate, and operate complex systems with a coherent, governed data backbone. In a world racing to deploy AI, this matters because scale is not achieved by multiplying pilots. Scale is achieved by building a repeatable architecture for trust.

Robotics is not replacing humans, it is redefining work

Whenever robotics enters the conversation, two fears appear: replacement and dehumanization. Both are understandable, and both miss the more important point.

The industrial economy is facing a labor and skills reality: demographic pressure, safety expectations, rising complexity, and the need for sustainable operations. The question is not whether humans matter. The question is how we design industrial systems where humans can contribute at their best.

Intelligent robotics changes the human role from operator to supervisor, from repetitive task execution to exception handling, from manual adjustments to creative problem solving. In mature deployments, robots take on the tasks that are dull, dirty, dangerous, or ergonomically punishing. People take on the tasks that require judgement, improvisation, and responsibility.

The ‘dark factory’ idea is often misread. The objective is not to remove people, but to reduce hazardous exposure and eliminate avoidable friction, while elevating human work toward supervision, improvement, and innovation. The factory of the future should be illuminated by intelligence, not emptied of purpose. To achieve that outcome, leaders must treat human centric design as a system requirement:

• Skills development must be planned alongside automation roadmaps.
• Interfaces must be built for trust and comprehension, not for data volume.
• AI governance must include accountability and clear escalation paths.
• Safety must be engineered from the start, not audited at the end.

This is not a philosophical debate. It is the difference between robotics that scales and robotics that stalls.

The industrial value chain is converging, and AI exposes every seam

One of the biggest obstacles to scaling industrial AI is not the technology. It is the seams between functions: engineering to manufacturing, manufacturing to supply chain, operations to service, IT to OT, enterprise to partner ecosystem. AI makes these seams visible because it requires continuity. A robot learning a new motion path needs engineering intent, process constraints, and operational feedback. Predictive maintenance needs asset history, usage conditions, and maintenance actions. Energy optimization needs production plans, facility systems, and sustainability metrics. In other words, AI demands integration of the value chain.

This is why industry leaders are moving toward platform approaches that unify collaboration, data governance, and lifecycle continuity. It is also why telco and technology ecosystems matter. Industrial AI is increasingly a multi-party endeavor: manufacturers, network providers, cloud and edge infrastructure, robotics suppliers, software platforms, and integrators. Scaling intelligence is not only a technical program. It is an ecosystem capability.

How to move from pilots to scale: a practical path

If you are leading an industrial AI agenda, you have likely experienced the pattern: promising pilots that struggle to industrialize. The reasons are consistent. The following principles help break the cycle: 

1. Start with value chain use cases, not isolated tasks
   Pick problems where cross functional continuity matters: quality loops between design and production, closed loop maintenance and operations, end to end traceability for regulated products, or energy and throughput optimization across sites.
2. Design for data integrity and semantics early
   A model can be trained quickly. A trusted data foundation takes longer. Invest early in master data discipline, contextualization, and governance. Without semantic structure, AI is fragile.
3. Combine edge, cloud, and network intentionally
   Decide what must happen at the edge for latency and resilience, what belongs in the cloud for scale and learning, and what depends on the network for orchestration. Avoid architectures that assume perfect connectivity or centralized control.
4. Use virtual twins to de-risk and accelerate
   Virtual validation is not optional when physical systems are involved. Treat simulation and virtual commissioning as core to your AI and robotics deployment lifecycle.
5. Build governance that is operational, not theoretical
   Define ownership, accountability, and change control. Ensure you can trace decisions, audit models, and manage updates safely. For embodied AI, governance and safety are inseparable.
6. Put people at the center of adoption
   If operators and engineers do not trust the system, it will not scale. Invest in explainability, training, and redesigned workflows. The best AI is the one people want to use.

These steps are not glamorous, but they are what separates experimentation from transformation.

Why MWC matters for industrial AI

MWC26 Barcelona is often associated with consumer innovation. Increasingly, it is where the foundations of industrial innovation are shaped: networks, edge infrastructure, device ecosystems, and the software layers that turn connectivity into capability. Industrial AI will not be won by companies that only build better models. It will be won by companies that build better systems: connected, secure, governed, and human centric systems that can learn and adapt over time.

That is the opportunity in front of us. AI in overalls is not a slogan. It is a practical ambition: to embed intelligence across the industrial value chain, from design to operations, from the physical edge to the virtual twin, and from the network layer to business outcomes. At Dassault Systèmes, our focus is to help industrial innovators create virtual twin experiences that accelerate innovation while improving sustainability, resilience, and trust. At MWC26 Barcelona, we look forward to exchanging with manufacturers, technology providers, and operators on how to make this ambition real.

If you are attending MWC26 Barcelona, I invite you to join my session and continue the conversation at our stand. The next industrial decade will be defined by how well we connect intelligence to purpose, and how responsibly we bring it into the real world.

Since its inception, the #ChangeTheFace Alliance has become a catalyst for industry-wide action on diversity and inclusion. The Alliance has united global technology companies, consultancy firms, NGOs, and industry bodies to collaborate on common initiatives, share insights through an open-source portal with the wider tech industry, and drive collective progress on diversity and inclusion. Its initiatives include ground-breaking research such as the Neurodiversity in Tech Report (2023), the largest workplace study of its kind, and ongoing advocacy at major global forums such as the UN General Assembly, World Economic Forum, and Mobile World Congress. The Alliance received the GLOMO Award for Diversity in Tech at MWC Barcelona 2022.

The integration of the #ChangeTheFace Alliance with the GSMA’s “Connectivity for Good” programme brings together two movements with a shared mission: to build a technology and telecoms sector that truly reflects the diversity of the world it serves. This builds on GSMA’s existing work to advance inclusion across the mobile ecosystem, and will create a stronger global platform for collaboration, scale, and lasting industry impact.

The #ChangeTheFace Alliance will continue as a member‑led alliance, governed and strategically directed by its independent Board. The Board will retain oversight and authority for the Alliance’s work, ensuring continuity of purpose and accountability to members. The GSMA will host the Alliance’s administration and align with its wider diversity and inclusion initiatives to help accelerate impact and scale progress globally across the technology ecosystem.

Existing members will continue as part of the integrated programme at the GSMA, working together to shape the next phase of the Alliance, further expand participation globallyacross the technology sector, and launch new impactful initiatives at even greater scale. Progress and outcomes will be shared at the GSMA’s flagship events, including MWC Barcelona and the M360 series.

Lara Dewar, Chief Marketing Officer of the GSMA, said: “The #ChangetheFace Alliance has already demonstrated the power of collective action to challenge stereotypes and drive inclusion in the tech sector. We are honoured to build on this foundation, working with our partners to expand the Alliance’s work and ensure that our industry represents the rich diversity of the communities it connects, and the people it serves. Building diversity is not only the right thing to do; it is essential for innovation, growth and trust in our digital age.”

The GSMA also paid tribute to Serpil Timuray, Founding Chair of the #ChangeTheFace Alliance, for her leadership in guiding the movement. “Serpil’s vision and leadership have been central to establishing the Alliance as a catalyst for industry change,” added Dewar. “We are proud to continue this important work and thank Serpil for inspiring our sector to act with ambition and purpose.”

Serpil Timuray, Founding Chair of the #ChangeTheFace Alliance, said: “The #ChangeTheFace Alliance was created to unite the global industry behind a shared mission to make the technology sector more inclusive for customers and employees. I am proud of how far we have come and deeply grateful to all our members for their invaluable commitment, collaboration, and impact. The GSMA is the perfect home for the Alliance’s next chapter, with its shared purpose and global platform to further scale our impact. I am excited for this new growth phase for the #ChangeTheFace Alliance and thank the GSMA for enabling this tremendous opportunity to enhance collaboration and drive lasting change across the global technology sector.”

To find out more about #ChangeTheFace activities at this year’s MWC Barcelona explore #ChangeTheFace summit sessions.

-ENDS-

About #ChangeTheFace

The #ChangeTheFace movement was launched by Vodafone in 2020 as a pledge campaign to drive greater diversity and inclusion across the technology sector. In September 2021, it evolved into the #ChangeTheFace Alliance, bringing together leading global technology companies, consultancy firms, NGOs, and industry bodies committed to accelerating industry-wide change. Alliance members include organisations such as Colt, Cyta, Deloitte, Digital Boost, Founders4Schools, ITU, Korn Ferry, Nokia, UN Women, and Vodafone. Through collective action, members collaborate on shared initiatives, exchange insights and best practices, and work together to advance diversity and inclusion across the global technology ecosystem

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

Thought leadership will define discussions across MWC, with keynote stages and conference programmes shaped by some of the most influential voices across technology, business and society. CEOs and leaders from the breadth of the global mobile and technology ecosystem and beyond are set to take to MWC stages, with keynotes from:

• AT&T ‘s CEO, John Stankey
• Blizzard’s President, Johanna Faries
• BT Group’s CEO, Allison Kirkby
• Character.AI’s CEO, Karandeep Anand
• China Mobile’s CEO, He Biao
• Deutsche Telekom’s CEO, Tim Höttges
• Light’s CEO and Co-Founder, Kaiwei Tang
• Lumen’s President and CEO, Kate Johnson
• Nokia’s CEO, Justin Hotard
• NTT Inc’s President & CEO, Akira Shimada
• OURA’s CEO and Board Member, Tom Hale
• Orange Group’s CEO, Christel Heydemann
• Qualcomm’s President and CEO, Cristiano R. Amon
• Telecom Argentina’s CEO, Roberto Daniel Nobile
• Tools for Humanity’s CEO and Co-Founder, Alex Blania
• Vodafone’s CEO, Margherita Della Valle
• and Actor, Producer, and Entrepreneur Aaron Paul

New exhibitors include Adobe, Cohere, NSCALE, Siemens, and Toshiba, alongside the first-time appearance of Meta’s immersive Meta Lab, allowing attendees to experience the latest innovations in wearable AI technology.

John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd., said: “As March approaches, I’m excited to see the industry come together again in Barcelona for what promises to be another exciting edition of MWC - our 20th in Barcelona. From Airport of the Future to our New Frontiers zone, there are so many exciting new elements to explore this year. These exhibits, experiences, and technologies on-site truly capture the core purpose of MWC Barcelona - real-world innovations showcasing how we will live in the future being deployed, tested and scaled to improve our lives in meaningful ways.”

The debut Airport of the Future experience will bring large-scale aviation innovation directly into the halls of MWC. Built around real-world use cases and operational environments, this dynamic, immersive exhibit will feature a live, full-scale Motional Digital Twin delivered by Outsight, the first time this technology will be deployed at a technology event in a live, real-scale setting. Using the exhibition area as a testbed, attendees will see how airports anonymously track passenger movement, manage queues, optimise asset use, and improve operational performance – all in real time.

Other confirmed demos include AENA’s digital luggage tagging and pet travel passports at check-in; a connected aircraft experience from Airbus allowing visitors to personalise their onboard cabin environment; and a 5G-connected aircraft showcase from Neutral Wireless demonstrating low-latency live video streaming for broadcasting.

These showcases join confirmed exhibitors Agibot, Alba Robot, ANYbotics, Mossos d’Esquadra, Vueling, and WaltR, with more exhibitors and exciting live demos for the inaugural Airport of the Future still to be revealed.

Another debut this year, New Frontiers is an immersive, future-focused showcase exploring the outer limits of innovation. Featuring around 20 exhibitors from across the world, many appearing at MWC for the first time, the exhibition brings together mind-expanding ideas poised to profoundly impact connectivity, industry and society., This will include - in addition those already announced - quantum leaders like Global Data Quantum and the Quantum Flagship, technology, satellite and NTN pioneers like the European Space Agency,  Eutelsat, and Viasat, and embodied AI leaders like Magiclab Robotics.

The GSMA Pavilion will showcase the power of networks and cross-industry collaboration with experiences including an immersive simulator featuring the speed and precision of Formula E. NUHS, in collaboration with Ericsson and Singtel, will showcase the future of AI and 5G-powered patient care - from an intelligent robot nurse to holographical surgical planning. While Elmo’s tele-driving service returns so attendees can drive a car around the Circuit de Catalunya, by steering it from the MWC show floor. Capgemini will showcase a smart factory in action, with a vision-guided robotic arm, whilst Infobip will challenge attendees to build and direct a team of AI agents to stop banking fraud. 

MWC’s iconic startup and innovation zone 4YFN will once again run alongside the event, bringing together a packed programme of startup-focused speakers and exhibitors changing the world, this year with its own dedicated North Entrance. Read more here.

Further updates on speakers, exhibitor announcements, and programme highlights will be shared on the MWC Barcelona Press Zone. Registration is open, and members of the media are invited to apply for a complimentary press pass here

Editors Note (30 Jan): Previously confirmed speakers from Loveable and Harvey are no longer participating at MWC26.

-ENDS-

About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office pressoffice@gsma.com  

CircuitX will feature leading partners showcasing advanced technology and connectivity solutions, including Al Kamel supported by Semtech & Domo Broadcast Systems, Barcelona Drone Center, Elmo, Ericsson, Formula E, Into Reality, MatSing, NTT DATA, Prospeed and Telefónica.

CircuitX was launched last year during MWC25 Barcelona by the GSMA’s innovation hub, GSMA Foundry; Fira Circuit, an entity managed by Fira de Barcelona and the public-private foundation Mobile World Capital that promotes the digital development of society. The initiative aims to turn the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya into a centre for innovation and next-generation motorsport experiences.

The showcase demonstrations at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and MWC26 Barcelona will feature participation from leading motor racing teams and technology collaborators to showcase teledriven vehicles, in-race telemetry, live broadcast, drone safety and security measures, as well as immersive augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences for fans. 

To enable all of the demonstrations at both the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and MWC26 Barcelona, Telefónica has joined the initiative as the official connectivity partner, providing 5G network coverage at both locations. The CircuitX partners and demos are:

• Al Kamel will show how ultra-low latency networks transform race operations, from instant incident detection and dynamic race strategies – providing a glimpse into the future of precision motorsport management supported by Semtech & Domo Broadcast Systems.
• Barcelona Drone Center will showcase drones for crowd monitoring, emergency response and perimeter security, leveraging advanced Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) technology and regulatory expertise – critical for modern smart venues.
• Elmo will demonstrate real-time teledriving of vehicles over public 5G networks, including stable remote operation at higher driving speeds, enabled by network quality APIs that ensure low latency, reliability and service continuity for safety-critical vehicle control.
• Ericsson brings its private 5G expertise to deliver a secure, high-performance network tailored to the device mobility demands of motorsport environments – essential for telemetry, video streaming and safety-critical systems.
• Formula E will showcase sustainability-driven racing innovations, integrating connectivity for enhanced telemetry and fan engagement. The Gen3 EVO Formula E race car demonstrates its capabilities on the track, able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 1.82 seconds.
• Into Reality will develop interactive AR/VR environments that enable fans to participate in virtual race experiences.
• MatSing, a pioneer of RF lens antenna technology, will demonstrate its patented solution that is trusted by the world’s largest venues and events to deliver high-capacity, high-performance wireless coverage that enhances fan experiences, supports real-time communications and ensures reliable connectivity across every corner of the venue.
• NTT DATA will show AI enabled applications, including solutions that enhance operations and safety, as well as mobile applications that leverage live data and AI-driven insights to deliver a digital-first fan experience both on-site and off-site.
• Prospeed will demonstrate video streaming and a marshaling system, including telemetry data transmission, from a Porsche Cup safety car used in the Porsche One-Make Series running at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
• Telefónica will provide the 5G connectivity backbone enabling all of the demos to run across the CircuitX and MWC showcase.

CircuitX moves from track to theatre to feature at MWC26 Barcelona (2–5 March) at the CircuitX Demo Zone in Hall 6, where attendees can explore interactive demo pods, live sessions on the New Frontiers stage from our partners and have a look around a Formula E Gen3 Evo, the net-zero carbon electric race car known for extreme efficiency and performance.

John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd., said: “CircuitX is more than a showcase; it’s a blueprint for the future of connected experiences. By integrating mobile technology into motorsport and entertainment, GSMA and its partners aim to set new standards for safety, efficiency and fan engagement. MWC26 Barcelona provides the perfect stage to demonstrate these groundbreaking innovations, bringing together the global tech community to witness first-hand how interoperability with emerging technologies such as satellite and drones can be realised. This reinforces the pivotal role of mobile connectivity as a catalyst for ongoing innovation.”
 

Francesc Fajula de Quintana, CEO, Mobile World Capital, said: “This partnership lets Mobile World Capital do what we do best: mobilise talent and technology for real impact. Through our digital talent programmes we’ll support reskilling and new skills at the circuit, connect CircuitX with Barcelona’s tech ecosystem, and showcase its progress at MWC, 4YFN and Talent Arena - demonstrating how innovation reshapes everyday life.”
 

Ignasi Armengol, General Manager, Fira Circuit, said: “CircuitX is a new example of how Fira Circuit aims to push the boundaries of our racetrack and make it a hub of innovation capable of transforming companies and industries through collaboration with world-class events such as MWC Barcelona. This underlines how the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a unique space that drives new opportunities that link disruptive technologies to mobility, motorsports and live events.”

CircuitX’s  three-year project will cover five core areas to highlight where mobile connectivity can support innovation across motorsport and large-scale events, including:

• Travel & Navigation: Real-time journey management and traffic optimisation.
• Security & Safety: Enhanced emergency communication and crowd monitoring.
• Fan Movement: Smart venue navigation and crowd flow management.
• Fan Experience: Personalised content, live data and immersive experiences.
• Race Telemetry: Secure, efficient data transmission for teams and fans.

Join us at MWC26 Barcelona to experience CircuitX live. For more information and to book a Demo tour, visit 

https://www.gsma.com/get-involved/gsma-foundry/circuitx/ 

Image credit: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

— ENDS —

Notes to Editors

Watch the CircuitX teaser video: www.gsma.com/get-involved/gsma-foundry/circuitx/ 

Photography and b-roll from the CircuitX Sunday showcase will be made available on 1 March 2026.

About GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

About Mobile World Capital
Mobile World Capital Barcelona is a public-private foundation that promotes the digital development of society to build a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future through the humanistic use of technology. MWCapital contributes to positioning Barcelona as a global benchmark in the digital field and to consolidating MWC's legacy throughout the year, promoting initiatives in the field of technology transfer, the promotion of digital talent, the development of innovative technological projects with social impact and the generation of knowledge. MWCapital hosts MWC in Barcelona, is the founder of 4YFN and connects citizens with the latest digital trends through key events.

About Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya 
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is recognised as one of the world’s leading permanent circuits, offering high-level infrastructure and exceptional versatility for hosting major international events. With more than 30 years of history, it has become a global benchmark in motorsport, staging Formula 1 and MotoGP Grands Prix, while also providing over 50,000 m² of adaptable space for trade fairs, congresses, cultural and musical events, leisure activities, and sustainable mobility initiatives. Managed by Fira de Barcelona since 2025 through the Fira Circuit entity, the venue is being transformed into a hub for innovation, advanced connectivity, and next-generation motorsport experiences.

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com 

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya 
Montse Sogues msogues@circuitcat.com 

Mobile World Capital
pr@mobileworldcapital.com 

Culminating in the electric 4YFN26 Awards, the Top 20 will compete to be crowned overall winner. The 4YFN Top 20 will take part in the 4YFN Awards semifinals on the first day of 4YFN Barcelona. This high-energy on-stage pitch competition will take place in front of a panel of leading investors and industry experts. The panel will evaluate them on criteria including innovation, scalability, and impact – with the end goal of choosing five finalists on the same day. 

The five finalists will advance to the grand stage of the 4YFN Awards Final, where they will compete again in front of the same panel on the Banco Sabadell stage from 17:00 on 4 March, this time for the coveted prize of 4YFN Awards winner. The winner will clinch a €20,000 cash prize courtesy of the GSMA Foundry, announced directly after the live pitches conclude.

The 4YFN26 Awards Top 20 are: 

Climate Tech – celebrating solutions addressing climate resilience, cleaner energy, and sustainability.

• Dr. Scrap (China) - transforming the global scrap industry through data, automation, and computer vision.
• Sensegrass (UK) – improving farm productivity with AI analytics, IoT, and soil intelligence that optimise input use and crop health.
• Skyfora (Finland) – enhancing weather forecasting with AI-powered weather intelligence solutions to predict and adapt to extreme weather.
• URAPHEX (Spain) – regenerating industrial water through chemical free, sustainable treating processes that reduce pollution.

Digital Horizons – bringing together advanced AI, cybersecurity, and emerging digital solutions powering the next wave of enterprise and consumer innovation.

• AIM Intelligence (Korea) – AI security middleware detecting, targeting and eliminating risks in AI enterprise systems.
• DeepKeep (Israel) – protecting enterprise AI models and data pipelines with security tools designed for emerging threat landscapes.
• Enhans (Korea) – building AI driven commerce infrastructure and operating systems for large scale digital transactions.
• NeuralTrust (Spain) – helping companies deploy and scale generative AI safely by protecting applications and agents from misuse or data leaks.

Fintech – spotlighting startups improving and automating financial services, strengthening digital payments, and expanding financial inclusion.

• Dost (Spain) – automating finance operations for growing businesses with AI-driven workflows.
• DRUO (USA) – enabling people and businesses to pay directly from bank accounts, removing the need for cards.
• Kistpay Private Limited (Pakistan) – increasing access to smartphones through instalment-based financing for users across emerging markets.
• Spendbase (Ukraine) – reducing SaaS, cloud, and card spend for companies through unified cost management tools.

Health Tech – highlighting digital tools and medical technologies improving healthcare, early diagnosis, and disease prevention.

• AI Diagnostics (South Africa) – delivering AI-powered diagnostic tools that support screening and early detection of TB in low-resource healthcare environments.
• Biorce (Spain) – automating clinical trial operations with AI agents that streamline planning and execution for research teams.
• Medwise AI (UK) – providing clinicians with fast, evidence-based answers that improve care decisions at the point of delivery.
• Sycai Medical (Spain) – using AI imaging to identify and track pre-cancerous pancreatic lesions for earlier clinical intervention.

Mobile Frontiers – startups driving telecom innovation and shaping the future of connectivity

• ConnectHear (Pakistan) – creating accessible communication for deaf users through real-time sign language interpretation and AI-assisted alerts.
• Kreios Space SL (Spain) – developing systems to extend satellite lifetimes in very low Earth orbit.
• OptAI (Korea) – optimising on-device AI performance with tools that boost speed, privacy, and efficiency.
• ZIM Connections (UK) – simplifying global connectivity by enabling travellers to activate region specific eSIM plans through a single platform.
   

Pere Duran, Event Director of 4YFN, said: “The 4YFN Awards represent a defining moment for start-up founders and the world’s most exciting startups. Each year, we see our Top 20 startups go on to secure major funding rounds, global partnerships, and fast-scale expansion, while bringing such innovative and disruptive ideas to the tech industry. It’s an honour to play a part in their journey, and I’m excited to announce our five 2026 finalists on 2 March in Barcelona.”

Register for 4YFN26 today

Each year, 4YFN unites investors, founders, and industry leaders under one roof to explore the ambitious ideas and cutting-edge tech defining the next wave of innovation. 4YFN25 was record-breaking, welcoming more than 1,000 startup exhibitors, 380 speakers, and over 900 investors with collective funds totalling €60 billion. 

4YFN’s new theme, Infinite AI, sets the tone for 2026, capturing the energy of founders who are building boldly, scaling quickly, and pushing AI into places once considered impossible. It also reflects the role of 4YFN as a place where ideas collide, deals take shape, and breakout companies enjoy their first moments in the global spotlight.

4YFN will showcase hundreds of exciting startups across five stages in Halls 8.0 and 8.1, with attendees enjoying packed demo floors, live pitch sessions, and a programme built to connect founders with investors, corporates, and global media. Book your place at 4YFN26 here.

Keep updated on the latest 4YFN news here.

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

*Greenlyte Carbon Technologies GmbH was previously reported as a Top 20 start-up, but has since withdrawn from the Awards process.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

Under the event theme The IQ Era, MWC26 embraces a new age of intelligence through smarter connection. It follows 20 years of iconic thought leadership by titans of our industry on the stages of MWC. 

Joining the MWC speakers’ hall of fame, MWC26 will feature SpaceX’s President and COO, Gwynne Shotwell and Starlink’s VP of Engineering, Michael Nicolls. Also joining the main stage, with more thought leaders to be revealed on our website in due course:

• Bharti Airtel Group’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director and GSMA Chair, Gopal Vittal;
• BostonGene’s President and CEO, and NetCracker’s CEO & Chairman, Andrew Feinberg;
• Orange Group’s CEO, Christel Heydemann;
• Rakuten’s CEO, Mickey Mikitani;
• VEON’s Group CEO, Kaan Terzioğlu;
• and leading technology analyst and strategist, Benedict Evans. 

The packed four-day agenda is built around six core themes – Intelligent Infrastructure, ConnectAI, AI 4 Enterprise, AI Nexus, Tech4All and Game Changers. It will explore how ideas can drive tech and societal progress when we embrace the collective knowledge of our mobile ecosystem.

This year’s exhibitors and sponsors will include Accenture, Amazon Web Services, AT&T, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Dell, Deutsche Telekom, EY, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Honor, Huawei, Intel, KPMG, KT, Liberty Global, Meta, Microsoft, Nokia, Palo Alto Networks, Qualcomm, SAP, Samsung, SKT,  Snowflake, ZTE and Xiaomi. 

Vivek Badrinath, Director General, GSMA, said: “For two decades, MWC Barcelona has been the place where everyone, from founders to presidents, come together to experience the power of connection and get business done. The 2026 edition marks the beginning of a new era of intelligence, emphasising the advancement of connectivity, human-driven tech innovation, commercial development, and societal progress.”

Returning favourites include the GSMA Ministerial Programme, 4YFN26, the GLOMOs, Talent Arena, and the place to B - BEAT BARCELONA alongside a whole host of exciting new immersive experiences and exhibitions designed to showcase the future of connected industries:

• New Frontiers: This new show floor feature and stage in Hall 6 shines a light on emerging frontier technologies disrupting and accelerating the mobile and connectivity ecosystem. With live demos and real-world use cases, it will explore Quantum Computing, Physical AI, and Satellite and Non-Terrestrial Networks, featuring companies such as Aalyria, Agibot, Equatys, Eutelsat and Toshiba Quantum.
• Airport of the Future: New for MWC26, this latest chapter in the visionary MWC Journey to the Future series includes the Smart Airports Summit which returns for its second edition. The new zone is an immersive exhibition experience designed for attendees to explore how aviation and air travel are being transformed through connected technologies. It will feature interactive demos from innovators including zone partners Airbus and Outsight. Airbus will show how advanced connectivity and data analytics are transforming aircraft operations and passenger experience. While Outsight – Airport of the Future’s Spatial AI Technology Partner - will create a live, full-scale motional digital twin of the zone.
• CircuitX: As part of the collaboration between GSMA Foundry, Mobile World Capital Barcelona, and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya managed by Fira de Barcelona, CircuitX will showcase cutting-edge advances in smart mobility and immersive fan experiences. Attendees can explore interactive demo pods and attend live sessions from industry leaders, marking the first phase of an exciting multi-year journey.

Now in its 11th year, 4YFN returns to Barcelona to connect founders, investors, and corporate innovators at Europe’s leading start-up event, culminating in the trailblazing 4YFN26 Awards. Under the theme Infinite AI, the 2026 edition of 4YFN will celebrate the limitless potential of human and machine creativity, exploring how responsible, scalable AI can unlock new ideas, connect industries, and deliver opportunities for a more inclusive future. 4YFN Partner Programmes will feature sessions that bring innovative ideas to the forefront, including demos and a half-day partner programme hosted by Amazon Web Services. 

MWC Partner Programmes will once again feature tailored sessions from leading organisations including Alibaba Cloud, FC Barcelona’s Barça Innovation Hub, Government of Catalonia, GTI, Huawei, O-RAN Alliance, Samsung, SK Telecom, Tecno Mobile, Telus, World Internet Conference, and YOFC, with new partners for 2026 including MediaTek and ViaSat. 

Registration for MWC26 Barcelona is open, and members of the media are invited to apply for a complimentary press pass here. 

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About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com.

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office pressoffice@gsma.com  

11 November 2025

Mobile World Capital Barcelona unveiled today the highlights of the second edition of Talent Arena, which will take place from 2 to 4 March 2026 in Hall 8 of Fira de Barcelona’s Montjuïc venue. Co-located with MWC26 Barcelona and 4YFN, Talent Arena stands out as Europe’s leading gathering for developers, this year, with new spaces, more professional content, and an expanded programme designed to boost the city’s digital talent ecosystem. 

After attracting more than 20,000 visitors in its first edition, Talent Arena 2026 reaffirms its mission to connect talent, industry and training, driving professional growth and positioning Barcelona as a global hub for digital talent. 

A key attraction of Talent Arena is its line-up of speakers, featuring over 200 sessions delivered by technology pioneers, industry leaders and tech experts from the world’s top tech companies. Headlining the 2026 edition are Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web; Kate Darling, researcher at the Boston Dynamics AI Institute; Tim Serewicz, Vice President of Education at the Linux Foundation; and Steve Aoki, DJ, producer and entrepreneur. 

This year’s content offering is broader than ever, complemented by specialised spaces and additional activities such as 45 workshops and hackathons organised by leading global operators and institutions. 

Francesc Fajula, CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, affirmed: “Talent Arena is much more than an event; it’s a platform to drive the future of digital talent on a global scale. Barcelona has become a European benchmark for innovation and technology, and our goal is to continue connecting talent with the trends and opportunities transforming the industry.” 
 

John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd., added: “After an outstanding first edition, we are delighted to play a part in bringing Talent Arena back next year. Talent Arena was born out of a desire to develop the next generation of digital talent – to identify, retrain, upskill and keep up with the rapid pace of change we see from digital technologies like AI – and I’m looking forward to seeing this mission realised again in 2026. I encourage all MWC and 4YFN attendees to visit Talent Arena and experience the buzz for themselves.” 
 

The press conference also featured the participation of Jordi Valls, Deputy Mayor for Economy, Housing, Finance and Tourism at Barcelona City Council, who expressed his gratitude for the Talent Arena initiative, which aims to “continue making the presence of MWC in the city a collaborative space for shared learning” that keeps connecting people and experiences around technology — a key area for the city’s economy. “The generation of human capital in the digital field is strategically important to gain sovereignty, at a time when science and technology are decisive in the economic strength of nations,” Valls added. 

Also taking part was Maria Galindo Garcia-Delgado, Secretary for Digital Policies of the Government of Catalonia, who stated that “Talent Arena is much more than a technological event: it is a national commitment. It brings together talent, industry and knowledge, and aligns with the objectives of the National Pact for Digital Talent to train, attract and retain professionals capable of driving Catalonia as the digital capital of southern Europe.” 

Finally, the Government Delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, highlighted the contribution of the Spanish Government to making Catalonia “one of the main drivers of the digital transformation of this country and also of Europe.” In this regard, Prieto underscored the nearly 1 billion euros that the Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence has invested in Catalonia — 19% of the total for Spain — “in initiatives that, while improving people’s lives, foster innovation and place us at the forefront of the technological revolution.” 

Talent Arena is an initiative by Mobile World Capital Barcelona, co-organised with GSMA and in collaboration with Barcelona City Council, the Government of Catalonia, and the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service. The event also receives support from private-sector partners such as CaixaBank as Main Partner, Schneider Electric and SEIDOR as Event Sponsors. 

Six topics shaping the digital future  

The Talent Arena 2026 programme is structured around six key topics defining the industry’s future: artificial intelligence, software engineering, cloud computing, cybersecurity, management, and emerging technologies such as quantum computing and NewSpace. 

Alongside the headlining speakers, the programme will also feature engineers, developers, CTOs and professionals from leading companies including Google, Microsoft, AWS, Red Hat, GitHub, Scopely, Figma and Spotify, offering exclusive insights into the latest trends and the direction of technology in the coming years. 

It will also include well-known content creators and tech communicators such as Tim Roedenbroeker, technology and coding specialist; Adri Zip, digital content creator; and Marcia Villalba, technology educator — all of whom inspire and connect developer communities worldwide by sharing their experiences and new technologies. 

What’s new in 2026: new spaces, new opportunities 

This year’s edition introduces two complimentary activity areas, offering different ways to experience Talent Arena: the open area, an accessible and participatory space for all visitors, and the XPRO Zone, focused on advanced knowledge for developers and ICT professionals. 

The XPRO Zone offers a specialised environment for learning, networking and professional development, combining co-working and meeting spaces with an exclusive programme of over 70 talks, 15 workshops and hackathons. Sessions will feature the latest tech tools, trends and insights, featuring experts such as Sarah Armstrong, former Chief Security Advisor at Microsoft; Matteo Bianchi, Engineer at GitHub; Bianca Cefalo, CEO and Co-founder of Space DOTS; Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, MIT physicist and pioneer in graphene research; and Sven Peters, Lead AI Evangelist at Atlassian. 

A key highlight is the GSMA Open Gateway DevCon, the only place where developers can truly deep dive into the world of mobile network APIs and experience firsthand how to build apps that connect deeper, scale faster, and deliver smarter experiences. Also, the GSMA Open Gateway Hackathon sponsored by Nokia, returns after a successful edition in 2025 where developers built innovative solutions using mobile network APIs in real-world conditions, marking a milestone for the industry. 

In addition, MWCapital, together with Barça Innovation Hub will host a Hackathon in the open space focused on training and stimulating large language models to develop virtual agents that assist in football match analysis. The hackathon will run for one week and culminate during Talent Arena. 

Other new features open to all visitors include the Robotics Zone, where participants can get hands-on with cutting-edge technologies, and the Gaming Zone, which combines the latest video game and simulation trends with interactive, immersive experiences. 

As in the previous edition, Talent Arena will offer tech experiences, as well as dedicated areas such as the Skills Hub, focused on HR and the development of key employability skills, and the Mentoring Zone, where visitors can receive personalised advice from experienced professionals. All attendees will, once again, be given access to MWC and 4YFN on Thursday 5th March – an ideal opportunity to gain direct exposure to the wider tech and startup ecosystem. 

Barcelona, European capital of digital talent 

With 130,000 ICT professionals — 30% of whom are international — digital talent already represents 6% of Barcelona’s workforce. Since 2018, the city has added 62,000 new tech professionals, consolidating the digital sector as a key driver of employment and one of the pillars of economic growth. 

This momentum highlights the need to promote training, retention and the attraction of specialised talent. Within this context, Talent Arena has established itself as the leading platform for connecting talent and industry — a key event positioning Barcelona as Southern Europe’s digital hub, capable of meeting the growing demand for tech professionals and driving the future of the digital economy. 

Click here to access the press registration for Talent Arena 2026

Held each year in Barcelona, the 4YFN Awards celebrate the world’s most innovative and game-changing start-ups. Applications are now open across our five categories: Health Tech, Fintech, Climate Tech, Mobile Frontiers and Digital Horizons.

What’s in it for you?

A panel of investors will review each entry and shortlist the top 20 startups. Shortlisted companies will receive a free booth at 4YFN – which is co-located alongside MWC Barcelona, the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event, attended by over 109,000 people in 2025. Shortlisted firms will also secure a speaking slot within the 4YFN conference and a €1,500 cash prize.

On the first day of 4YFN – 2nd March 2026 – the semi-finals will take place, whittling the shortlist down to five finalists, with one startup per category invited to the awards ceremony. There, they’ll pitch on the 4YFN main stage to a panel of investors, who will announce the winner of the 2026 Awards. 

Each of the five finalists will receive €2,500 cash prize, whilst the winner will be awarded a €20,000 cash prize, courtesy of the GSMA Foundry.

What you need to do: 

• Review the evaluation criteria and Rules of Entry – available here.
• Apply by 22 October 2025, 17:00 CEST

Find out more about the 4YFN Awards and enter here. Sign up here to be kept updated when registration opens for 4YFN26. We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Barcelona in March. 

Where else can you get involved?

4YFN will also feature at the inaugural MWC25 Doha this November. Visitors will have the chance to meet a curated group of startups at the 4YFN Selection Corner. If you want to put your brand at the heart of MWC Doha - whether through sponsorship, exhibition or tailored opportunities - now is the time to get involved. 

The Call for Speakers is open until 29 September – don’t miss your chance to take the stage at 4YFN26. Submit your application here

Contact our sales team today to explore how you can be part of 4YFN Doha and register to attend here.

Providing the backdrop for the conversations and connections that have defined - and will continue to define - the future of connectivity, the energy, character and colour of Barcelona are reflected more strongly in each edition of MWC.

And over the past two decades, this remarkable city has become far more than a host to MWC. It’s become our home, and a true partner. And 2026 will be no different. 

Twenty years of economic growth

The influence of MWC is tangible, as seen by the economic impact on the city itself. In 2025, the event generated €561 million in economic activity for Barcelona and supported over 13,000 part-time jobs, with over 109,000 attendees from 205 countries attending the event. In total, since MWC first landed in Barcelona twenty years ago, it’s generated an economic contribution of €6.9billion, along with 173,000 part-time jobs.

Yet the benefits go further than figures alone. 

Donation Room: driving positive community impact

“…at MWC25 Barcelona, a team of workers clad in neon orange hi-vis vests and hard hats are sorting through a mountain of cabinets, chairs, stools, tables and ornamental material such as lamps, waste bins, shelves and paintings.”

This is the Donation Room. Now entering its ninth year at MWC, the Donation Room initiative takes furniture, materials, and supplies left after the event and gives them a second life through cultural projects and social schemes across the cities of Barcelona and L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.

In 2025, the Donation Room gave more than 26 tonnes of items (worth over €73,000) a second life. From chairs and tables to IT equipment and kitchen supplies, the scheme ensures that what’s built for MWC continues to serve the community long after the event ends.

This approach is part of the Good Guest commitment, ensuring MWC Barcelona respects the city that hosts it. Measures such as water-saving initiatives during times of drought and continued focus on reducing environmental footprint underline the GSMA’s continuing responsibility to Barcelona and its people.

mSchools: investing in the future

MWC’s influence reaches the next generation too. The mSchools programme is a long-standing collaboration between the GSMA, the Generalitat of Catalonia, and the Barcelona City Hall. It is focused on improving education by helping teachers and schools successfully integrate technology into their practice, so that students can thrive in a digital society.

To date, mSchools has reached close to 500,000 students and more than 18,000 teachers, involving around 2,800 educational centres across the region.

In support of mSchools, MWC brings together teachers, policymakers, and innovators in Barcelona to discuss how digital skills can open opportunities for young people in Catalonia and across the world. From curriculum development to the adoption of AI in education, mSchools leaves a legacy of learning that goes beyond the event. 

4YFN: a global startup community

Alongside MWC, 4YFN brings together the boldest startups, global investors, and ecosystem players. In 2025 over 1,000 exciting startups participated in 4YFN, along with more than 900 investorswith collective funds totalling €60 billion. 

As a staging ground for global innovation, 4YFN has elevated the city’s status as a canvas for entrepreneurial creativity and talent, where emerging ventures can gain visibility, funding, and momentum. As a result, the city’s startup scene has flourished, with Catalonia now home to 2,285 high-growth companies (the highest figure on record and a 9% increase over 2024).

“4YFN is clearly the most important gathering in the world right now for tech companies looking to work with large corporations, like in our case… Being recognized as the 4YFN Startup of the Year is more than just an award, it’s a powerful validation of our mission,” said José Fernández, Founder and CEO of Bankuish and winner of the 4YFN25 Awards. Submissions are open for the 4YFN26 Awards. 

Next year’s MWC already looks set to be exceptional. On March 2-5, leaders from around the world will return to Barcelona to shape, discuss, and build the future of connectivity. The event’s 20th anniversary also provides a moment to look ahead. In 2027, MWC will include more locations in Barcelona, including Fira Montjuïc and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, extending its footprint across the city and region. And, by 2028, the opening of Hall Zero will give the event an additional, state-of-the-art home. 

I can’t wait for what’s to come. Thank you, Barcelona.

Join us this year at our upcoming editions in the MWC global series: MWC25 Kigali, MWC25 Las Vegas and MWC25 Doha, and register your interest for next year’s MWC26 in Barcelona. 

This is an increase to the economic impact of MWC24 which contributed €502 million. Since MWC first came to the city in 2006, it has generated a total economic contribution €6.9billion and 173,000 part-time jobs.  This year’s edition once again confirmed MWC’s position as the world’s leading connectivity event, attracting policymakers, industry leaders, investors, and innovators. Across four packed days in March, over 109,000 attendees from 205 countries and territories came together to shape the future of connectivity.

MWC Barcelona 2025 by the numbers:

• €561 million in economic impact generated; over 13,000 part-time jobs created
• 109,000 attendees from 205 countries and territories
• More than 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors, and partners
• Over 1,200 speakers and thought leaders, including 41% female speakers
• The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened 188 delegations from 148 countries and 40 intergovernmental organisations, 66 ministers, and 111 heads of regulatory authorities
• 4YFN welcomed over 1,000 startups exhibitors, nearly 380 speakers and over 900 investors with collective funds totaling €60 billion
• 56% of attendees representing industries adjacent to the core mobile ecosystem
• 21% C-suite attendees; 50% director level and above; 27% female attendees
• Over 2,900 journalists and industry analysts from around the world
• 182,450 media stories generated globally during the event

“MWC and Barcelona are perfect partners - united by innovation, collaboration, and shared ambition. The strength of our partnership with Barcelona continues to deliver mutual success, and we are proud to contribute to the city’s prosperity and opportunities. We thank the Host City Parties for their unwavering support, and we are so grateful to the people of Barcelona for sharing their extraordinary city with us," said GSMA Ltd.’s CEO, John Hoffman.  

A year-round legacy

Beyond the event’s annual week in Spring, the impact of MWC continues to deliver year-round and is helping to establish Barcelona as a global tech hub. Programmes enabled by the success of MWC have contributed to Barcelona’s evolution towards its position as one of Europe’s leading technology centres. 

These include Mobile World Capital and its recently launched event, Talent Arena, which is designed to shape the future of digital talent, as well as 4YFN which has empowered startups in the global mobile industry for over 10 years. 

The mSchools programme, a public-private partnership with the GSMA, Mobile World Capital, the Catalan Department of Education and the City Council of Barcelona, is a global community of teachers, researchers and policymakers committed to driving change in education. Since its establishment, 390,000 students, 14,000 teachers and 2,700 schools have taken part. 

The MWC Donation Room this year contributed 9.3 million tons of different materials such as carpet and wood, as well as 17 tons of furniture to cultural projects and social schemes in Barcelona. These items were repurposed from MWC25 to have a second life through their use by 23 community not-for-profit organisations and social entities in the cities of Barcelona and Hospitalet de Llobregat. The initiative is an integral part of the GSMA’s environmental programme and a collaboration between the City Council of Barcelona, the City Council of L’Hospitalet, Barcelona’s Fundació Formació i Treball, the GSMA, Fira de Barcelona, and Barcelona Tourism Consortium. 

Report methodology

The economic impact of MWC is calculated through a comprehensive model, validated by independent experts, that accounts for direct, indirect, and induced contributions. These include visitor spending, job creation, and increased government revenue. 

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About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com.

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

In the Donation Room at MWC25 Barcelona, a team of workers clad in neon orange hi-vis vests and hard hats are sorting through a mountain of cabinets, chairs, stools, tables and ornamental material such as lamps, waste bins, shelves and paintings. 

There may not be any Rembrandts or Banksys among the treasures in this 26.3 ton repository of unwanted event ephemera, but taken as a whole, the pile is worth more than you might think. It’s worth more than 73,000 euros.

MWC Barcelona this year brought together more than 109,000 people from the global connectivity ecosystem for four days of networking, tech demos and inspiring presentations. With nearly 3,000 exhibitors, partners and sponsors, all with their own furnished spaces for meeting or stands for exhibiting, why not build a circular economy from the event itself? Enter the MWC Donation Room. 

Now in its eighth year, the MWC Donation Room has contributed to cultural projects and social schemes. This year, the MWC Donation Room has provided them with 9.3 tons of different materials such as carpets and wood as well as 17 tons of furniture and other items. Altogether, there are 2,742 pieces valued at more than 73,000 euros which will have a second life through their use by 23 community not-for-profit organisations and social entities in the cities of Barcelona and L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.  

This is not only a financial saving for the community but also a saving of emissions, which is about 30,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide. 

Barcelona’s Fundació Formació i Treball, which aims to promote training aligned with business needs and facilitate students’ transition in the labour market, managed and coordinated the 46 people involved in this project. 

The MWC Donation Room is possible thanks to the collaboration between the City Council of Barcelona, the City Council of L’Hospitalet, Barcelona’s Fundació Formació i Treball, the GSMA, Fira de Barcelona, and Barcelona Tourism Consortium. 

The GSMA’s Environmental Programme at MWC

Started in 2016, the MWC Donation Room is an integral part of The GSMA's environmental programme. This programme aims to minimise MWC's environmental footprint in five key areas: energy and water, production and waste, food and hydration, logistics, and travel and accommodation. To find out more click here.

Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) has closed the call for entries for the first ‘MWCapital Awards: Technologies for a Sustainable Future’, receiving a total of 157 applications, 38% of which come from international initiatives. Organised in collaboration with B Lab Spain and GSMA Foundry, the awards aim to recognise technological projects with a sustainable vision, successfully engaging entrepreneurs and organisations from around the world in the responsible digital transition.   

The applications submitted come from 34 countries and span various areas, with 54% in the startup category, 17% from non-profit organisations, 8% from academic and research institutions, 10% from public institutions, and 11% from companies. This diversity highlights the breadth of the global ecosystem mobilised to tackle sustainability challenges through digital innovation.   

This first edition of the MWCapital Awards recognises the most innovative projects that leverage technology to drive the transition towards a more sustainable and inclusive future. It aligns with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aiming to generate a positive impact on society and the planet. The awards not only seek to celebrate creativity and innovation but also to acknowledge their tangible societal impact, contributing to a responsible and global digital transformation.

Visibility at MWC26 and Pilot Programme in Barcelona   

The 15 finalist projects will be evaluated by a jury composed of renowned national and international experts in sustainability, technological innovation, and social development. This panel, made up of leading figures from the technology and sustainability sectors, will assess the 15 finalists and select the 6 winners (one per category).   

The 6 recognised initiatives will have the opportunity to present their projects during the MWC26 Barcelona enhancing their visibility within the tech sector and expanding collaboration and funding opportunities. Additionally, the project with the greatest potential impact in Barcelona will receive up to €50,000 to pilot and implement the initiative in the city. 

Awards Ceremony 

The MWCapital Awards ceremony will take place on 12 June 2025 in Barcelona. During the event, the six winning projects will be announced, and recognised for their level of innovation and their ability to drive positive societal change through technology. 

MWCapital Barcelona is organising the first edition of the MWCapital Awards in collaboration with B Lab Spain and GSMA, reflecting its vision of promoting a responsible and sustainable digital transition, where technology serves as a key tool in addressing major global social and environmental challenges. 

This edition of the awards provides a unique opportunity to highlight the most innovative technological projects, which not only strive for technical excellence but also aim to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs and innovators to use technology to improve people’s lives and the planet.

Anti-Fraud Excellence: 18 Operator Success Stories

The spotlight of our MWC presence was our robust anti-fraud solution, which has now been successfully implemented with 18 operators worldwide. Our comprehensive firewall technology has demonstrated remarkable results in:

• Blocking fraudulent SMS and voice traffic
• Securing A2P messaging channels
• Preventing revenue leakage for operators
• Enhancing message delivery reliability

These features monitor and block suspicious traffic in real-time, helping operators safeguard networks and protect users from threats.

Distinguished Visitors and Strategic Partnerships

We were honored to welcome the Lebanese Minister of Telecommunications to our booth, along with numerous telecom executives and decision-makers from around the globe. These high-profile visits underscored the growing recognition of BroadNet’s innovative solutions in the competitive telecom landscape.

Enterprise Expansion: Secure Messaging for Global Businesses

BroadNet is expanding its services for global enterprises seeking secure, scalable messaging solutions. Our anti-fraud firewalls and messaging APIs ensure compliance while facilitating real-time communication and personalized customer interactions. With a strong track record of reducing fraud losses and boosting customer engagement, BroadNet is becoming the preferred partner for international messaging in various industries such as finance, e-commerce, and healthcare.

Unlocking Potential: Exclusive A2P International Messaging

Beginning in the second quarter of 2025, BroadNet Technologies will revolutionize communication with its new A2P international messaging service. This innovative approach will enable operators to explore new markets and maximize their potential. By leveraging A2P messaging, BroadNet aims to drive growth and expansion in the industry.

Virgin & Friendi in Saudi Arabia

BroadNet is ready to make a big difference with its advanced messaging solution. This partnership will enable BroadNet to expand and access additional markets, making BroadNet a Leading provider in A2P Messaging. The company’s strong and safe messaging solution is ready to meet the region’s increasing demand for mobile messaging solutions.

Etisalat Egypt Partnership

Our exclusive agreement with Etisalat Egypt combines A2P international messaging with our advanced firewall solution to create a seamless security ecosystem. By partnering with Etisalat Egypt, BroadNet will be able to reach a broader audience and offer a comprehensive messaging solution.

The Future of Messaging: BroadNet’s Vision

At MWC2025, BroadNet Technologies is committed to enhancing messaging and communication in the telecom industry. We showcased our AI integration and innovative solutions to improve everyday communication.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at #MWC25 Barcelona. We can’t wait to keep pushing boundaries together. Here’s to an exciting journey ahead!

GSMA Open Gateway provides universal network Application Programmable Interfaces (APIs), giving developers direct access to operator networks and accelerating digital service innovation. CAMARA, an open-source project from the Linux Foundation in partnership with TM Forum and GSMA, standardises these APIs across networks, enabling easier and more scalable integration for businesses. Since its launch at MWC Barcelona in 2023, 72 mobile operator groups, representing 284 mobile networks and almost 80% of global connections, have joined the GSMA Open Gateway initiative.

Unlocking New Opportunities Across the Digital Economy 

By transforming the Philippines’ telecom networks into developer-ready platforms, the collaboration will support fintech, e-commerce, and digital services through innovative solutions.  By federating these APIs across operators, businesses can deploy solutions more quickly and scale them across multiple networks, ensuring consistency and reach. This also opens the doors for countries to interwork with other global network operators.

Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific, said: "This collaboration underlines the transformative power of GSMA Open Gateway. By adopting federated CAMARA APIs, the Philippines’ leading operators are driving a new wave of digital services that will benefit businesses, developers, and consumers alike."

Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO, said: “At Globe, we are committed to driving digital innovation while ensuring the highest level of security for our customers. Through this collaboration, we are taking a significant step toward strengthening fraud prevention and identity verification measures in the Philippines. By harnessing the power of GSMA Open Gateway and federating CAMARA APIs, we can enable a more secure and seamless digital experience, empowering businesses and consumers alike in the evolving digital economy.”

“Smart is committed to providing Filipinos the safest, most seamless experience possible. This is a significant milestone in our journey toward a post-OTP world, and we are proud to be leading the way in the Philippines as the first telco certified for Open Gateway. We will double our efforts bridging our network to help businesses and customers thrive on innovative digital experience without compromising security," said Anastacio "Boy" Martirez, Smart Chief Operating Officer.

Atty. Adel Tamano, Chief Revenue Officer for DITO Enterprise, expressed his enthusiasm for this major collaboration:

“We are truly honoured to be part of the GSMA Open Gateway Initiative, which represents a global movement towards greater interoperability and innovation in the telecom industry. As the newest major telecommunications company in the Philippines, DITO is committed to delivering world-class digital solutions that will enhance the way businesses and consumers experience connectivity.”

Tamano emphasized how this opportunity will drive enterprise growth and digital transformation in the country:

“In today’s digital landscape, integrated collaboration across multiple channels and robust security are the top priorities for enterprises. Through the GSMA Open Gateway Initiative, DITO can provide excellent customer service with the advanced features and capabilities, ensuring seamless communications and safer transactions across the digital ecosystem. This is a crucial step in fostering trust and reliability in the API-driven economy.”

This initiative reflects the shared commitment of the Philippines’ mobile operators to support the country’s digital transformation, reinforcing its position as a growing digital economy in Southeast Asia. The adoption of GSMA Open Gateway aligns with the country’s vision to becoming a leading digital economy in Southeast Asia and showcases the commitment of Philippine’s MNOSs to embrace global standards.

About GSMA The GSMA is a global organization unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organizations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com  

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office   
pressoffice@gsma.com 

In keynotes and across the stages and summits of MWC25, some of today’s most influential minds debated technology’s role in redefining society, business and culture, with its opportunities and challenges.

John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd. said, "MWC is where industries meet, and this year’s event showed just how fast technology is reshaping the world around us. From AI-powered networks to the future of smart mobility, the discussions this week in Barcelona will set the tone for the year ahead. What happens at MWC doesn’t stay at MWC, it sparks real change. I can’t wait to see where this momentum takes us next, particularly as we head to MWC25 Shanghai in June this year.”

MWC25 Barcelona at a glance:

• 109,000 attendees from 205 countries and territories
• More than 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors, and partners
• Over 1,200 speakers and thought leaders, including 41% female speakers
• The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened 188 delegations from 148 countries and 40 intergovernmental organisations, 66 ministers, and 111 heads of regulatory authorities
• 4YFN welcomed over 1,000 startups exhibitors, nearly 380 speakers and over 900 investors with collective funds totaling €60 billion
• 56% of attendees representing industries adjacent to the core mobile ecosystem
• 21% C-suite attendees; 50% director level and above
• 27% female attendees
• Over 2,900 journalists and industry analysts from around the world
• Close to half a million unique views of the keynotes and live sessions on the MWC Barcelona website, MWC app, Mobile World Live and media partners platforms and media outlets

Separately, Talent Arena organised by Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) and co-located with MWC25 at Fira Montjuïc, welcomed more than 20,000 attendees with 53% senior professionals, and 47% students and young professionals. 

Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA said, "I've attended every MWC since the early days and, with this being my last as Director General, I am incredibly proud of how it has evolved. The industry is embarking on a new era, and I'm profoundly grateful to have played a small role. Each MWC builds on the last, and this year was truly groundbreaking. As I hand the baton to Vivek Badrinath, I know the GSMA is uniquely positioned in this increasingly complex world to bring together policymakers, startups, and businesses to fuel private-public discourse on the topics that matter. All against a backdrop of market-moving announcements and inspired first tech – it is truly undeniable."

MWC25 Barcelona kicks off the GSMA’s exciting lineup of global events for the year. This week, we announced the inaugural MWC25 Doha (25-26 November 2025), a milestone event in Qatar that will unite industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to advance the next generation of digital societies in the Middle East and beyond.

Our MWC series bring together industries, technologies, and communities to unlock the future’s potential, with the next edition, MWC25 Shanghai taking place 18-20 June 2025. We are excited to share that 4FYN will return to MWC Shanghai, and new for 2025, we are proud to present the co-location of IOTE at the show. 

Vivek Badrinath will kick off this year’s GSMA M360 Series with his inaugural speech as Director General at M360 Eurasia in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (21-22 May 2025), partnering with Host Sponsor Beeline Uzbekistan, a subsidiary of VEON and the Republic of Uzbekistan, followed by M360 LATAM in Mexico City (28-29 May 2025).

All keynote sessions will be available on-demand on the MWC25 Barcelona website, app, and Mobile World Live. News, updates, B-roll, and photography are available on the MWC25 Barcelona Press Zone.

MWC Barcelona will return next year, 2-5 March 2026 – see you at MWC26!

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

The latest commitments, presented during Mobile World Congress 2025 (MWC25), reflect growing momentum from leading mobile and satellite industry players rallying to bridge the digital divide.

Partner2Connect is ITU’s initiative to mobilize pledges and resources to reinforce global connectivity efforts, strengthen the world’s digital infrastructure and move closer to ensuring that everyone can use the Internet.

“In space, on land and under the sea, expansive digital infrastructure highlights how much humanity values and depends on meaningful connectivity,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “These new pledges bring us even closer to our goal of delivering sustainable digital transformation to everyone, everywhere."

The new commitments come from:

• MTN Group, which is deeply committed to investing in the future of Africa, deploying on average approximately USD 2 billion per year in capital expenditure across its markets over the past five years. The company expects to make similar investments over the next five years, in support of Africa’s growth and prosperity. This will be dedicated to expanding and strengthening its voice and data networks, ensuring better coverage and connectivity for its customers. MTN Group believes these investments are crucial for driving digital inclusion and economic growth in these vital markets.
• Globalstar, which is investing USD 2 billion to expand its LEO satellite network, delivering seamless, low-latency, and energy-efficient connectivity for direct-to-device (D2D) and IoT solutions. Through this pledge, Globalstar will expand connectivity in remote regions, delivering reliable and affordable communication solutions where they are needed most.

New industry pledges to take on existing challenges

The announced pledges come as ITU celebrates its 160th anniversary in 2025 and is committed to securing a better digital future for all by advancing efforts to connect the unconnected, fast-track sustainable digital development, and empower people to use digital technologies.

Today, 2.6 billion people around the world remain offline, according to ITU’s Facts & Figures report. 

ITU has called for USD 100 billion in commitments to Partner2Connect by 2026 for projects driving digital transformation across all countries, with special attention to the hardest-to-connect communities.

Need for resilient digital infrastructure across the globe

ITU currently estimates that USD 1.6 trillion is required in hardware costs alone to complete the task of connecting the world, with most of the resources needed in developing countries. 

The new commitments will be used to expand and enhance digital infrastructure, strengthen connectivity in underserved areas, and accelerate digital transformation through innovative technologies. 

In total, over 1,000 pledges have been made to the Partner2Connect platform from governments, industry, and other stakeholders, covering 147 countries.

Resources:

• To learn more about the commitments, visit the Partner2Connect website and the pledge dashboard. 

About ITU:

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations agency for digital technologies, driving innovation for people and the planet with 194 Member States and a membership of over 1,000 companies, universities, civil society, and international and regional organizations. Established in 1865, ITU coordinates the global use of the radio spectrum and satellite orbits, establishes international technology standards, drives universal connectivity and digital services, and is helping to make sure everyone benefits from sustainable digital transformation, including the most remote communities. From artificial intelligence (AI) to quantum, from satellites and submarine cables to advanced mobile and wireless broadband networks, ITU is committed to connecting the world and beyond. Learn more: www.itu.int    

About the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition:

Launched by ITU in September 2021, the Partner2Connect (P2C) Digital Coalition is a global platform that mobilizes resources, fosters partnerships, and drives commitments for universal and meaningful connectivity. To date, around 470 entities from 147 countries have committed more than USD 73 billion to expanding digital access and bridging the connectivity gap. P2C supports global efforts like the UN’s Global Digital Compact, ensuring a collaborative and results-driven approach to digital inclusion. For more information, visit: Partner2Connect.

Media contacts:

David Hirsch
Senior Media Relations Officer
International Telecommunication Union
Press line: +41 22 730 5092
Email: pressinfo@itu.int

Aurore Bourdin
Media Relations Officer
International Telecommunication Union
Press line: +41 22 730 5192 
Email: pressinfo@itu.int

As a response, discussions of upskilling and reskilling the workforce, AI’s use in educational settings, and the talent pipeline continue to proliferate across industries with many curious how to best prepare people for an AI-enabled future. 

As the youngest generation infiltrating the workforce, Gen Z will be most exposed to the challenges and opportunities presented by AI throughout their careers. Despite being “digital natives,” a recent EY global survey titled How can we upskill Gen Z as fast as we train AI found this generation may be overconfident about its ability to use and evaluate AI tools. Further, the survey found that if we do not develop AI literacy among Gen Z, there is a twofold danger: first, many young people may be left behind; second, the opportunities offered by AI may be squandered. 

In addition to assessing the state of Gen Z’s understanding of AI, the global survey also offers takeaways on Gen Z sentiment on and engagement with AI:

• AI skills can be divided into two types: general skills that can be applied to AI and AI-specific skills. Gen Z believes both are important with their top three identified skills being creativity and curiosity, critical thinking and coding/computer programming.
• The most common source Gen Z uses for AI information is by far social media (at 55%), followed by news articles and media (35%) and AI tools themselves (28%).
• Gen Z believes that the three greatest benefits of AI are saving time on repetitive tasks, analyzing large amounts of data, and reducing human error.
• Gen Z believes that the three greatest risks of AI are increasing unemployment replacing jobs, reducing human learning and creativity, and generating false information.
• Gen Z in the Middle East, Africa and India have the highest level of confidence in AI use than those in North America and Europe, who have the lowest.

The survey also suggests pathways forward for businesses, educators, governments and policymakers and other stakeholders to help Gen Z ethically adapt to an AI-focused environment and society. 

EY is continuing to dive deeper into the profound impact AI will have on the next generation of adults in the upcoming study The First Global Generation: Adulthood Reimagined for a Changing World which will be published in the spring of 2025. Among other topics, the study explores how Gen Z is navigating AI uncertainty, balancing fear of the unknown with optimism about what’s next and how as the first “global generation,” they will reshape systems around them. 

Be sure to catch the related EY presentation during the conversation Cracking Gen Z: Redefining Customers, Teams, and Everything in Between at 4YFN on Tuesday, March 4. 

EY is excited to be the ‘AI XL’ theme sponsor at 4YFN, co-located at MWC25 Barcelona convening all the key players of successful digital startups: investors, corporate innovators, frontier tech companies, and more. Highlights of the EY organization’s participation includes several keynote panels.  We invite you to also join us for the following speaking engagements:

Building a Culture of Innovation in Large Enterprises, Monday, March 3, 11:00-11:50, Agora Stage

Orchestrating the Agentic AI Tech Stack, Monday, March 3, 15:30-16:00, Agora Stage

Flipping the Script on Enterprise and Startup Transformation, Tuesday, March 4, 11:15-11:45, Agora Stage

In addition to catching EY leaders on stage, we invite you to stop by EY’s booth at 2G40 in Hall 2 at Mobile World Congress.

This partnership, under the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, aims to enhance digital security, combat fraud, enhance identify verification, and foster seamless integration of digital services across networks. 

Beyond developing technology and leveraging 5G network resources, the GSMA Open Gateway initiative focuses on creating a seamless ecosystem that connects enterprise developers, system integrators, and global network - delivering new value to both end customers and the businesses providing these services.  

GSMA Open Gateway provides universal network Application Programmable Interfaces (APIs), giving enterprise developers direct access to operator networks and accelerating digital service innovation. CAMARA, an open-source project from the Linux Foundation in partnership with TM Forum and GSMA, standardizes these APIs across networks, enabling easier and more scalable integration for businesses. 

Empowering Cambodia’s Digital Economy

Smart Axiata’s involvement in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative underscores its commitment to driving digital transformation in Cambodia. By integrating standardized APIs, the company is enabling fintech, e-commerce, and digital service providers to launch solutions more efficiently while ensuring secure transactions and user protection. This will accelerate digital service adoption and provide businesses with a robust and scalable infrastructure to expand their offerings across networks.

“At Smart Axiata, we understand that building a secure, trustworthy and accessible digital environment is crucial for our customers and the Cambodian people,” said Ziad Shatara, CEO of Smart Axiata. “By taking part in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative alongside other operators, we reaffirm our commitment to providing a robust and secure network. This collaboration is not just about technology; it's about empowering our community through enhanced protection against fraud and fostering innovation, ensuring that every individual and business can thrive in the digital economy.”

Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific, GSMA, said: "We thank Smart Axiata for their participation in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative and their commitment to tackling digital fraud through open network APIs. This new collaboration across the Cambodian mobile industry will help deliver better customer experiences and build digital trust for consumers and businesses, driving forward the country's progress as a digital nation."

Enhancing Security and Innovation

Smart Axiata recognizes the critical need for secure and trusted digital interactions. The deployment of federated CAMARA APIs will provide enhanced identity verification and fraud prevention, ensuring that users can engage with digital services confidently. Additionally, businesses will be able to integrate solutions seamlessly, reducing operational complexity and fostering greater innovation.

As Smart Axiata continues to champion digital trust and open network accessibility, the company’s proactive approach in adopting global standards places it at the forefront of the Cambodia’s digital transformation.

MWC Barcelona 2025, taking place from 3-6 March at Fira Barcelona Gran Via, serves as the ideal platform for Smart Axiata to showcase its commitment to technological innovation and digital empowerment.

Since its launch at MWC Barcelona in 2023, 72 mobile operator groups, representing 284 mobile networks and almost 80% of global connections, have joined the GSMA Open Gateway initiative.  

The M360 LATAM program will explore the trends shaping the digital economy, empowering consumers, and driving cross-sectoral collaboration. Key topics for 2025 include AI, GSMA Open Gateway use cases, green tech for growth, 5G mobile fiber, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), cybersecurity and user habits.

In its 12th edition, the CLTD—organized by ASIET, the GSMA, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)—will bring together government authorities, industry executives, academics, and international organizations under the theme Policies for the Digital (R)evolution in Latin America. Discussions will focus on the sustainability of future networks, closing the mobile internet usage gap, regulatory modernization, and leveraging 5G for socio-economic growth.

To stay updated on speaker announcements and registration opening, please visit  www.m360series.com/latin-america and cltd.lat.
 

-ENDS-
 

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

“If we’re talking about AI, it’s not just about connectivity anymore, it’s shifting towards the decisions that AI enable” 
Camille Mendler, Chief Analyst, Omdia during the MWC25: What did we learn? session 

What a week, eh? It’s been another unforgettable event in Barcelona, and today’s Exhibition Halls and 4YFN zone were as busy and buzzing as ever. 

With the distance between Hall 1 and Hall 8 approximately 1 kilometre, 27,000 was the record daily step-count from one (extremely fit) member of the GSMA PR Team, roughly equivalent to walking the vertical length of Manhattan. Think you can beat us? Write in and we might just give you a prize. 
 

Hands up, who knows the answer? 

A sense of nail-biting anticipation preceded the final session on the Johnson Stage titled MWC25: What did we learn? Would the answer be, ‘If you must stand still on the travelator, do it on the right-hand side’? Turns out, no.  

Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence, hosted a panel of analysts with far more pertinent topics to discuss than travelator etiquette. For them, the big winners of MWC included an expected nod to AI, particularly an increase in practical use cases. Another standout was the increasing number of partnerships between vendors, signalling a shift to an even more collaborative industry. 

Looking ahead to next year’s MWC, the analysts want to see more real-life examples of AI in action, particularly those that demonstrate real commercial value. Other predictions included a more mature app ecosystem, and also how brands can adapt their services and products to older (yet fully digital-native) generations. 
 

Scoring goals for cultural connection 

On the Connected Industries stage, the Sports and Entertainment Summit kicked off with a look into how the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) engages its one billion fans worldwide. 

An interesting side topic was football’s wider role and responsibility on society and culture. “Sports is really the only global language, which can unify people and culture,” said Peer Naubert, DFL’s CMO, as he looked forward to a future less dominated by geopolitical tension and uncertainty, with football and the DFL “playing a small and humble role in making this world a better place”.  

And the awards go to... 

The Banco Sabadell Stage was literally on fire during last night’s 4YFN Awards ceremony, pyros lighting up the audience as Colombian startup Bankuish was announced as this year’s winner, following an intense live pitching competition with four other finalists in front of a panel of investors. The prize for Bankuish and its CEO José Fernández? A juicy $20,000 cheque and the knowledge you’ve just won the world’s greatest startup competition. 

Then we had the GLOMOs, this year celebrating its 30th anniversary. A new category: Marketing Excellence, saw two awards added: Best Event Activation, won by Orange. And the CMO Marketing Campaign Award, which went to VEON. Shout out to presenter Lara Dewar (CMO at the GSMA), who absolutely shone onstage in a hot-pink power suit.  

Read the full list of GLOMOs winners  

What’s on the MWC menu? 

There was a bigger range of food than ever before at MWC – from poké bowls to pad Thai, tapas to toasted sandwiches. A standout was Gonzalez&Co serving up delicious Mexican food in 4YFN – “The guac wasn’t just avocado. It was chunky”, explained one satisfied customer. 

A final note from the GSMA 

“All of us here at MWC know very well that the mobile ecosystem is a powerful driver of economic growth and social progress... forward-looking frameworks are essential to fostering innovation, to encouraging investment and, critically, to bridging digital divides.” John Guisti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA 

Remember, all keynote sessions will be available on-demand on the MWC25 Barcelona website, app, and Mobile World Live. News, updates, B-roll, and photography are available on the MWC25 Barcelona Press Zone. 

See you all next year! 

Wednesday 5 March

“[AI] is the ability to put a cape on every human to make them a superhuman. And I think that's the real power... but at the moment, it's a very little cape on a very big human.”

Sachin Dev Duggal, Founder & Chief Wizard, Builder.ai during MWC25’s penultimate keynote

“Everybody, in a moment of weakness, can get scammed”

Scammers were top of the agenda at GSMA SEC CON this morning, with MD of Global Anti Scam Alliance Jorij Abraham’s warning also accompanied by the stark reveal that, globally, $1.03 trillion has been stolen by scammers in last 12 months. 

The expert panel collectively called for more cooperation, collaboration and trust across borders and sectors, with Toby Evans, Head of Economic Crime, APN, explaining, “The impact on victims, business and the global economy cannot be understated.”

Teresa Walsh, Chief Intelligence Officer at FS-ISAC warned, “We’re all still trying to figure out how to work together, while the bad guys are growing and extending”, while Tal Goldstein of the WEF said, “For two years now in Davos, we’ve had discussions about scams, fraud and phishing”, adding that “victims are not equipped any more to deal with these criminals. We need different stakeholders to take on more of the burden.”

And the ‘Best in Show’ GLOMO Award goes to…

There were smiles all round as John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd., approached the Xiaomi stand in Hall 3. This year’s GLOMO winner for Best in Show? Xiaomi’s newly launched 15 Ultra phone. Featuring a Leica Summilux optical lens and HyperAI technology, the phone’s sleek design and immersive micro-bezel display made it a clear winner in the Device category, which celebrates consumer-focused technology innovation, design excellence, outstanding performance and market leadership. See all the GLOMO Awards here.

Highlights from the exhibition floor

As the week draws to a close and the crowds begin to thin, now’s the perfect time to take a wander around the Exhibition Halls if you haven’t already. Here are our top picks:

• How’s your game? At the IBM stand in Hall 2, pick up a paddle or grab a handle – but beware, the table football and ping pong are hiding an AI twist. With a nifty sensor in the balls, IBM tracks your fußball tekkers and table tennis skills, matching your playing style to a Sevilla FC player or tennis pro. The table tennis tracker even gives you AI-powered recommendations on how to improve your game.
• Sky-high police tech: In Hall 6, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalonia’s autonomous police force) were showcasing their latest Judge Dredd-style squad car, complete with a drone built into the vehicle’s roof. The drone is attachable and can be retracted and launched at speed, giving the officers an almost-instant bird’s eye view of their surroundings, often without the need for someone to manually operate it.
• The unbreakable phone: IIIF150 produces so-called ‘rugged’ phones – and after visiting their stand in Hall 1, we can’t help but agree. From devices fully submerged in sand and water, to one handset completely encased in ice, these phones are as tough as getting a ticket to the Spanish King’s royal dinner.
• Commuting in style: A popular stand in Hall 2, hop on the Ericsson tram to see (literally) how the newest range of AR glasses (specifically the XREAL Air 2 Ultra) could transform your commute. Pop the glasses on and watch a movie, catch a football match, or do some work – all while remaining aware of your immediate physical surroundings so you don’t miss your stop.
• Meals on wheels: KDDI’s autonomous vehicle is still in its pilot phase (rolling out in Japan soon), but has some cool potential use cases, including autonomous taxi services and moving convenience stores. Take a look in Hall 4.

Can dying languages be saved by AI?

According to UNESCO, a language is doomed to extinction every two weeks. That’s the impetus behind the development of KazLLM – a new AI model aiming to preserve the Kazakh language. Head to the GSMA Pavilion in Hall 4 to learn more about the project and see how KazLLM plays an important role in safeguarding Kazakhstani cultural heritage.

Pet spot

Pets at MWC? We must be barking mad, right? Believe us though, our pawed pals (both real and artificial) have actually made appearances at this year’s MWC. From robot dance dogs at the Samsung booth to smart litter trays at Xiaomi’s pet corner, and uCloudlink’s announcement of the world’s first ever pet smartphone to a real-life French Bulldog last spotted roaming with its owner in Hall 4 – even our furriest friends have a place at MWC.

A word from the GSMA

“As you walk around MWC this week, there is no denying the incredible impact that connectivity has on our lives. It has truly transformed the way that we live and work and interact with each other.” - Lara Dewar, CMO, the GSMA

Remember, all keynote sessions from MWC Barcelona 2025 are available on-demand on the MWC25 Barcelona website, app, and Mobile World Live. News, updates, B-roll, and photography are available on the MWC25 Barcelona Press Zone.

Tuesday 4 March

Fireside chat with Apple Co-Founder, Steve Wozniak   

Steve Wozniak’s eagerly anticipated appearance at Talent Arena was standing room only. The crowd, already large from listening to Athina Kanioura of PepsiCo and Stephen Hood of Mozilla, filled the venue as they awaited Wozniak’s arrival. 

He covered various topics, from building tech as a child: “You cannot get a driver’s licence at 10 years old, but you can get a ‘ham’ radio licence!”, to Elon Musk’s politics: “When you run a business you look for consensus and sharing… I don’t like what’s going on in this regard”, to AI regulation: “You should have citations… you could see where on the internet it came from and that would help you judge better”. 

Tech game-changers converge on the mainstage 

The morning’s keynote opened with a wave and a wink from robot ‘Digit’, showing its utility on the factory floor as it obeyed live commands from Agility Robotics CEO Peggy Johnson. For her, the next evolution will be introducing robots into the home environment, but she was quick to stress that “safety is the number one challenge right now for humanoid robotics”. 

Also onstage was Lenovo’s CEO Yuanqing Yang, discussing the potential of personal AI twins that use your experiences to mirror your reasoning, and the rise of AI PCs (he predicted 80% of PCs will be AI PCs in the next three years). 

Arthur Mensch of Mistral AI called for greater European ambition (but also pragmatism) when reducing the continent’s reliability on US technology. He also drew attention to an overlooked opportunity for telcos to “invest in data centres and become hyperscalers”. 

Global AI rivalry intensifying? 

Geopolitics has been a prevailing topic across many of this week’s sessions. On the Johnson Stage, experts discussed AI development during Trump’s second term and its impact on European and global markets. 

The issue of regulation versus innovation was front and centre, with CEO and Co-Founder of Hyacinth AI Mark Somol stressing there’s “no question that this Trump administration is focused on money and power” and that benefits from AI investment will “initially go to the big tech companies”. 

 However, as José Ignacio Torreblanca of the European Council on Foreign Relations said, Europe and the rest of the world don’t necessarily need to lead on AI investment or innovation at this stage, they can catch up across other areas, such as application of AI. 

Meanwhile, Mallory Knodel, Executive Director of the Social Web Foundation, expressed her concern over a general lack of incentive for businesses to cooperate, pointing out AI is currently being developed in silos because of such high competition. 

Talent Arena  

The imposing entrance of Fira de Montjuïc, with its neo-classical columns, is in sharp contrast to the modern façade of Fira Gran Via. The inside, however, is 21st century – scattered with stylish street art and vivid neon. Talent Arena draws a more youthful crowd than MWC, here to show off their skills, find mentors, be inspired and improve their career chances in a competitive industry. Highlights include:  

• BIEL Smartgaze Glasses: BIEL Glasses use AI, robotics, and geolocation to help those with uncorrectable visual impairments navigate congested spaces. A beep in the ear signals impending collisions, demonstrating how someone with tunnel vision can detect obstacles like bollards and steps.
• scentXP: Olfactory sciences come to life in scentXP’s demo, run by Puig. One of the Arena’s most popular stands, visitors eagerly try the fragrance recommender, already in Sephora stores, and AirParfum technology. This tech prevents ‘nose blindness’ by wafting fresh air over fragrance bottles to keep smells from fading, making it useful for museums, cultural centres, distilleries, and perfumeries. 

Highlights from last night: Scott Galloway pulls no punches 

Scott Galloway put the 🔥 in his fireside chat, closing out day one of MWC25 with his characteristically provocative and divisive style.  

An interesting bookend to a day brimming with positive AI reflections, Galloway held nothing back as he urged the EU to “step up”, adding that if the EU got its “sh*t together and started acting like a Union… [it] could inspire a great new age of European leadership and economic growth”. 
 

MWC25 Doha announcement 

MWC is coming to Qatar later this year, as announced by GSMA Ltd. CEO John Hoffman in the Leaders Lounge today, alongside His Excellency Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammad Al Mannai. 

MWC25 Doha takes place on 25-26 November 2025 at the prestigious Doha Convention Centre in Qatar, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to focus on advancing the next generation of digital societies in the Middle East and beyond. 

All keynote sessions from MWC Barcelona 2025 are available on-demand on the MWC25 Barcelona website, app, and Mobile World Live. News, updates, B-roll, and photography are available on the MWC25 Barcelona Press Zone. 

Monday 3 March

The King is in the building 

There was a buzz among the tightly packed crowd as King Felipe VI of Spain took his seat for the opening keynote of MWC25 Barcelona. Looking effortlessly smart, his 1.97m tall figure was clad in a clean-cut grey suit and blue tie. He paused briefly so the cameras jostling on stage could take their pictures, then proceeded to his seat.  

On stage, we heard from Marc Murtra of Telefónica; Sunil Mittal Bharti, Chairperson of Bharti Enterprises; Vicki Brady of Telstra; Biao He, CEO, China Mobile; and Benedicte Fasmer, President and CEO of Telenor Group. The GSMA’s Mats Granryd celebrated his final year of MWC as Director General, passing the baton to Vivek Badrinath who takes over 1 April 2025. 

Across the day's keynotes, security was a hot topic, with industry leaders debating the importance of ensuring customers are protected and have a good experience. 

4YFN: Come for the epic sci-fi vibes, stay to witness the next tech revolution 

As you step into the iconic 4YFN at MWC25, there’s a tangible sense you’re crossing into the future. Guided through its door by purple neon-drenched corridors, it’s more Blade Runner meets Tron Legacy, than MWC meets 4YFN. 

It’s fitting. At 4YFN, you witness first-hand some of the world’s most exciting breakthroughs from startups dabbling in truly mind-boggling AI across green tech, digital health, deep space technology, and much, much more. 

Take control of a medical robot designed to aid rehabilitation in patients with brain injuries. Or learn about early detection of diseases from startups that use technology to count cells at an individual level to diagnose infections earlier, such as meningitis in newborns. 

Don’t forget to check out the Award Zone’s Top 20 startups and five 4YFN Awards finalists. Judged by a panel of leading investors, the five finalists will compete in an intense pitching competition live on the Banco Sabadell stage this Wednesday at 17:00.   

Test your driving skills with Elmo and Nokia 

Ever fancied remotely driving a car in Finland? Luckily for you, Elmo integrated Nokia’s Quality on Demand (QoD) capability from the Network as Code platform, meaning you can take the wheel at MWC, and safely maneuver a car sitting 2,500 miles away in a Finnish car park, at speeds of up to 42km per hour. Nokia’s Liron Golan notes there have been zero collisions so far! Check out their stand in the Open Gateway demo section of Hall 4, next to the MWC Main Stage. 

Gaudi-inspired F1 car launches Fira Circuit partnership 

In the GSMA Pavilion, you’ll witness the perfect marriage of art and machine. An F1 car on the MWC showfloor, lovingly encased in a Gaudi-style wrap, formed the centrepiece for a new partnership announced today between the GSMA and Fira Circuit. 

Meanwhile, in the packed exhibition halls, some of the world’s biggest brands were making some big announcements: 

• Huawei wowed MWC25 with the world's first commercial triple foldable phone (the HUAWEI Mate XT | ULTIMATE DESIGN), plus a slew of other tech-savvy and stylish gadgets.
• Vodafone and IBM joined forces to future-proof your phone with quantum-safe cryptography, unveiling a cutting-edge prototype at MWC to protect against tomorrow's quantum threats.
• Lenovo announced it will jazz up old PCs with its AI Display and AI Stick, transforming any non-AI PC into an AI powerhouse with a sleek curved screen and dedicated NPU.
• Xiaomi launched its new Modular Optical System, featuring a 35mm full aspherical glass lens and a MagSafe-like magnetic ring for custom camera modules on the Xiaomi 15. 

Battle of the bags 

Look out for RealMe’s acid yellow, see-through tote bag, a modern and practical (it’s waterproof) classic usurping last year’s It Bag, the iridescent Whale Cloud tote. RealMe also announced their ‘Ultra’ phone concept with interchangeable camera lens at MWC today.  

A final note from the GSMA 

“The best news is that we're still innovating. We are not done yet. Quite the opposite.” Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA 

MWC25 keynotes will be live streamed on the MWC25 website and app, as well as from Mobile World Live. All this content, plus select conference sessions, will also be available on demand via the MWC website. MWC25 continues through 6 March 2025. Get the latest news and information live from the MWC25 Press Zone. 

For the first time, 4YFN featured this year’s Top 20 startups in the 4YFN Awards zone (Hall 8.0), giving attendees an opportunity to experience the cutting-edge AI solutions shaping the future of fintech, sustainability, health tech, and more.

Five exceptional finalists

Five finalists were chosen from a shortlist of the Top 20 startups, judged on criteria including innovation, traction, market potential and fit, and impact. Each contender demonstrated breakthrough innovations across diverse sectors, from construction to banking and even space exploration:

• Bankuish: A Colombian fintech startup that revolutionises credit access for gig workers by challenging traditional banking models with a more inclusive financial evaluation.
• Horus ML: A Spanish digital health startup that leverages AI to enhance clinical decision-making, advancing early diagnosis, personalised medicine, and remote monitoring for chronic disease patients.
• Qflow: A UK climate tech startup that enhances waste management in the construction sector with real-time analytics, driving efficiency and sustainability.
• Ramon.Space: An Israeli space computing startup that takes computing to space with systems designed to operate in extreme environments.
• Rockfish Data: A US synthetic data startup that extracts intelligence from critical sectors, enabling businesses to anticipate market shifts.

Following the thrilling onstage pitching competition, Bankuish triumphed to clinch this year’s prestigious award and a €20,000 cash prize courtesy of the GSMA Foundry.

Pere Duran, Director at 4YFN, said, “Congratulations to Bankuish for winning this year’s 4YFN Awards, and to all our finalists who showcased their groundbreaking solutions on stage in Barcelona. This year, we’ve seen an extraordinary level of innovation, particularly in how startups are using the power of AI to drive real revenue, reshape industries, and reset the future of the economy. 4YFN continues to act as a testament to the transformative potential of entrepreneurship, and I’m excited to see how these visionary startups make a lasting impact on business, society, and our daily lives.”

Celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship at 4YFN

As an innovation showcase for investors to discover top-tier creativity, 4YFN is a dynamic hub where AI disruptors, visionary VCs, and corporate change-makers converge to shape the future of the startup ecosystem. 4YFN sees even greater opportunities in the startup ecosystem, with AI XL its defining theme this year to reflect AI's influence on business and society. 

 

4YFN empowers a wide range of stakeholders, including startups using AI to scale rapidly, corporates looking to adopt AI to enhance their reputation, and investors seeking early-stage opportunities with high returns.

MWC25 Shanghai is the next stop for 4YFN, as the event makes its comeback appearance with its own conference track and exhibition showcasing some of the most innovative companies and entrepreneurs in the ecosystem. Registration is now open.

For more information, click here to download the 4YFN Awards Report.

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com

The GLOMO Awards stand out as the connectivity industry’s most prestigious accolade, recognising both the established and emerging brands leading us into a hyper-connected, hyper-real, and hyper-intelligent future.

With 33 awards across seven categories, the winners are chosen by a panel of over 200 independent judges representing the industry’s most prominent subject matter experts.

The GSMA’s Chief Marketing Officer, Lara Dewar said, “Winning a GLOMO award is the highest mark of recognition from your peers across the connectivity industry, acknowledging unparalleled achievement across the entire digital landscape. As we celebrate GLOMOs’ 30th edition, this year’s winners embody the industry’s relentless drive for excellence, from groundbreaking technologies to transformative solutions that improve connectivity worldwide.”

New to the awards this year is the category for Marketing Excellence, awarding outstanding activity in event activation and marketing campaigns, reflecting the growing importance of innovative marketing strategies in shaping the future of the digital landscape.

Introducing the winners of the 2025 GLOMO Awards

Mobile Tech

CTO Choice: Outstanding Mobile Technology Award:  China Mobile and Huawei for Telecom Foundation Model

Best Mobile Network Infrastructure:  Huawei for GigaGreen Radio

Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough:  Huawei for GigaGear for 5G SA Solution

Best Network Software Breakthrough:  China Mobile and Huawei for Telecom Foundation Model

Best Digital Tech Breakthrough for Companies with Under $10million Annual Global Revenue:  BroadForward – World first Cloud-Native Signalling Transfer Point

Best Mobile Security Solution:  Singtel Enterprise Mobile Protect & 5G Priority

GSMA Foundry Innovation Award:  ZTE for Minimalist Private 5G for Entertainment

Best Cloud Solution:  SK Telecom for Petasus Cloud

Best Non-Terrestrial Network Solution:  Skylo for Direct-to-Device Messaging and SOS Connectivity on Android

Best Private Network Solution:  China Unicom Guangdong, Gree and Huawei for World's Largest Next-Generation "Lights-out" Factory

Digital Everything

Best Mobile Operator Service for Connected Consumers:  SK Telecom for APS

Best Mobile Innovation for Connected Economy:  China Unicom Guangdong, Gree and Huawei for World's Largest Next-Generation "Lights-out" Factory

Best Mobile Innovation for Connected Health and Wellbeing:  China Telecom for The World's First 5G UAV Medical Delivery Network in Hangzhou City

Best Mobile Innovation for Digital Life:  Rakuten NEO

Best Mobile Innovation for Cities:  China Unicom, Yunhuan Connected Drone Technology and ZTE for 5G-A smart blood delivery in urban blood stations

Best AI Innovation:  Qualcomm for the Qualcomm AI Engine in Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform

Best Fintech Innovation:  bKash and Huawei for Bridging the Gap: Digital Loan Solution for All

Open Gateway Challenge:  China Mobile, Alibaba Cloud Computing, ByteDance and ZTE for the AaaS Open Gateway Platform with Alipay and TikTok

Device

Best Smartphone:  Google Pixel 9 Pro

Breakthrough Device Innovation:  Google Gemini

Best Connected Consumer Device:  TECNO for MEGA MINI Gaming G1

Best in Show: Xiaomi 15 Ultra

Tech4Good

Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets:  China Mobile Qinghai & Huawei Wireless RuralStar Plus

Best Mobile Innovation Supporting Emergency or Humanitarian Situations:  Kyiv Digital Shield

Best Use of Mobile for Accessibility & Inclusion:  RAZ Memory Cell Phone

Best Mobile Innovation for Climate Action:  Silvanet - Ultra-Early Wildfire Detection

Outstanding Mobile Contribution to the UN SDGs:  SK Telecom for Happy Habit

Best Mobile Innovation for Enhancing the Lives of Children and Young People:  SK Telecom and YATAV for Meta Forest

Government Leadership Award

Government Leadership Award:  The Federative Republic of Brazil

Outstanding Achievement

Outstanding Contribution to the Mobile Industry / Chairman’s Award:  Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA

Diversity in Tech Award: Ayumi Moore Aoki, Founder and CEO, Women in Tech

Marketing Excellence Award

Best Event Activation:  Orange for Ambient Mobile Technology at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

CMO Marketing Campaign Award:  VEON for Mobilink Bank

For further information about the GLOMOs, visit: https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/mobile-awards

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

Barcelona, 5 March 2025 – Talent Arena, the event dedicated to digital talent organised by Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital), has concluded its first edition, reinforcing the central role of digital professionals within the MWC programme. With this initiative, MWCapital enhances Barcelona’s offering during the week when the city consolidates its status as a global tech capital.

From March 3rd and 5th, Talent Arena brought together over 20,000 developers from 115 countries at Fira Montjuïc, with 53% being senior professionals from more than 1,500 companies, establishing itself as a key meeting point for the industry. Over three days, attendees had the opportunity to connect with tech companies, take part in hackathons and innovative workshops, and gain inspiration from 223 sessions led by renowned figures shaping the future of technology. 

Throughout the three-day programme, Talent Arena explored the latest trends in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum computing, and NewSpace, as well as current topics like Europe’s technological sovereignty, the evolution of generative AI, and the challenges of attracting and retaining digital talent in an increasingly competitive environment.

According to Francesc Fajula, CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, “The first edition of Talent Arena highlights the essential role of digital professionals in developing the technologies that are transforming the world. It also brings attention to the challenge of talent generation to meet the growth of the ICT sector, which is synonymous with innovation, expansion, and competitiveness 

A top-tier programme 

One of the key highlights of this first edition of Talent Arena edition was its line-up of speakers. Tech industry legends such as Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple; Cassie Kozyrkov, former pioneer in AI development at Google; and Garry Kasparov, grandmaster and AI thought leader. Other international figures included Sarah Novotny, expert in collaborative communities, and Lauren Lyons, specialist in NewSpace. The content programme featured 40% women who are leading figures in the sector, highlighting female presence in leadership roles within the tech industry.

Alongside these global icons, Talent Arena has brought together leading Spanish professionals heading tech projects in companies and institutions worldwide, such as Xavier Amatriain, Vice President of Product at Google; Pilar Manchón, Director of Engineering at Google; and Antonio Torralba, Head of the AI Faculty at MIT. 

One of the must-attend events for Talent Arena participants was the GSMA Open Gateway Hackathon. A historic milestone for telecom operators that featured over 100 international developers tackling an innovative technological challenge. For the first time, they were able to test projects in real—not simulated—conditions using data from major telecom providers. Meanwhile, the GSMA Open Gateway DevCon brought together companies and developers from around the world dedicated to creating and deploying network API-based services, showcasing use cases and sharing best practices from leading companies such as Nokia, TikTok, China Telecom, and Elmo.

Talent Arena’s offering was further enriched with 45 workshops focused on the latest technology trends, drawing an impressive reception, and more than 50 mentors who were on hand to guide developers through emerging industry trends and new career opportunities.

With this first edition now concluded, MWCapital is already preparing for the 2026 edition of Talent Arena, which will take place from 2 to 4 March at Fira Montjuïc. The event will expand its scope once again to strengthen its position as Europe’s premier digital talent gathering and further establish Barcelona as a hub for digital professionals. Also, with the expansion of Fira Gran Via, the event will fully integrate into the MWC venue.

About Talent Arena

Talent Arena is Europe’s premier event dedicated to digital talent, organized by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and co-located with MWC Barcelona 2025. For the first time, digital professionals, world-leading technology companies and educational institutions will come together to create a hub for learning, networking and professional growth. In collaboration with the GSMA, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council and with the support of Caixa Bank as main partner, Schneider Electric and Seidor as Event Sponsor, Salesforce as a supporting sponsor and Eurofirms as a HR sponsor, Talent Arena plays a key role in fostering the next generation of technological talent in Europe. 

About Mobile World Capital Barcelona 

Mobile World Capital Barcelona is a public-private foundation that promotes the digital development of society to build a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future through the humanistic use of technology. MWCapital contributes to positioning Barcelona as a global benchmark in the digital field and to consolidating MWC's legacy throughout the year, promoting initiatives in the field of technology transfer, the promotion of digital talent, and the development of innovative technological projects with social impact. MWCapital hosts MWC in Barcelona, is the founder of 4YFN and connects the international community of developers with the Talent Arena Project.

For further information:

Mobile World Capital
Víctor Solvas, Cerezo · vsolvas@mobileworldcapital.com · +34 663 201 406
Emily Henley · ehenley@mobileworldcapital.com · +34 673 004 102

Roman

Elisa Álvarez · e.alvarez@romanrm.com · +34 602 254 091

 

M360 Eurasia will be held in partnership with Host Sponsor Beeline Uzbekistan, a subsidiary of VEON, and the Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan. This year’s edition will bring together global and regional leaders to shape the future of connectivity across Eurasia. This event will spotlight the policies, investments, and partnerships needed to accelerate digital transformation in the region. Through high-level discussions on cutting-edge mobile technologies — from 5G to AI — and strategic insights into talent development, M360 Eurasia 2025 will explore pathways to unlock economic potential, foster resilience, and drive a new wave of innovation across the region.

Vivek Badrinath, Director General of GSMA, said, “I am looking forward to engaging with key stakeholders to help shape the region’s digital future. M360 Eurasia 2025 presents an exciting opportunity to foster collaboration and innovation in one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving digital landscapes. As we convene industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators in Tashkent for the first time, we help drive the future of connectivity across Eurasia. This event will serve as a catalyst for transformative discussions, paving the way for new partnerships and advancements in mobile technology, AI, and digital infrastructure."

H.E. Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, emphasised the significance of the event, saying, "M360 Eurasia 2025 is a pivotal moment for Uzbekistan and the wider region. As we welcome global leaders and innovators to Tashkent, this event highlights our commitment to fostering digital transformation and positioning Uzbekistan as a hub for technological advancement. We are proud to partner with the GSMA to showcase our country’s digital ambitions and drive forward new opportunities for growth, collaboration, and sustainable development across Eurasia.”

Kaan Terzioglu, Beeline Uzbekistan Chairman and VEON Group CEO, added, "Beeline Uzbekistan is honoured to be part of M360 Eurasia 2025, an event that aligns with our mission to accelerate the digitalisation of Uzbekistan and the wider region. The dynamic mobile ecosystem in this part of the world holds immense potential, and through our partnership with the GSMA, we aim to contribute to driving innovation, fostering cross-industry collaboration, and enabling greater access to digital services that will shape the future of connectivity."

The event will cover key topics such as the evolution of AI, sustainable approaches to connected devices, unlocking the region’s digital potential, cross-industry investment, disruptive network transformation, and data as the backbone of next-gen connectivity. There will also be a focus on cross-platform collaboration for customer acquisition and retention, along with strategies for securing the ultra-connected world through cybersecurity.
 

M360 Series: Regional Focus, Global Impact
The GSMA’s M360 series brings together the regional mobile ecosystem to drive innovation, address challenges, and create a foundation for sustainable business environments and societal change. The events provide a platform for thought leaders and industry experts to share insights, network, and discuss the future of mobile technology. 

For more information and to register, please visit our website
 

 – ENDS –

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

In markets where credit card penetration remains below 30%*, this partnership addresses a critical barrier to digital inclusion by enabling growing customer demand for integrated entertainment options by enabling 3.5 million subscribers to access and pay for digital content directly through their mobile accounts. Customers will be able to subscribe to premium streaming, gaming, and infotainment services – including on-demand video, live sports updates, interactive quizzes, and AI-powered productivity tools – without needing traditional banking relationships, a significant advantage for Beyond ONE's largely prepaid customer base.

“This partnership fundamentally transforms how our customers access digital experiences,” said Hani ELKukhun, Beyond ONE CEO of MEA. “In fast growing economies, mobile accounts often serve as people’s primary financial tool. By connecting these accounts directly to digital content, we’re removing long-standing barriers and democratizing access to services that can educate, entertain, and improve quality of life.  This aligns perfectly with our mission to create a more inclusive digital ecosystem in high-growth markets.”

Under the agreement, Virgin Mobile and FRiENDi customers will benefit from Direct Carrier Billing (DCB), allowing them to subscribe and pay for services using their existing mobile balance with just two clicks. For the significant segment of Beyond ONE customers who use prepaid services, this eliminates the complexity of separate payment systems while maintaining complete transparency and control. 

The implementation includes robust consumer protections, with mandatory double opt-in confirmations, clear subscription terms, and AI-powered real-time fraud detection. These enhanced security measures are expected to reduce unauthorized charges drastically compared to traditional third-party billing systems.

“We're bringing our carrier-grade VAS aggregation technology to Beyond ONE to create both a seamless and secure experience for millions of mobile users,” said Diogo Salvi, CEO at TIMEWWTECH. “Our platform will operate invisibly beyond Virgin Mobile and FRiENDi’s trusted brands, ensuring a consistent customer experience while dramatically expanding content options.” 

The partnership delivers four key benefits:

1. Expanded Content Ecosystem: Starting Q3 2025, customers will gain access to premium entertainment, including regional/global streaming services, educational platforms, and gaming subscriptions directly through their trusted mobile provider
2. Financial Inclusion: Prepaid users can instantly subscribe to premium digital services without needing credit cards or band accounts, making advanced digital experiences accessible to underserved populations.
3. Enhanced Consumer Protection: Clear subscription terms, automatic spending alerts, and simplified management tools give customers complete control over their digital spending
4. Faster Service Deployment: New digital services will be rolled out up to 50% faster, with automated onboarding for new entertainment providers ensuring customers always have access to the latest content options

Implementation will begin immediately, with a phased rollout starting Q3 2025. This strategic integration not only enhances Beyond ONE's value proposition by connecting telecommunications directly with premium content delivery, but also establishes new revenue opportunities in the Middle East's rapidly evolving digital economy - all while maintaining the seamless experience customers expect from Virgin Mobile and Friendi brands.

To access the press kit, please click here. 

For more information, please contact:  

Sama Al Shibani

+971 52 538 5467

BeyondONE@mojo-me.com

www.beyond.one  

About Beyond ONE™ 

Beyond ONE is a digital services provider radically reshaping the personalised digital ecosystems of consumers in emerging markets around the world.  We put people at the centre of everything we think and do, to create hyper-customized digital experiences that improve their lives and create a more inclusive, colourful and connected world for everyone. A subsidiary of private global investment company Priora Management Holding Dubai, Beyond ONE is headquartered in Dubai, and through its investments, operates in a number of countries around the world. Find out more at www.beyond.one

About Virgin Mobile KSA 

Virgin Mobile KSA, a subsidiary of Beyond ONE Group, is a leading telecommunications company in Saudi Arabia, committed to delivering innovative and customer-centric mobile services. With a focus on digital innovation and personalized experiences, Virgin Mobile KSA empowers consumers with customizable mobile plans, advanced app features, and seamless connectivity. Through strategic partnerships and cutting-edge technology, Virgin Mobile KSA continues to redefine the telecommunications landscape, offering unparalleled service excellence and convenience to its customers across the Kingdom.

About Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa

Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa is part of the Virgin family group of companies. Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa is responsible for all Virgin Mobile operations in the Middle East and Africa region and is headquartered in Dubai, UAE. It has been in the region since 2009 and operates the two consumer brands of Virgin Mobile and FRiENDi Mobile. Partnering with telecoms operators, the Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa team provides customers with innovative products and packages designed to make their mobile experience better. Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa believes in having great people, and the management team is made up of senior-level team members from a variety of successful regional and global mobile operators, as well as from MVNOs.          

About FRiENDi 

FRiENDi Mobile is a leading mobile services brand, offering a prepaid mobile experience that combines exciting offers and services with competitive prices.  Launched in April 2009, FRiENDi mobile offers competitive data and calling rates, with outstanding customer service in six languages coupled with service availability in multiple countries in the GCC. The company was acquired in February 2023 by Beyond ONE, along with Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa, as part of its plan to radically reshape consumers’ interaction with technology in growth markets around the world. 

About TIMEWETECH

TIMWETECH is a global service and software provider leader in the digital telecom industry. With over 20 year’s experience in the industry and a global footprint of over 80 countries and 30 offices, our comprehensive suite of services enhances customer interaction, boosts operational efficiency, and drives digital transformation. Trusted by top-tier clients, TIMWETECH delivers excellence through cutting-edge solutions and unparalleled expertise.   

With the rapid evolution of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, ensuring that women and girls have equal opportunities to participate in and shape the digital economy is more critical than ever. The EQUALS Global Partnership - a coalition of international organisations, governments, corporations, academic institutions, non-profits, and community organsations worldwide - is intensifying efforts to bridge the gender digital divide.

Empowering Women and Girls Through Digital Innovation

To harness the potential of emerging digital trends, the new EQUALS vision firmly puts women and girls at the centre of digital transformation, putting them at the centre of progress, participating, leading and innovating. By equipping them with digital skills, resources, and opportunities, EQUALS aims to empower 100 million women and girls within the next decade to become active contributors to the digital economy.

“As technology evolves faster than ever, successful digital transformation depends on women and girls being at the forefront of change,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “That’s why a renewed focus on empowering women innovators and policymakers is driving the new EQUALS Global Partnership.”

Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, said: “The growth of AI and digital innovation presents unprecedented opportunities to build a more inclusive world. But without intentional action, women and girls risk being left behind. By reaffirming our mission, the EQUALS Global Partnership is ensuring that women and girls everywhere can fully participate in the digital economy, unlocking their potential and shaping the future of technology.”

A Global Call to Action

The partnership’s work will be structured around thematic workstreams, each operating on a two-year cycle, ensuring flexibility to adapt to emerging challenges and opportunities. EQUALS partners and members will continue advocating for policy changes, fostering collaboration between public and private sectors, and launching targeted programmes to support women and girls in tech.

As part of its broader vision, EQUALS aligns its work with key global frameworks, including the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN Global Digital Compact, and the Beijing +30 Review Process Outcomes, reinforcing its commitment to long-term, measurable impact.

To learn more about the EQUALS Global Partnership and how to get involved, visit https://www.equalsintech.org/.

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

About ITU

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations agency for digital technologies, driving innovation for people and the planet with 194 Member States and a membership of over 1,000 companies, universities, civil society, and international and regional organisations. Established in 1865, ITU coordinates the global use of the radio spectrum and satellite orbits, establishes international technology standards, drives universal connectivity and digital services, and is helping to make sure everyone benefits from sustainable digital transformation, including the most remote communities. From artificial intelligence (AI) to quantum, from satellites and submarine cables to advanced mobile and wireless broadband networks, ITU is committed to connecting the world and beyond. Learn more: www.itu.int

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

ITU Press Service

pressinfo@itu.int 

+41 22 730 5092

The G6, in collaboration with the GSMA, has made significant progress on its original three core priorities: Fiscal Policy Reforms, Closing the Investment Gap, and Environmental Sustainability. These initiatives underscore the role of strategic partnerships, data-driven advocacy, and evidence-based policymaking in addressing Africa’s affordability challenges critical to ensure the sustainability of the investment necessary to close the digital divide. 

1. Fiscal Policy Reforms for Digital and Financial Inclusion 

In alignment with global efforts to create more inclusive digital economies, it has actively supported the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in promoting sustainable tax policies. The expansion of UNECA’s report, “Reduction of Taxes for Low-end Smart Devices and Data in Select African Countries,” to cover 52 African nations underscores the commitment to advocating for fiscal policies that improve smartphone affordability and narrow the digital divide. The G6 calls for stronger governmental engagement to adopt policies that enhance digital and financial inclusion for low-income populations. 

2. Closing the Investment Gap for Digital and Energy Infrastructure 

The G6 recognises that bridging Africa’s digital divide requires robust investment in broadband infrastructure and sustainable energy solutions. Under the G6 mandate, the GSMA has engaged with global partners, including the World Bank Group, ITU, and GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition, to enhance access to affordable internet-enabled devices. Additionally, the G6 has developed regulatory principles for fair contributions from Large Traffic Originators and Non-Terrestrial Networks (e.g., satellites) to ensure a more balanced digital ecosystem. These efforts align with Africa’s broader economic growth agenda, reinforcing the role of digitalization in fostering economic resilience and inclusion. 
 

3. Environmental Sustainability and Energy Access 

With digital transformation deeply intertwined with energy access, the G6 through the GSMA has aligned with initiatives such as Mission 300, spearheaded by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank (AfDB), to expand electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030. The telecom sector is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and championing sustainable energy solutions. The report “Rural Renewal: Telcos and Sustainable Energy in Africa” outlines pathways for telecom operators to integrate green energy solutions into their operations, particularly in off-grid and underserved areas. 

Strategic Actions for 2025 and Beyond 

To reinforce its commitment to closing Africa’s digital divide, the G6 has agreed on the following actions: 

1. Strengthen collaboration with ministries of finance, the World Bank and the IMF, to highlight the mobile industry’s impact on economic growth. Advocacy for sector-specific tax removal on low-end smart devices and mobile money usage is critical to sustainably address the barriers for digital and financial inclusion. 
2. Promote the mobile sectors’ value addition and enablement effect to the GDP of our economies and the regulatory frameworks that attract equitable investment and partnerships to close the coverage gap which impacts 710 million people who do not have access to mobile internet. The sector continues to welcome innovative technologies addressing this challenge to reach terrestrial and non-terrestrial places to ensure that we leave no one behind and offline. 
3. Infrastructure sharing across digital ecosystem players in the age of emerging technologies such as AI is essential for the continent to benefit from the enablement opportunity to bridge the digital divide for socio-economic development. 

 
The G6’s meeting in Barcelona underscores a collective commitment to accelerating Africa’s digital transformation through strategic partnerships, regulatory advocacy, and sustainable solutions. As Africa navigates the dual challenges of digital and energy access, the G6 reaffirms its readiness to work with governments, global institutions, and industry players to drive inclusive growth, reduce the digital divide to leave no one behind in Africa. 

 
NOTE TO THE EDITORS 

The G6, a coalition of Africa’s leading mobile network operators, is spearheading efforts to accelerate digital transformation across the continent. From advocating for fiscal policy reforms to closing the broadband investment gap and promoting sustainable energy solutions, the G6 is positioning itself as a key player in Africa’s socio-economic development. 

Africa’s digital transformation is not just about connectivity - it’s about creating opportunities for education, healthcare, financial inclusion, and economic growth. The G6’s initiatives are critical to ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital revolution. 

Since the launch of the 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, this competition attracted 140 teams from 23 countries, including international operators, technology giants, industry alliances, renowned universities, and China Unicom's internal teams. The competition's judging committee was made up of experts from the industry, including the GSMA, China Unicom, and TM Forum. Their comprehensive evaluation was based on criteria such as "technological innovation degree", "scenario adaptability", and "pain point solving ability".  

The finalists came from industries such as smart tourism, smart campuses, low-altitude economy, intelligent driving, and outdoor sports. Thanks to advanced technologies and using GSMA Open Gateway technology, they've addressed challenges like optimizing large models, drone regulation, and enhancing cloud terminal intelligence. Their innovations span event services, intelligent transportation, mixed reality navigation, and low-altitude security, showcasing the powerful blend of cutting-edge tech with industry needs. 

Hao Liqian extended his sincere congratulations to the winning teams at the award ceremony. He pointed out that since the launch of the GSMA Open Gateway initiative at MWC Barcelona 2023, it has reached a crucial stage. The number of signed operators has exceeded almost 80% of the global mobile connections, with over 200 commercial API instances. China Unicom will take this competition as an opportunity to accelerate the commercial applications of these innovative new ideas, establish market-oriented sharing mechanisms and monetise developers and industry partners, to everyone’s benefit.  

Alex Sinclair congratulated winners on the great success of the competition in his speech and thanked China Unicom for the Global Use Case Innovation Challenge. Alex also commended China Unicom’s for its leadership and commitment to the GSMA Open Gateway initiative. This includes establishing the world’s first Open Gateway innovation incubator and fostering critical partnerships with operators in Hong Kong and Macau. Alex added that by unlocking the potential of Open Gateway APIs, China Unicom and other participants in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative we’re shaping a future where developers and operators can collaborate seamlessly — delivering transformative solutions for industries and societies worldwide. 

The excellent achievements of the competition will be connected to the "GSMA-China Unicom Open Gateway Innovation Workshop", and will receive support for technology incubation, resource matching, and global promotion. They will also be showcased for commercial applications at the China Unicom Partners Conference in July 2025. China Unicom stated that in the future, it will focus on business model innovation, collaborate with industry partners to create high-value scenario applications, and promote the prosperity of the global network industry ecosystem. 

The list of award winners is as follows: 

First Prize:
Project Name: Autonomous Driving on Cloud

Second Prize: 
Project Name: The World's First Global Marathon 
Project Name: Tianjin University Builds a Secure and Trustworthy Digital Campus Based on the Open Gateway 

Third Prize: 
Project Name: Quality Assurance System of Multi-level Large-model Network Service Based on Open Gateway---Speed Link 
Project Name: Building Secure and Intelligent Cloud Terminal Products Based on Open Gateway 
Project Name: RJet 

For more details of the final works, please visit the official website of the competition: 
PC version: https://opengatewayportal.ossapp.chinaunicom.cn 
Mobile version: https://opengatewayportal.ossapp.chinaunicom.cn/mobile 

The technology has now been successfully tested with various industry leaders. With this funding, the company will accelerate the deployment of its Telecom GNSS Meteorology solution on a larger scale with several partners and expand its footprint in key markets.

Skyfora’s patented Telecom GNSS Meteorology solution transforms existing cell towers into high-resolution weather sensors, unlocking vast amounts of private weather data. This breakthrough not only enhances the accuracy of AI-driven weather forecasts, already surpassing traditional numerical models, but also provides a new revenue stream for mobile network operators (MNOs) — all without requiring additional hardware investments.

“As extreme weather events become more frequent due to climate change, precise forecasting is more critical than ever,” says Fredrik Borgström, CEO of Skyfora. “Our technology fills critical observation gaps and it provides a continuous flow of high-resolution data, which is “superfood” for AI models while enabling MNOs to monetize their infrastructure in a completely new way. We’re delighted to announce this investment at the first day of MWC25 Barcelona”

By providing real-time, large-scale weather insights, Skyfora’s innovation benefits societies, businesses, and industries worldwide—from disaster response and insurance to aviation renewable energy and agriculture. 

Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board, says: “We are delighted with the EIC Fund’s investment in Skyfora, an innovative company developing a next-generation weather intelligence. We believe in the potential of their technology that can save lives and mitigate economic disruptions and financial risks. The unique form of financing via EIC - combining grants and equity – is proving itself highly attractive to Europe's most promising start-ups like Skyfora.”

"At Ugly Duckling Ventures a key thesis is that the future of AI relies on the quality of, and rights to first-party data. Skyfora's commitment to building and utilizing their own first-party datasets sets them apart. Their ability to provide uniquely valuable intelligence in a world increasingly reliant on AI-driven decisions is why we've invested. We are very pleased to join them on their journey and co-lead this round with LUMO Labs, " stated Andreas Green Rasmussen, General Partner, Ugly Duckling Ventures.

Linn-Cecilie Linnemann, Partner at LUMO Labs, adds: "Skyfora's ability to provide critical weather data is a perfect fit with LUMO Labs' focus on climate action and sustainable cities. As climate change intensifies, reliable weather intelligence becomes increasingly crucial for urban resilience. Skyfora's use of first-party data and AI-driven approach align perfectly with our investment strategy. By harnessing existing telecom networks to generate exponentially more atmospheric data, they are unlocking new possibilities in climate technology—making this a truly compelling opportunity." 

About Skyfora

Skyfora is a trailblazer in weather technology, dedicated to pushing the boundaries of meteorological innovation. The company's patented Telecom GNSS Meteorology solution is a game-changing innovation optimizing the performance of AI weather forecasts improving global climate change resilience and weather-insight across industries. 

Skyfora media contact:

Fredrik Borgström, CEO, fredrik.borgstrom@skyfora.com

https://www.skyfora.com/

About Ugly Duckling Ventures

Ugly Duckling Ventures is a Danish-based venture capital firm investing in early-stage Nordic startups across B2B sectors. We seek out founders with unique perspectives and groundbreaking ideas, providing not only capital, but also sufficient time across our seasoned partner team. We believe in the power of the underdog and are committed to nurturing the next generation of Nordic B2B industry leaders. 

Ugly Duckling Ventures media contact:

Andreas Green Rasmussen, General Partner, andreas@uglyduckling.ventures 

www.uglyduckling.ventures

About LUMO Labs

LUMO Rise Fund is a MEUR 100 multi-stage (Pre-Seed to Series A) impact-driven venture capital fund, with a proprietary startup coaching program for purpose-driven founders, who seek to bring technological innovations to the market to help solve social and environmental challenges. 

LUMO Labs VC invests in scalable startups using disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence & Data, Blockchain, Internet of Things, Digital Security, and Extended Realities (AR/VR), contributing to one of the following SDGs: Health & Wellbeing, Quality Education, Sustainable Cities & Communities, and Climate Action.

LUMO is a pan-European fund with a focus on Benelux and Germany, Nordics, Baltics and the Iberian Peninsula. LUMO Rise Fund is the successor fund of LUMO Fund II managed by LUMO Labs, founded in 2016 by former tech entrepreneurs Andy Lürling and Sven Bakkes.

LUMO Labs media contact:

Andy Lurling, Founding Partner; andy@lumolabs.io 

For Nordics & Baltics

Linn-Cecilie Linnemann, Partner; linn-cecilie@lumolabs.io 
Tel: +47 450 17 701 

For Spain 

Jorge Blasco, Partner; jorge@lumolabs.io

https://lumolabs.io/

About the European Innovation Council Fund

The European Innovation Council Fund from the European Commission is an agnostic Fund: it invests across all technologies and verticals, and all EU countries and countries associated to Horizon Europe. It provides the investment component of the EIC Accelerator blended finance. The European Investment Bank acts as an investment adviser to the EIC Fund. The EIC Fund aims to fill a critical financing gap and its main purpose is to support companies in the development and commercialization of disruptive technologies, bridging with and crowding in market players, and further sharing risk by building a large network of capital providers and strategic partners suitable for co-investments and follow-on funding. The Fund pays particular attention to the empowerment and support of female founders as well as the ambition to reduce the innovation divide among EU countries.

European Innovation Council Fund media contact:

Robert Schröder, Communication Head of Sector at European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, Robert.schroder@ec.europa.eu

https://www.eib.org/en/

About Voima Ventures 

Voima Ventures is a Nordic DeepTech venture capital firm that helps founders scale global solutions for the people, planet, and industry. With a focus on sustainability, diversity, and long-term societal impact, Voima Ventures supports early-stage Research to business and university spinouts across sectors such as health, clean energy, advanced materials, and AI. Managing three funds, including the €100M Article 8 compliant Voima Ventures Fund III, the firm supports high-potential companies through strategic investment, guidance, and access to an extensive network in the Nordics and beyond.

Voima Ventures media contact:

Niko Elers, Investment manager, niko.elers@voimaventures.com

https://voimaventures.com/

Startups worldwide will collaborate to develop practical strategies to enhance urban resilience and sustainability.

Barcelona, 4 March 2025 - MWC25 Barcelona. Startup Valencia and e-Residency, the Estonian government’s programme for global entrepreneurs, in collaboration with the City Councils of Valencia and Tallinn, have announced the Valencia DANA Project. This international initiative seeks startups with innovative solutions to mitigate the impact of natural disasters, such as the one that struck Valencia in October 2024.

The official presentation took place today at Valencia Innovation Capital’s booth at 4YFN25, the entrepreneurship event associated with MWC25 Barcelona. 

The project aims to identify and support startups with disruptive solutions in emergency management, climate resilience, innovative infrastructure, and urban sustainability. Given the growing concern about the impact of climate change, the Valencia DANA Project positions itself as a key platform for creating and validating technologies that can be applied in urban environments around the world.

One of the fundamental pillars of the initiative is the organisation of a high-impact hackathon, which will be held in Tallinn (Estonia) from 20 to 21 May, coinciding with Latitude59, one of the most influential technology conferences in Northern Europe. Over three days, startups, entrepreneurs, technology experts, and local authorities will work on developing solutions that enable cities to anticipate and respond effectively to extreme weather events.

The winning startups of the hackathon will have the opportunity to implement their solutions in Valencia between June and October 2025, with the support of local institutions and the city's entrepreneurial ecosystem. This trial period will allow for the evaluation of the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposals in a real environment, with the possibility of scaling the applications globally. The project will distribute up to €50,000 in prizes among the winning startups, recognising the most innovative and effective proposals.

Additionally, the winning team will be able to present their project at the eighth edition of VDS, on 22 and 23 October. This international technology event, which since 2018 has brought together startups, corporations, and investors from all over the world, will provide the winners with an exceptional platform to showcase their innovative solution before a global audience of more than 12,000 people from 120 countries.

“The technology sector has demonstrated its ability to innovate, collaborate, and offer transformative solutions in times of adversity,” says Nacho Mas, CEO of Startup Valencia and VDS. “With this initiative, we reinforce our commitment to innovation and sustainability, promoting the development of technological solutions that help cities adapt and respond to the challenges of climate change,” he explains.

Paula Llobet, Valencia City Council's Councillor for Innovation, says, “This project is a unique opportunity to consolidate Valencia as a benchmark in innovation and sustainability. With our Valencia Innovation Capital strategy, we are betting on technology as a key tool to improve our cities' resilience to climate change challenges.”

Margot Roose, Vice Mayor of Tallinn, states: "This collaboration showcases the power of cities coming together to tackle the urgent challenges posed by extreme weather events. By leveraging innovation and international cooperation, we can develop solutions that safeguard our urban environments and set a global benchmark for resilience and disaster preparedness. Tallinn is proud to host this hackathon and contribute significantly to the future of urban emergency management.”

Liina Vahtras, Managing Director of e-Residency, declares: “This hackathon represents the potential of borderless international cooperation. From Estonia, we open the doors of our digital nation to entrepreneurs and startup founders worldwide so they can develop scalable solutions with a tangible impact on society, such as mitigating natural disasters caused by climate change. We are excited to see how these ideas will be conceived in Tallinn—one of the most dynamic startup ecosystems in Europe—take shape in Valencia, and find real-world application in any urban environment on a global scale.”

‘Valencia DANA Project’ Registrations are open from today until 30 April at programs.startupvalencia.org/valencia-dana-project

About Startup Valencia

Startup Valencia is the leading association for startups and scaleups in the Valencian Community and one of the largest entrepreneurial communities in Spain, with more than 35,000 members. It connects founders at similar growth stages, offering a shared space and a strong sense of belonging. Its mission is to drive technological entrepreneurship, support startup growth, and promote a knowledge-based economy with positive and sustainable impact.

Startup Valencia collaborates with GoHub Ventures (Global Omnium), BStartup (Banco Sabadell), Wayra (Telefónica Group), Elewit (Redeia, Red Eléctrica Group), Zeus, Plug and Play, HP, BBVA Spark, Marina de Empresas, Banco Santander, Innsomnia, CaixaBank DayOne, Naturgy, Sesame, RCD, Damm, Aktion, Google for Startups, Zubi Group, OVHcloud, Opentop (Valenciaport Innovation Hub), Internxt, Tbig Finance, Next Tier Ventures, Urban Sports Club, and Across Legal, among others, as Supporters.

About Estonian e-Residency

e-Residency is a pioneering programme worldwide by the Estonian government that, since 2014, has provided global start-up founders with a digital identity and signature, granting them access to Estonia’s fully digital government services. E-Residency is the first step for foreign citizens to establish, manage, and grow a globally scalable Estonian and EU company 100% online in just minutes, with top-tier security standards, paperless, no bureaucratic obstacles, and low establishment and administration costs. E-Residency does not grant citizenship or residence in Estonia and is not an automatic tax residency. 

Globally, more than 120,000 e-residents from over 185 nationalities establish 20% of new companies in Estonia each year. Spain currently has the highest demand for e-residency: more than 6,800 Spanish citizens have obtained e-resident status and opened over 3,000 businesses in Estonia, representing 9% of the total number of companies globally created through e-Residency.

More information at https://www.e-resident.gov.ee/

Startup Valencia
Majo Angulo mjangulo@nebocomunicacion.com |  +34 622 83 91 38

e-Residency
Manuela Bailo  manuela@musubi.es |  +34 654 633 695

The Honourable Deputy Premier of Sarawak, Second Minister for Finance and New Economy, Minister For Infrastructure and Port Development, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, officiated the launch, highlighting Sarawak’s commitment to building a thriving digital economy, expanding renewable energy initiatives, and fostering industry collaborations to drive economic growth.

“In line with our Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, Sarawak is accelerating its digital transformation, leveraging technologies such as AI, 5G, cloud computing, and IoT to create new business opportunities and improve the well-being of our communities. The Sarawak Pavilion at MWC25 Barcelona showcases our readiness to collaborate, innovate, and grow with global partners,” said the Deputy Premier.

Adding to the statement, The Honourable Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Sarawak, Dato Sri Haji Julaihi Haji Narawi, “this year, we are expanding our engagements through business matching sessions, networking opportunities, and high-level discussions to strengthen partnerships with global tech leaders, investors, and industry experts. These initiatives will enable Sarawak to leverage global expertise, explore innovative solutions, and cultivate impactful collaborations that drive sustainable digital and economic growth. Through these engagements, Sarawak aims to tap into global expertise, explore cutting-edge solutions, and build meaningful collaborations that will drive long-term digital and economic growth for our state.”

Sarawak: A Strategic Hub for Innovation and Investment

Sarawak, the largest state in Malaysia, is strategically located in Southeast Asia, providing access to the ASEAN market of over 680 million people. With strong governance, world-class infrastructure, and investor-friendly policies, Sarawak offers a secure and business-ready environment for global expansion.

Key highlights of Sarawak’s value proposition include:

a)    A Thriving Digital Economy – Sarawak is rapidly expanding its digital infrastructure, AI capabilities, cloud computing, and 5G networks. The upcoming Sarawak AI Centre (SAIC) will drive AI-powered solutions in agriculture, healthcare, and energy efficiency, positioning Sarawak as a regional hub for emerging technologies.

b)    Leader in Renewable Energy – Sarawak generates nearly 70% of its electricity from hydropower, ensuring a stable and sustainable energy supply for industries and businesses. With growing investments in green hydrogen and low-carbon industries, Sarawak is committed to net-zero ambitions and ESG-driven developments.

c)    A Safe & Stable Business Destination – Located outside the Pacific Ring of Fire, Sarawak is less prone to natural disasters, offering a secure and resilient environment for businesses. With subsea cable infrastructure linking global digital networks, Sarawak serves as an emerging connectivity hub, providing seamless access to international markets.

d)    Commitment to Environmental Conservation – With 56.5% of its landmass designated as forest reserves, Sarawak is a leader in sustainable development, ensuring that economic progress aligns with responsible environmental stewardship.

A Landmark Moment for Sarawak at MWC25 Barcelona

The participation of the Sarawak Government at MWC25 Barcelona aims to attract interest from industry leaders, investors, and technology experts eager to explore potential collaborations. The event is set to attract over 120,000
attendees from 205 countries and territories, including top executives, policymakers, and technology pioneers. With more than 2,700 exhibitors and 1,100 speakers, the event remains a focal point for groundbreaking innovations shaping the future of digital transformation.

Unlocking Opportunities Through Global Collaboration

The Sarawak Pavilion at MWC25 Barcelona is more than just an exhibition—it is a collaboration hub for forging strategic partnerships, driving investment, and fostering innovation. Throughout the event, Sarawak’s delegation will engage with global technology leaders, investors, and major industry players to explore opportunities in smart cities, AI, fintech, renewable energy, and digital trade.

“We invite businesses, investors, and tech leaders to connect with us, explore our opportunities, and be part of Sarawak’s journey towards a sustainable and technology-driven future,” added the Deputy Premier.

Visit Us at MWC25 Barcelona

The Sarawak Pavilion will be situated at Hall 6, Booth 6F41 at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain. We welcome industry leaders, investors, and stakeholders to visit and explore collaboration opportunities in Sarawak’s agenda in advancing digital transformation and fostering innovation.
 

The official launching of Sarawak Pavilion during the MWC25 Barcelona.

About Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA)

Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) is a regulatory body established pursuant to Section 3 of Sarawak Multimedia Authority Ordinance 2017 with the primary objective to spearhead, oversee, and facilitate the development and implementation of the communication, multimedia, and Sarawak’s Digital Economy Initiatives.

For more information, please visit https://www.sma.gov.my/

For more information, please contact:

Name    : Nur Fekriah Effendy Email: fekriah@sma.gov.my
Phone    : +60198838861

In partnership with the N50 Project, GSMA Advance, the skills and training division of the mobile industry association,  will offer at least 100 fully sponsored scholarships to individuals and communities worldwide, giving them access to specialised digital training resources and educational courses. 

Through the scholarships, applicants will be able to further their knowledge through GSMA Advance’s curriculum into the latest advancements in mobile technology. These scholarships represent a vital component of the GSMA’s and the N50 Project’s wider shared strategy to connect billions of people currently excluded from digital opportunities, enabling underserved communities to thrive in an increasingly connected world. 

Speaking at MWC25 Barcelona, Dr Drew MacFarlane, Head of GSMA Advance, said: “Digital connectivity is no longer a privilege - it’s crucial for future societal development. Our partnership with the N50 Project marks a significant step in strengthening skills and professional development within the mobile and telecoms industry. By equipping individuals and communities with industry-specific knowledge and tools, we are practically taking steps to close the digital divide whilst also driving innovation, economic growth, and long-term sustainability within the mobile ecosystem.” 

Daniel Gutwein, CEO N50 Project, said: "At the N50, we are committed to eliminating digital poverty by bringing connectivity, technology, and opportunity to all communities. Through this collaboration with GSMA, we are not only expanding access but also equipping individuals with critical workforce development skills. This partnership exemplifies the transformative impact of digital access, creating pathways to economic opportunity and a better future for all.” 

A Unified Mission to Accelerate Connectivity Globally 

Currently, 3.45 billion people are not connected to mobile internet services, the overwhelming majority (90%) of whom live in areas with available coverage they are not making use of. These people fall into what is called the ‘usage gap’ and is the product of a number of barriers including affordability issues, a lack of digital skills and literacy, and concerns around security or the lack of relevant or localised content. This initiative embodies the GSMA’s commitment to unlock the full power of connectivity by promoting collaboration across industries, governments, and local communities.  

Greater connectivity in underprivileged areas can yield transformative benefits, from better healthcare access to high-quality educational opportunities, and improved agricultural practices to greater financial inclusion. 

By raising standards, addressing skills gaps, and ensuring access to high-quality learning opportunities, the GSMA and the N50 Project aim to democratise digital access and create a more equitable global digital landscape. 

-ENDS- 

About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. 

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com  

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office  
pressoffice@gsma.com 

About the N50 Project 
The N50 Project is a global non-profit committed to bridging the digital divide by delivering meaningful connectivity, technology, digital literacy, and essential applications to the world's most underserved communities. With a growing network of more than 240 global technology partners—representing over 1 million tech employees worldwide—N50 rapidly deploys localized solutions at a fraction of the cost. 

Organized by the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), IMC 2025 will serve as a global platform for industry leaders, policymakers, and technology enthusiasts to explore the future of connectivity, sustainability, and innovation. This year's edition promises to build on the legacy of its predecessors by fostering collaboration, showcasing cutting-edge advancements, and addressing the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly evolving Global digital landscape.  

This year’s edition aims to strengthen its position by showcasing use cases and innovations across 5G & 6G, AI, Semiconductors, Electronics Manufacturing, Quantum Computing, Cybersecurity, Satellite communications, Deep-tech, Clean-tech, Smart Mobility, Industry 4.0 and Enterprise transformation. The pioneering startup program of IMC, ASPIRE is expected to witness participation from 1000+ startups, more than 300 investors, incubators, accelerators and VCs which  include s mentorship workshops, live pitches, networking and partnerships. 

Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister for Communications and Development in North East Region, Govt. of India said, “India's remarkable strides in technology and telecommunications sectors are propelling us into a new era of digital leadership and economic prosperity. Under the visionary guidance of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are witnessing a fundamental transformation that is empowering citizens, fostering innovation, and with this progress India is set to take lead in emerging technologies like 6G, AI and Quantum. India Mobile Congress has played a pivotal role in this journey, serving as a catalyst progress in telecom and technology sectors. As Asia’s largest technology forum, IMC will further strengthen India’s position as a global leader in digital transformation, fostering new opportunities to collaborate with global ecosystem.” 

The last edition of the India Mobile Congress, held in October 2024 concluded with achieving the largest participation with over 175,000  + participants attending the 4-day forum. The India Mobile Congress 2024 witnessed participation from over 1012 partners and exhibitors representing representation from over 123 countries. The event also showcased more than 900 technology use case scenarios, including 750 AI-based use cases, and hosted more than 186 sessions in which over 820 global and Indian speakers participated.

Barcelona, 3 March 2025 – Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) has opened the doors to the first edition of Talent Arena, Europe’s largest event dedicated to digital talent, taking place at Fira Montjuïc until 5 March. For the first time during MWC, the event brings together technology professionals to connect and discuss about key topics that are shaping the present and future of the industry, including the evolution of artificial intelligence, software development, cybersecurity, and quantum computing.

Throughout its duration, Talent Arena will foster an environment for knowledge, networking, and professional growth. The event addresses one of today’s major social and economic challenges: the need to promote digital talent to meet the growing demand in the ICT sector. In Europe, there are around 10 million ICT professionals and tech hubs such as Barcelona, have doubled since 2018, reaching 122,000 workers today.

According to MWCapital’s CEO, Francesc Fajula, “Talent Arena complements Barcelona’s tech ecosystem during MWC by bringing together ICT professionals and plays a key role in fostering the next generation of Europe’s technological talent.”

International leaders and technological challenges

One of the main highlights of the first edition of Talent Arena is its conference programme, featuring 200 speakers, including some of the world’s most influential voices in technology. During the opening day, Talent Arena will welcome renowned figures such as chess grandmaster and AI expert Garry Kasparov, Google’s Senior Director of Engineering Pilar Manchón, MIT AI Faculty Director Antonio Torralba, and tech communicator and entrepreneur Nate Gentile.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, speakers will include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, former Chief Decision Scientist at Google Cassie Kozyrkov, Google’s Vice President of Product Xavier Amatriain, and former SpaceX Development Engineer Lauren Lyons, among others.

The talks will explore key themes such as Europe’s technological sovereignty, the evolution of generative AI over the past decade, and the challenges of managing digital talent in a highly competitive environment. There will also be discussions on the impact of quantum computing on technological development, the role of inclusive leadership in organisational transformation, and the intersection of AI and programming.

Alongside the conferences, Talent Arena’s activity programme kicks off today, featuring 45 programming workshops, mentoring sessions with industry professionals, and key developer events such as the GSMA Open Gateway DevCon. This event will bring together leading companies to showcase best practices and live demonstrations on programming network-based API services.

With its first edition, Talent Arena positions itself as an essential event for professionals, businesses, and organisations looking to anticipate the challenges of the digital future and lead innovation in their respective sectors.

About Talent Arena

Talent Arena is Europe’s premier event dedicated to digital talent, organized by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and co-located with MWC Barcelona 2025. For the first time, digital professionals, world-leading technology companies and educational institutions will come together to create a hub for learning, networking and professional growth. In collaboration with the GSMA, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council and with the support of Caixa Bank as main partner, Schneider Electric and Seidor as Event Sponsor, Salesforce as a supporting sponsor and Eurofirms as a HR sponsor, Talent Arena plays a key role in fostering the next generation of technological talent in Europe. 

About Mobile World Capital Barcelona 

Mobile World Capital Barcelona is a public-private foundation that promotes the digital development of society to build a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future through the humanistic use of technology. MWCapital contributes to positioning Barcelona as a global benchmark in the digital field and to consolidating MWC's legacy throughout the year, promoting initiatives in the field of technology transfer, the promotion of digital talent, and the development of innovative technological projects with social impact. MWCapital hosts MWC in Barcelona, is the founder of 4YFN and connects the international community of developers with the Talent Arena Project.

For further information:

Mobile World Capital
Víctor Solvas, Cerezo · vsolvas@mobileworldcapital.com · +34 663 201 406
Emily Henley · ehenley@mobileworldcapital.com · +34 673 004 102

Roman

Elisa Álvarez · e.alvarez@romanrm.com · +34 602 254 091

The new partnership is designed to deliver a technology showcase at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, establishing the venue as an Advanced Connectivity Innovation Centre, with the objective of promoting the future of connected and autonomous vehicles, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, and entertainment technologies. The partnership will host innovation projects at multiple locations around the circuit to support different technology use cases.

The showcase will be managed by GSMA Foundry, the GSMA’s innovation hub, to serve as a venue for testing and experiencing live demonstrations of connectivity, automotive and smart drone technologies, as well as innovative new fan experiences. Positioned at the forefront of technological innovation, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will host the first demonstrations at MWC26 Barcelona, followed by dedicated events for fans at motor racing, e-sports and music events throughout 2026. 

John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd., said: “We are delighted to support Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya’s transformation strategy and technology roadmap. The GSMA Foundry thrives on delivering successful outcomes with valued partners, including more than 70 highly innovative projects since its launch in 2021. This new partnership is no exception and our work with Mobile World Capital and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya promises to provide some truly immersive experiences for visitors to future MWC events and at dates throughout the motor racing calendar.”[LD1] [NM2] 

Francesc Fajula de Quintana, CEO, Mobile World Capital, said: “This exciting partnership allows us to support the development of innovative digital services and enhance the circuit's operations. In addition, by leveraging our digital talent program, we will offer reskilling opportunities and foster the circuit’s connection with Barcelona’s digital ecosystem, as well as manage its participation in events such as MWC, Talent Arena and 4YFN, showcasing how technology reshapes our lives and creates new opportunities.”

Ignasi Armengol, General Manager, Fira Circuit, said: “Our strategy for the circuit focuses on digitalisation, sustainability and diversification. Our goal is to develop the infrastructure around the circuit to deliver new and exciting fan and visitor experiences, not only for motorsport, but other sporting, music and business events, such as MWC. We aim to deliver a long-term vision and leave a legacy that replicates the success model of Fira Barcelona."

In addition to showcasing connected and autonomous vehicle technologies, GSMA Foundry and GSMA Fusion will also leverage the new partnership to display enterprise applications based on open APIs. By integrating these open API-based solutions, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya demonstrates the versatility and potential of enterprise applications in a real-world environment.

GSMA Fusion is a GSMA Open Gateway initiative facilitating collaboration between enterprises and the mobile industry to create new network-based solutions for the automotive, aviation, financial services, manufacturing, media and broadcast sectors. GSMA Fusion announced today that it has signed a number of partnerships with leading automotive groups including the 5G Automotive Association, Automotive Edge Computing Consortium and JASPAR.

GSMA Foundry’s Richard Cockle will host a panel discussion alongside Eduard Marin from Mobile World Capital and Ignasi Armengol from Fira Circuit, to discuss the new partnership and how the venue will bring connectivity use cases to life. The session will take place during the Connected Industries Networking Reception at 17:00 on Wednesday, 5th March.

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

About Mobile World Capital

Mobile World Capital Barcelona is a public-private foundation that promotes the digital development of society to build a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future through the humanistic use of technology. MWCapital contributes to positioning Barcelona as a global benchmark in the digital field and to consolidating MWC's legacy throughout the year, promoting initiatives in the field of technology transfer, the promotion of digital talent, the development of innovative technological projects with social impact and the generation of knowledge. MWCapital hosts MWC in Barcelona, is the founder of 4YFN and connects citizens with the latest digital trends through key events.

About Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya 

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is considered one of the best permanent circuits in the world and a high-level infrastructure capable of hosting major events given the quality of its services and the versatility of its facilities. In its more than 30 years of history, the Circuit has become an international benchmark in motorsport hosting F1 and MotoGP Grand Prix. Managed by Fira de Barcelona since 2025, it has more than 50,000 m2 of surface area for all kinds of events: trade fairs and congresses, leisure, musical and cultural events, and sustainable mobility exhibitions

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya
Montse Sogues msogues@circuitcat.com

Mobile World Capital

pr@mobileworldcapital.com 
 

A New Era in Digital Communication

Developed through years of innovation and guided by invaluable customer feedback, the new version of First Orion’s Global Exchange redefines how carriers manage and deploy calling services. Key advancements include:

• Streamlined Customer Portal: A redesigned, intuitive interface that safely and securely accelerates onboarding and reduces time to brand, enabling direct and self-service customers to launch their services faster than ever.
• Optimized Back-End Infrastructure: Comprehensive API and data structure refinements ensure real-time data accuracy, reduce latency, and drive down overall system costs.
• Enhanced Global Scalability: Engineered for international operations, the Global Exchange empowers non-U.S. brands and carriers across Europe and other key regions to seamlessly manage cross-border calling services. Further carrier integrations and technology partners are on the horizon.
• Improved Customer Experience: The upgrade improves overall system performance and reliability while expanding usability and flexibility. 

“The Global Exchange is a transformative milestone for First Orion and our global partners,” said Josh Whitehurst, Head of Product at First Orion. “With this new version of our platform, we have reimagined our core technology to deliver real-time insights, faster deployment, and unmatched scalability. This allows brands to connect through a single interface and easily extend their branded calling to multiple geographies.”

Scheduled for deployment in the second quarter, this new exchange underscores First Orion’s commitment to continuous innovation. First Orion has set the stage for further expansion of its branded calling across global markets.

About First Orion

Since 2008, First Orion has transformed the phone call experience for businesses, carriers, and consumers through its industry-leading communication branding and protection solutions. As the market leader in branded calling, First Orion is a trusted partner to Fortune 500 companies and the largest U.S. mobile carriers. The global telecommunications solutions provider helps businesses generate more revenue, increase efficiency, and improve the customer experience by empowering them to brand their phone calls with their name, logo, and reason for calling. First Orion also provides the industry’s most secure calling experience and best-in-class analytics for call program optimization. For more information, visit firstorion.com.

Media Contact:

Lucie Pathman

lpathmann@firstorion.com

1-501-772-6108

“It is clear that the AI revolution will reshape the paradigm of the device industry - completely transforming our productivity, our society, and even our culture more than ever before,” said James Li, CEO of HONOR. “I am calling on all of us to unite together to address the challenges – as well as the many opportunities – of AI technology. I also call on the industry to be truly open so that we can fully embrace this exciting AI future. Let’s do it together.”

The designation HONOR ALPHA PLAN is chosen for its unique symbolic meaning. Alpha, as the first letter in the Greek alphabet, symbolizes HONOR’s relentless pursuit of technological excellence. Additionally, the Chinese word for humans (人) can be found where the stroke connects in the lowercase letter “α,” echoing HONOR’s commitment to human-centric innovation. The East-meets-West symbolism perfectly encapsulates HONOR’s global vision and ambition to create value for consumers worldwide.

THE HONOR ALPHA PLAN comprises three steps: The first step begins with the development of an intelligent phone. HONOR will work with partners to open technology boundaries to co-create a new paradigm for AI devices in the agentic AI era. Next, HONOR will open industry boundaries and co-create a new paradigm for AI ecosystem in the physical AI era. Finally, in the AGI era, HONOR will open human potential boundaries and co-create a new paradigm for civilization. 

The envisioned intelligent phone that is central to the first step will embed human-centric AI that is purpose-built to maximize human potential, including the leading AI technology HONOR showcased during the keynote address.

Leading AI Technology for the Agentic AI Era 

The world’s first GUI-based personal mobile AI agent developed by HONOR redefines daily convenience with intelligent technology.

In a technology showcase in collaboration with Google Cloud and Qualcomm Technologies, HONOR demonstrated how an AI agent can help make a table reservation through a third-party service while taking into consideration appointments saved in the HONOR Calendar and traffic information. HONOR plans to bring agentic experiences to its devices in international markets in the near future.

HONOR is transforming mobile photography with AiMAGE, the new brand for HONOR’s imaging technology. AiMAGE is powered by the AI Kernel, the industry’s first solution to support device-cloud AI models. Locally, the on-device model supports a 1.3 billion parameter model to generate a 50% uplift in image clarity. The cloud counterpart benefits from a larger scale of computing resources, running a 12.4 billion parameter model to massively enhance the quality of telephoto images. 

Equally important in AiMAGE is the AI ecosystem component. Through collaborating with partners, including Google Cloud, HONOR will continue improving the versatility of its imaging offerings by integrating more intuitive AI features into its smartphones. The brand-new AI Upscale feature for restoring old portraits will be rolled out gradually to the HONOR Magic7 series¹, powered by the Snapdragon® 8 Elite Mobile Platform, starting this March.

HONOR introduced the world’s first all-ecosystem file-sharing technology. With it, users can enjoy ultra-fast speeds, whether transferring files to one or many iOS and Android devices. Additionally, the brand also announced that AI Deepfake detection will soon arrive in its latest flagship bar phones and foldable phones in international markets.

Co-creating an Open, Value-sharing Ecosystem with Global Partners

“As we move into the physical AI era, we need to open our industry boundaries and co-create a new paradigm for the AI ecosystem,” Li said. To reach the second step of its strategic plan, HONOR calls on the industry to open up its AI capabilities for a wider range of devices, enabling seamless collaboration as HONOR co-creates a value-sharing ecosystem with global partners. As testament to its commitment, HONOR announced today that it will invest more than USD 10 billion over the next five years to fund this endeavor. 

“In the end, we will open human potential boundaries, and co-create a new paradigm for civilization in the AGI era. You will witness the co-existence between carbon-based life and silicon-based intelligence. This is why all of us need to work together to maximize human potential to embrace an intelligent world,” said Li, extending an invitation for all to join HONOR to realize the third and final step of its plan.

Representatives from Google Cloud, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., CKH Group, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone joined Li on stage to officiate a tree-lighting ceremony. By illuminating a tree of light representing the AI ecosystem and AI devices, the ceremony symbolized the collaboration of industry partners to co-develop the AI device ecosystem that will serve every consumer worldwide.

“Today, HONOR has presented a bold new vision for a future where AI will underpin every facet of the device user experience. We are excited to partner with HONOR to integrate our technology and power the next generation of AI devices,” said Alex Katouzian, Group GM, Mobile, Compute, & XR, Wearables, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. 

“Collaboration is the fabric that weaves together the open ecosystem for AI. We’re thrilled to join hands with HONOR and other industry partners to ride this disruptive wave. We are working closely to deeply integrate Google’s Gemini AI models into HONOR solutions, and create new possibilities for users around the world that were never before possible, while protecting their data security and user privacy,” said Matt Waldbusser, Managing Director, Global Solutions and Consumer AI, Google Cloud. 

To demonstrate the HONOR ALPHA PLAN’s emphasis on a consumer-centric approach, HONOR pledged to provide seven years of Android OS and security updates for its HONOR Magic series, starting in the EU market. 

In addition, HONOR committed to accelerating its sustainability initiatives to reach operational carbon neutrality by 2040, five years ahead of its initial goal. HONOR also announced its plan to achieve carbon neutrality across its entire supply chain and products by 2050. 

New Product Showcase

At MWC Barcelona 2025, HONOR introduced multiple new products to bring more choices to consumers in international markets. With a beautiful Vine-leaf curved design and lightweight body, the AI PC HONOR MagicBook Pro 14 integrates HONOR Turbo X to deliver powerful performance and record-setting battery life. 

HONOR Pad V9 provides an enduring, AI-powered learning and office experience with its ultra-thin body, industry-leading 2.8K HONOR Eye Comfort Display, and one of the best performing batteries in the industry. 

Combining premium design and smart technology, HONOR Watch 5 Ultra offers up to 15 days² of battery life for active users to keep track of their fitness journey. 

HONOR also introduced the HONOR Earbuds Open, ergonomic earbuds that deliver powerful sounds while supporting AI-powered translation, real-time interpretation and more. 

MWC Booth Details

Between March 3-6, visitors of MWC Barcelona 2025 may visit the HONOR booth located at Stand 3H10 in Hall 3, Fira Gran Via, to check out the latest innovations from HONOR and its partners. 

Snapdragon is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. 

About HONOR   

HONOR is a global leading AI device ecosystem company. It is committed to revolutionizing human-to-device interactions to bridge the AI ecosystem with all consumers in the agentic AI era and beyond. The company endeavors to open industrial boundaries through open, seamless collaboration to co-create a value-sharing ecosystem with industry partners. With an innovative product portfolio spanning AI phones, PCs, tablets, wearables and more, HONOR aims to empower every human, enabling everyone to embrace the new intelligent world.

 For more information, please visit HONOR online at www.honor.com or email newsroom@honor.com  

https://community.honor.com/

https://www.facebook.com/honorglobal/   

https://twitter.com/Honorglobal   

https://www.instagram.com/honorglobal/   

https://www.youtube.com/c/HonorOfficial  
 

¹The HONOR Magic7 Series does not include the HONOR Magic7 Lite. The exact availability time for experiencing this feature may vary by region and channel.

²Data comes from the HONOR labs, under the condition of using with HONOR phone. The results in actual applications may differ due to the environment, usage habits, and other factors.

Mobile Economy Report 2025: trillions of dollars in global growth and innovation 

As the mobile industry and technology leaders gather in Barcelona, the GSMA launched its annual Mobile Economy Report 2025 highlighting critical trends shaping the future of the mobile economy. Key findings include:  

• Mobile technologies and services generated 5.8% of global GDP in 2024 (equivalent to $6.5 trillion of economic value).
• By 2030, this figure is expected to rise to nearly $11 trillion, or 8.4% of GDP, as countries around the world increasingly benefit from the improvements in productivity and efficiency brought about by the increased take-up of mobile services and digital technologies, including 5G, IoT and AI.
• Vertical sectors are expected to benefit: between 2024 and 2030, the primary beneficiaries will include manufacturing (25%), accommodation and food services (17%), and public administration (14%).
• 58% of the world’s population were using mobile internet at the end of 2024, representing 4.7 billion users – a number expected to rise to 5.5 billion users (64%) by 2030.
• 5G connections worldwide surpassed two billion at the end of 2024 and will account for over half (57%) of total mobile connections in 2030, overtaking 4G adoption by 2028.
• Findings from another GSMA report show 5G Standalone is expected to drive 70% of all enterprise revenue expansion through to 2030, representing a $127 billion opportunity. This can be accelerated by exposing new 5G capabilities through the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, using open network APIs. Some 72 operator groups, accounting for almost 80% of mobile connections globally, are now participating in the initiative. A number of leading automotive and aviation companies – including the 5G Automotive Association and Seamless Air Alliance – also today announced their support. 

MWC25 keynotes will be live streamed on the MWC25 website and app, as well as from Mobile World Live. All this content, plus select conference sessions, will also be available on demand via the MWC website. MWC25 continues through 6 March 2025. Get the latest news and information live from the MWC25 Press Zone.  

About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. 

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com  

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office  
pressoffice@gsma.com 

An independent panel of judges selected Brazil for a series of policy decisions that reinforced its role as a regional leader in connectivity and innovation. Brazil took steps to timely release 3.5 GHz spectrum to expedite 5G deployment, to improve regulatory processes through reduced bureaucracy and evidence-based regulation, to support the sunset of 2G and 3G networks, and to authorize spectrum to test and develop satellite direct-to-device services. The country was also commended for prioritizing social impact, converting fines into initiatives for vulnerable women and expanding connectivity for indigenous communities. Its agreement with Colombia to create a "digital highway" through the Amazonas region, linking 13 cities in northern Brazil and the Colombian city of Leticia, marks a key achievement in advancing regional connectivity, with completion set for 2025.

“This is the recognition of President Lula's government's commitment to digital inclusion, innovation, and sustainable development. This award shows that we are on the right path to making Brazil a global reference in connectivity and digital transformation. With this, we are proving that, with well-structured policies, we are transforming lives, connecting millions of people, and driving the digital economy," said the Minister of Communications of Brazil, Juscelino Filho.

“Brazil has shown strong vision in shaping policies that foster inclusion, innovation, and economic growth. Its leadership was evident at the 2024 G20 meeting, where it played a key role in advancing discussions on connectivity and digital transformation. Through its commitment to forward-looking policymaking, Brazil continues to set a high standard for enabling the mobile industry to thrive,” said John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA.  

The Global Mobile (GLOMO) Awards celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2025. Industry winners across more than 30 awards in seven categories will be announced this Wednesday, 5th March on the MWC Barcelona stage.

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

The smart contact lens with fully wireless power transfer offers twice the range of previous industry solutions. The lens remains flexible, lightweight, and, according to calculations, completely safe to wear with radiation levels comparable to other common wearable devices, such as headphones. The enhanced range allows the powering companion to be worn comfortably as a portable accessory, making it the world’s first smart contact lens designed for everyday use. With the extended range, the lens will be charged from a compact companion device, similar to a contact lens case, that can be carried in a purse or pocket. 

Smart Contact Lens with IOP Sensor and Interactive Eye Model

The most advanced non-invasive glaucoma management system will be showcased alongside a custom eye model that accurately replicates the human eye. Visitors can obtain real-time readings by scanning a nearly invisible optical pattern on the lens using an AI-powered smartphone app. This dynamic pattern shifts in response to changes in intraocular pressure, providing instant and highly precise measurements.

Biosensing Smart Contact Lens

The biosensor allows for the measurement of body parameters directly from tear fluid, eliminating the need to draw blood. With it, parameters such as glucose and hormone levels such cortisol, progesterone, and vitamins levels, can be monitored constantly, revolutionizing the field of personal health management. Exhibition visitors will be able to get acquainted with the sensor’s operation in real time   

Smart Contact Lens for AR Vision

XPANCEO presents an improved smart contact lens with augmented reality capabilities. Unlike their previous models that relied on external image sources —evolving from box-sized to smart glasses-sized — this latest lens features an integrated microdisplay.

Smart Contact Lens for Data Reading

This contact lens demonstrates an integrated wireless data transmission antenna, showcasing mass-production-ready flexible electronics. This technology enables real-time transfer from the contact lens to the companion device, which serves not only as a charger, but also as the main computational hub. Visitors have the opportunity to interact with the lenses and test the technology, receiving data directly from the smart contact lens to their phones.

• Number Verification
• Device Reachability Status
• Device Roaming Status
• SIM Swap
• Device Location Verification, and
• Device Location Retrieval

GSMA Open Gateway and CAMARA, global initiatives focused on API standardization and interoperability for mobile network services, are key enablers for enterprises seeking secure and seamless authentication solutions. Shush Inc.’s achievement underscores its commitment to innovation, security, and reliability in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Beyond GSMA Open Gateway CAMARA certifications, Shush Inc. further distinguishes itself by offering an additional 37 API signals, expanding authentication capabilities, and reinforcing its position as a trailblazer in network security and fraud prevention. These advanced API signals enhance verification processes and provide enterprises unparalleled authentication reliability, ensuring optimal security in mobile interactions. Shush Inc. can onboard a mobile network operator within 90 days of signing, leveraging GSMA Open Gateway CAMARA certifications to streamline integration.

“This achievement solidifies Shush Inc.’s role as a pioneer and leader in network authentication,” said Eddie DeCurtis, Co-Founder & CEO at Shush Inc. “By obtaining six GSMA Open Gateway CAMARA certifications for fraud prevention APIs and offering an extensive suite of API signals, we are empowering Mobile Network Operators and enterprises with the most advanced and secure authentication solutions available today.”

“We congratulate Shush Inc. on achieving six GSMA CAMARA API certifications to improve fraud prevention,” said Henry Calvert, Head of Network at GSMA. “This milestone demonstrates their commitment to advancing authentication and security standards in the mobile ecosystem. By leveraging the GSMA Open Gateway initiative and CAMARA APIs, Shush Inc. is helping drive interoperability and trust for Mobile Network Operators, enterprises and consumers worldwide.”

About Shush Inc.

Shush Inc. is a trailblazer in Network Authentication solutions, dedicated to transforming convenience and reliability in the industry. With a strong focus on innovation, Shush Inc. delivers seamlessly integrated, cutting-edge authentication solutions tailored for Mobile Network Operators to meet the dynamic needs of modern enterprises, ensuring security and efficiency in every connection.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Daryl Carlough
Shush Inc.
+1 617-320-4863
info@shush.pw
https://shush.pw/

Alongside the AINNOV8 platform, WIT Software is launching a suite of digital services designed for different segments:

• CALL NOVA – Tailored for contact centres, offering a new and engaging experience to increase customer satisfaction and engagement.
• CALL SPARK – Designed to enhance the customer connections with businesses.
• CALL MATE – The future of voicemail, where mobile users can create AI-powered visual virtual agents to attend their voice calls.
• CALL GENIE – Designed for the consumer market, giving easy access to virtual experts as simple as making a voice call.
• CALL GOV – A groundbreaking solution to elevate the digital access to government services.

“We are thrilled to launch AINNOV8 at MWC25 Barcelona. This platform represents a significant step forward in AI-powered telecom solutions, enabling operators to unlock new revenue streams and create valuable customer connections,” said Luis Silva, CEO at WIT Software. “With AINNOV8 and our new suite of digital services, we are redefining the possibilities of next-generation digital services.”

The official unveiling will take place at the WIT Software booth 7H71 at MWC25 Barcelona, where attendees will get an exclusive first look at the capabilities and benefits of AINNOV8. Live demonstrations and expert discussions will highlight how AINNOV8 will unlock a new era in mobile communications.  

For more information, visit www.wit-software.com or follow WIT Software on Instagram and LinkedIn.

About WIT SOFTWARE:

WIT Software is a global technology company specializing in innovative products and software solutions for Mobile Telecom Operators. The company has 24 years of expertise in mobile messaging, IP voice and video, RCS technology, mobile payments, IPTV, value-added-services and 5G applications. With offices in Portugal, the UK and Japan, the company has blue-chip industry client base. With a strong focus on AI-powered solutions and next-generation communication technologies, WIT Software continues to shape the future of digital innovation.

Media Contact:

Teresa Chaves

Press & Social Media

WIT Software

Email: press@wit-software.com 

Phone Number: +351.239801030

RunEL, has achieved unprecedented location accuracy for commercial 5G User Equipment (UE), pinpointing positions within 5 to 7 centimeters range.

This signifies an improvement of two orders of magnitude over current state-of-the-art wireless positioning technologies.

Notably, the measurement was accomplished solely through 5G signals, eliminating the need for supplementary geopositioning equipment such as GPS.

The implications of this advancement are vast, paving the way for a multitude of innovative applications across various industries, including:

• Factory 4.0: Optimizing smart manufacturing processes with real-time, pinpointed asset tracking.
• Robotics: Facilitating accurate movement and operations in dynamic settings.
• Autonomous Warehouses: Enhancing the efficiency and safety of automated inventory management systems.
• Drone Deliveries: Enabling precise navigation and drop-off in densely populated urban environments.
• Remote Healthcare: Allowing for precise monitoring and interaction with medical devices in patient care
• Online Gaming: Providing immersive experiences through exact player positioning in augmented reality environments.

RunEL is exhibiting this solution at its stand at MWC25 Barcelona as depicted below:

Dr. Zion Hadad, CEO of RunEL, stated, "This achievement underscores our commitment to pushing the boundaries of 5G technology. The collaboration has been instrumental in realizing a solution that not only meets but exceeds current market demands for precision and reliability."

RunEL's Sparq-2020 System on Chip (SoC), optimized for Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) applications, played a pivotal role in this development. The Sparq-2020 is 5G 3GPP standard compliant (Release-15) and is designed to deliver latency below 250 microseconds, making it ideal for applications requiring real-time awareness.

This collaboration exemplifies the potential of synergistic partnerships in advancing technology to create new opportunities across diverse sectors.

About RunEL Next Generation Mobile Technologies:

RunEL NGMT Ltd. specializes in developing cutting-edge 5G infrastructure solutions. Their flagship product, the Sparq-2020 SoC, is tailored for URLLC applications, including V2X, connected cars, drone communication, and remote surgery. RunEL is committed to delivering innovative technologies that drive the future of mobile communications.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Israel Koffman

RunEL NGMT Ltd.

2 Hachoma Street, Second Floor Rishon Lezion, 7565502, Israel Tel: +972-39528805

Email: info@runel.net www.runel.net

The organisations partnering with the GSMA on these collaborations include the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA), Japan Automotive Software Platform and Architecture (JASPAR), Outsight, Safran Passenger Innovations and Seamless Air Alliance. This builds on a similar cooperation partnership signed with the Automotive Edge Computing Consortium in October, last year. 

Within the GSMA, these activities will be led by GSMA Fusion, the organisation’s recently formed initiative, established to listen directly to the voice of enterprises at an industry level and to identify unmet needs which today’s advanced networks can provide. As part of the GSMA Open Gateway, Fusion works with industries such as automotive, aviation, financial services, manufacturing, media and others in order to accelerate demand for 5G API-based and other solutions, and to deliver transformative new services for enterprises.   

Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA, said: “The partnerships we’re announcing today, through GSMA Fusion, provide strong direction from these industries to ours, helping the mobile ecosystem truly meet the needs of the automotive and aviation sectors and harness the power of mobile connectivity to create innovative solutions that enhance safety, efficiency, and customer experience. When we launched the GSMA Open Gateway initiative at MWC Barcelona two years ago we stated our ambition to unlock the full potential of 5G networks for all industries through universal access and open APIs and the partnership just announced is a step in that direction." 

Aviation Industry: Collaborations with Seamless Air Alliance, Outsight and Safran Passenger Innovations will aim to improve efficiency, safety, and customer satisfaction in the aviation sector. These partnerships will explore the potential of 5G technology to enable in-flight connectivity, real-time aircraft diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and improved flight path optimization. Additional focus areas will be seamless in-flight connectivity and smarter airports with full passenger journey monitoring, with automated check-ins, AR navigation, and better baggage tracking. 

Automotive Industry: The GSMA partnerships with 5GAA and JASPAR, in addition to the partnership with AECC, will focus on integrating advanced connectivity to drive innovation in autonomous driving, smart cities, and mobility solutions. By leveraging 5G technology, the automotive sector can enhance safety, efficiency, and sustainability, paving the way for the future of transportation. 

According to research by McKinsey, GSMA Open Gateway and other network API initiatives can unlock significant value for the telecommunications industry, and businesses using 5G networks over the next five years. It’s forecast that, if operators can expose more of their network APIs and innovations to enterprise developer and cloud provider communities, then they can unlock up to an additional $25 billion market opportunity from the automotive sector and up to $30bn from the travel, transport and logistics sectors by 2030. 
 

GSMA Open Gateway Initiative Accelerates Into 2025 

Launched two years ago, the GSMA Open Gateway is an initiative which ensures mobile operators can provide enterprise developers standardised access to a range of network functions used to create applications and services. By bringing together operators from around the world, the initiative facilitates the design of digital products that can function seamlessly across all devices, regardless of country or operator. This is achieved through unique access points, known as APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), which serve as gateways to information about network capabilities. These APIs are available through the CAMARA repository, an open-source project supported by Linux Foundation, GSMA and TM Forum. 

More than 72 mobile operator groups, representing 284 networks and almost 80% of mobile connections across the world have already signed up to participate in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, with 52 commercial launches taking place.  

In addition to reaching enterprise developers through GSMA Fusion, the organisation has also built a large ecosystem of channel partners and ecosystem partners to help mobile operators commercialise their APIs and reach new sectors. More than 35 partners including Alibaba Cloud, AWS, Bridge Alliance, Glide, Infobip, Microsoft, Nokia, Shush and ZTE are now actively working with operators and enterprise developers to launch new digital services.  

In the past year, operators around the world from Argentina to China, France and the United Kingdom to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, have commercialised and launched API services to help online banks, fintechs and retailers improve security and tackle online fraud. In addition, the mobile industry is now turning its attention to a whole array of new services and innovations, including Quality-on-Demand APIs to enable safe drone flight, robotics, extended reality and immersive online gaming services over 5G networks. The roadmap includes further development in connectivity for network slicing, cybersecurity and cloud enablement. 

The GSMA will also be showcasing further GSMA Open Gateway and Fusion activity at MWC Barcelona 2025, including the GSMA Open Gateway DevCon on Tuesday March 4th, where Isaac Bess – Global Head of Distribution at TikTok, Mark Smith, Strategic Advisor to IBC and Nick Venezia and Founder of Centillion.ai will be discussing how the telecoms and media industries can work better on identity and verification. The GSMA Open Gateway DevCon will take place at Talent Arena, along with the Open Gateway hackathon. Developers will test their projects under realistic conditions on live networks, with access to the latest network APIs. Mobile World Capital is also bringing 180 developers from Paris on a charter flight with Vueling, and 70 developers on a dedicated high-speed train from Madrid with Iryo. 

The GSMA will also be showcasing network APIs in practice at the GSMA Open Gateway Zone in Hall 4 demonstrating a range of examples, including a demo from Nokia and Elmo Cars showing how to remotely drive a car in Finland using APIs. 

Supporting Quotes from GSMA Fusion Partners: 

5GAA 

Dr. Maxime Flament, 5GAA CTO, said: “We are delighted to enter into partnership with GSMA. It will further strengthen our efforts to develop end-to-end solutions for future automotive services. In this respect, we believe GSMA is the best partner to work on global availability of advanced network features for the automotive industry, among which include global APIs, MEC- and QoS-enabled services as well as cross-MNO MEC solutions. We look forward to working closely with GSMA Fusion to make this a reality.” 

JASPAR 

Kazuhiro Funai, JASPAR Connectivity WG Chair, said: “With this agreement we believe GSMA will be a great partner for JASPAR’s members and will provide a valuable bridge between the mobility sector and the mobile operators. We believe there are significant opportunities for operators to provide advanced connectivity services to the automotive sector, thereby enabling future services for our industry.” 

Outsight  

Raul Bravo, President & Founder, Outsight, said: “At Outsight, we are shaping the future of transportation and mobility by providing real-time spatial intelligence through our 3D Spatial AI solutions. As the global leader in this field, our partnership with the GSMA allows us to seamlessly combine our LiDAR-based software expertise with the power of 5G connectivity. Together, we are unlocking new possibilities for smarter, safer, and more efficient operations in the aviation and automotive sectors, paving the way for transformative innovations that will redefine customer experiences and operational excellence.” 

Safran Passenger Innovations 
John Andrews, VP Connectivity, Safran Passenger Innovations, said: “As a leader in the In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity sector we are excited to be working with GSMA to identify new innovations that advanced mobile networks can enable.”  

Seamless Air Alliance  

Jack Mandala, CEO of the Seamless Air Alliance, said: “Seamless Air Alliance is excited to strengthen our collaboration with the GSMA as we drive the convergence of satellite and terrestrial services to unlock new levels of convenience for consumers while creating new sources of value for mobile network operators.” 
 

-ends- 

Notes to Editors: 

About GSMA 

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. 

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com  

Media Contacts 

GSMA Press Office 

pressoffice@gsma.com 

Following a year of increasing industry attention — including top tech media coverage at CES, MWC and AWE and an innovation award from Fast Company — Doublepoint has fueled growing interest in consumer adoption of gesture-based interaction through its widely downloaded WowMouse apps for Android and Apple smartwatches. With these latest moves, the company is expanding access to gesture control across wearables, smart devices and more, reinforcing its pioneering role in making intuitive, touch-free interaction a consumer technology reality.

WowMouse Pro: Android smartwatch users gain greater gesture control, customization options

Building on the success of WowMouse, which has surpassed 140,000 downloads since CES 2024, Doublepoint is launching WowMouse Pro, a premium upgrade that delivers enhanced gesture control and customization for WearOS smartwatches.

New features include:

• Flick to scroll: Navigate pages with a simple wrist flick.
• Double tap: Assign custom actions for hands-free control.
• Media mode: Adjust music playback with intuitive hand movements.
• Customization options: Tailor WowMouse Pro to fit individual user needs.

Get it today: Download WowMouse on the Google Play store and upgrade to Pro for $4.99.

Attendees can try it at Doublepoint’s MWC booth, Hall 8.1, 4YFN Stand 8.1B60.12, March 3-6.

“The launch of WowMouse Pro for WearOS smartwatches is a direct response to user feedback,” said Ohto Pentikäinen, co-founder and CEO of Doublepoint. “Our community asked for more power and flexibility, and this upgrade delivers. It marks an important milestone for us in taking WowMouse to the next level, to further expand consumer demand for a robust wrist-based gesture control experience.”

Ambiq Partnership: Low power solution for gesture control using Apollo510

Through Doublepoint’s new partnership with Ambiq, the companies are integrating Doublepoint’s gesture-recognition algorithms into Ambiq’s energy efficient SoCs, enabling precise, low-latency gesture control with minimal power consumption using the latest Apollo510 chip. This partnership accelerates the creation of intuitive, gesture-enabled devices and sets a new standard for consumer experiences using Edge AI.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Ambiq team for the partnership and joint mission,” said Pentikäinen. “This partnership shows just how much potential there is for gesture-enabled solutions to transform how we interact with technology every day, also in low power environments. We’re committed to creating solutions for wearable products that push those boundaries even further.”

“Doublepoint’s work in advancing gesture recognition technology offers exciting possibilities for wearables and consumers,” said Mike Kenyon, EVP of Sales at Ambiq. “We’re thrilled to join forces with them in leveraging our low-power SPOT platform and making Doublepoint’s sophisticated technology possible in battery-constrained devices.”

• Experience Doublepoint’s technology in the Ambiq booth at Embedded World in Hall 4, Booth 4-581, March 11-13.

Strategic Leadership Addition: Yiannis Pagkalos joins Doublepoint as CCO

To support its growth and expansion through commercial partnerships, Doublepoint has appointed Yiannis Pagkalos as chief commercial officer. A former director of business development and product partnerships at Meta, he brings 20 years of experience in strategic partnership and business development, as well as emerging technology commercialization.

At Meta, Pagkalos played a key role in developing and launching Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses through a partnership with EssilorLuxottica. He also spent 13 years at Google, leading partnerships for products including Stadia, Google Home, Chromecast and Google Fiber.

Based in the U.S., Pagkalos will focus on expanding Doublepoint’s commercial footprint, strengthening industry relationships, and accelerating gesture control adoption in consumer and enterprise markets.

Press Kit

Video and images are available at https://bit.ly/DP-presskit.

About Doublepoint

Doublepoint Technologies is a leader in gesture detection technology, driving new possibilities in wearable devices. Featured in CNBC, CNET, Digital Trends, GamesBeat, Mashable, TechCrunch, UploadVR, The Verge, and more, Doublepoint continues to innovate in human-computer interaction, empowering users with easy-to-use, cutting-edge gesture solutions.

For more information, visit Doublepoint.com and follow @Doublepointlab on Instagram, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.

Media Contact

Kristina Messner

+1-703-716-3181

Press@doublepoint.com

• An eSIM solution that offers ways for customers to meet the needs of their global IoT operations with AT&T.
• IoT devices can switch to approved local network operators supporting customers who want to optimize performance and connectivity even in challenging regions.
• Customers can manage their IoT devices and network profiles from a single IoT platform, simplifying operations and reducing complexity.

MWC25 Barcelona -- AT&T has unveiled Global SIM Advanced (GSA), a cutting-edge multi-profile eSIM solution complementary to our existing Global SIM product.  GSA offers reliable, flexible connectivity to optimize IoT operations globally, 

GSA uses a version of Eseye’s AnyNet eSIM and the award-winning Infinity platform, an advanced Connectivity Management Platform used for eSIM management. The platform provides eSIM orchestration and advanced automation rules for operational efficiency. 

Powered by the AT&T bootstrap IMSI, GSA can store up to 9 additional network profiles on a single eSIM, allowing devices to switch between different networks without the need for physical SIM card replacements. Additionally, with multiple network fallback options and the capability to update the eSIM with a localized profile over-the-air, customer devices stay connected by switching to the best available network. This helps with continuous, reliable connectivity and where needed a local customer experience regardless of geographic location. GSA has in region routing capability to support low latency use cases.

GSA includes a catalog of value-added services to its customers, like device assessment, and a path to new eSIM standards. These services will help business customers expand their IoT device capabilities to meet the evolving requirements of IoT use cases.

”AT&T Global SIM Advanced exemplifies our cutting-edge capabilities in global IoT connectivity,” said Mike Van Horn, associate vice president, AT&T Connected Solutions. “In collaboration with Eseye, we are helping enhance the customer experience with new eSIM capabilities that provide seamless and efficient IoT connectivity. Our advanced solution helps ensure that devices remain consistently connected and productive, no matter where they are located.”

 “We are thrilled to collaborate with AT&T to deliver their Global SIM Advanced solution to market, said Nick Earle, CEO of Eseye. “This relationship is a major milestone for us, demonstrating our leadership in eSIM orchestration and global IoT connectivity. It highlights the robustness of our technology to provide resilient global connectivity for customer devices.”

For more information about Global SIM Advanced and its benefits, please visit:  AT&T Internet of Things 

About AT&T

We help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus nearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), please visit us at about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com.

For more information, contact:        

Tracy Donalson

AT&T Corporate Communications

Phone: +1 469-216-8601

Email: tracy.donalson@att.com

The report was published as leaders from across the mobile ecosystem gather at MWC Barcelona, the world’s largest mobile technology event. The report demonstrates that with annual investments in mobile internet infrastructure (excluding end-user devices) reaching $127 billion, MNOs alone contribute $109 billion. Mobile operators make these investments despite deriving less economic benefit than other digital ecosystem players from this critical infrastructure. For example, the amount contributed by MNOs far exceeds the connectivity investments made by other groups of investors such as cloud service providers and content and application providers (CAPs). 

The report underscores the essential role of mobile networks in building critical infrastructure which enables global digital transformation, connecting billions of people to everything from banking and education to entertainment services and supporting the economic growth of industries that depend on robust connectivity. 

John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer of the GSMA, said: “This report makes it clear: mobile network operators are the keystone of the internet economy, funding the vast majority of the infrastructure that enables modern digital life. Whilst others invest in select parts of the world’s connectivity infrastructure, their contributions are a fraction of what MNOs spend to build and maintain the networks that power everything from online banking to remote work and digital entertainment. This study demonstrates clearly that if governments wish to unlock the full potential of their digital economies, they must prioritise policies that create a positive investment environment for MNOs.”

A Call for Policy Action

The report comes at a crucial moment when governments worldwide are seeking to expand digital connectivity and foster economic growth through advanced networks, including 5G and future generations of mobile technology. The findings paint a picture of the investment landscape which reveals:

• Mobile networks are indispensable to digital progress: From e-commerce and financial services to smart cities and healthcare, nearly every industry relies on mobile infrastructure.
• Infrastructure investment requires the right regulatory environment: Policymakers must ensure that regulation and market conditions encourage private investment in connectivity infrastructure.
• Core and access networks demand significantly higher investment than backbone infrastructure: Investment in Backbone infrastructure is matched by a parallel and much greater investment in Core and Access infrastructure - an investment of between 8 (Backbone versus Core) and 19 times (Backbone versus Access) higher.

To support continued network expansion and innovation, the GSMA urges governments to adopt forward-looking regulatory frameworks that encourage investment in mobile infrastructure, streamline spectrum policies, and create a fair and sustainable financial environment for operators.

Mobile Networks: The Foundation of the Internet Economy

The report highlights that despite limited investment by other players in the connectivity ecosystem, such as cloud and content providers, in backbone and content delivery networks (CDNs), these investments do not replace the need for substantial mobile infrastructure investment by mobile network operators. The core and access networks, which are fully funded by MNOs, remain fundamental to a functioning, capable internet which serves the needs of consumers and businesses worldwide, fuelling growth across the broader digital ecosystem.

As the industry gathers at MWC Barcelona, this research reinforces the need for a collaborative approach to infrastructure development - one that ensures mobile operators operate under the right conditions to continue investing in networks that drive economic growth and digital inclusion.

For more information and to access the full report, visit https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/connectivity-for-good/public-policy/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Mobile-Infrastructure-Investment-Landscape.pdf.

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

4YFN returns to MWC Shanghai with a fresh, new energy 
Shanghai and the broader APAC region are thriving hubs for entrepreneurship, innovation, and investment in emerging technologies. As the largest and most influential connectivity event in the region, MWC25 Shanghai is the perfect stage for the startup ecosystem, which is why 4YFN will return to Shanghai this year with a fresh, new energy. 4YFN is a key platform for innovation and collaboration within the mobile and digital technology space, bringing together startups, investors, and enterprises to create meaningful business opportunities. This year’s 4YFN Zone will be at the centre of MWC Shanghai, in the high-traffic area of Hall N3. 

IOTE at MWC25 Shanghai 
New for 2025, GSMA are proud to present the co-location of IOTE at MWC25 Shanghai. IOTE is a high-end IoT industry showcase that brings together cutting-edge technologies, application solutions and business leaders from across the globe, creating unique synergies between the telecoms and IoT industries. With a focus on everything from RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), sensors, and communication modules to edge computing, visual IoT and IoT cloud platforms, IOTE offers an in-depth look at the future of connected industries.   

Registration is open to all attendees with a 50% discount on Leaders passes for a limited time between 3rd – 17th March 2025. We invite members of the media and industry analysts to apply for a complimentary media pass to the event by following this link.  

-ENDS-  

About GSMA  

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.  

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com   

 Media Contacts  

GSMA Press Office   
pressoffice@gsma.com  

Participation in MWC 2025 cements India’s role as Global Leader in Digital & Mobile Ecosystem. India is rapidly evolving into a global technology hub and engagement at events like the MWC 2025 vital for accelerating innovation and strengthening digital infrastructure: Shri JM Scindia.

Shri JM Scindia to Address Key Sessions on Global Tech Governance and Balancing Innovation at MWC 2025.

Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, Hon’ble Union Minister for Communications, will represent India at the prestigious Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025, one of the world's largest and most influential technology and telecommunications events, scheduled from March 3-6, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain.

He will also unveil the curtain raiser of India Mobile Congress 2025 and inaugurate the ‘Bharat Pavilion’ at the Mobile World Congress (MWC).

The India Mobile Congress is platform that highlight India's innovation ecosystem, and leading telecom companies and innovators showcase their cutting-edge advancements and sustainable solutions. The Bharat Pavilion will feature 38 Indian telecom equipment manufacturers showcasing their state-of-the-art products, both hardware and software.

Minister’s participation underscores India’s growing role as a global leader in the digital and mobile ecosystem. His presence will highlight India’s commitment to digital transformation, innovation, and fostering international collaborations in communications and technology.

During his visit, the Minister of Communications will engage with global industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to explore cutting-edge developments in 5G, AI(artificial intelligence),6G, Quantum and next-generation mobile technologies. The event will serve as a platform for discussing key trends shaping the mobile industry and will spotlight India’s digital ambitions.

Speaking about his visit, Shri Scindia said, “India is rapidly evolving into a global technology hub, and our engagement with international partners at events like the Mobile World Congress is vital for accelerating innovation and strengthening digital infrastructure. I look forward to exchanging ideas with global experts and discussing opportunities for collaboration in the mobile and telecommunications sector.”

The Minister is also expected to address several key sessions, including ‘Global Tech Governance: Rising to the Challenge’ and ‘Balancing Innovation and Regulation: Global Perspectives on Telecom Policy.’

The participation in Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona is expected to bring together top executives, visionaries, and innovators from across the globe, offering a a platform for strategic collaborations, knowledge exchange, and showcasing India’s technological leadership.

nGENESIS builds upon SOLiD’s legacy of innovation, delivering a powerful, scalable, and future-ready platform for seamless connectivity. The system boasts a range of enhancements, including:

• Industry-leading Power Amplifiers: High-performance amplifiers provide exceptional coverage and capacity, ensuring a superior user experience. 
• Low Power Consumption: Reduced energy usage in both head-end and remote units significantly lowers operational costs. 
• Wideband Amplification: Future-proof design accommodates the expansion of the n77 band, ensuring long-term value and flexibility. 
• Compact and Efficient Head-End: Smaller footprint and reduced power requirements simplify installation and minimize space constraints. 
• 25G Link for Enhanced Capacity: Increased data transmission capacity enables larger capacity and increased spatial and carrier aggregation for improved user experience. Whilst reducing the need for multiple fibres. 
• Multi-Band and Multi-Technology Support: A single link supports multiple frequencies and technologies, streamlining network design and deployment. 
• 4G and 5G in One Solution: A unified platform eliminates the need for separate systems, reducing complexity and cost. 
• Simplified Installation: Streamlined design and reduced component count accelerate deployment and minimize disruption. 
• Enhanced Operational Reliability: Redundant power and optical components ensure uninterrupted service and maximize uptime. 
• Widely Approved: nGENESIS meets stringent safety, cybersecurity, and regulatory standards.
• Future-Ready Platform: Digital architecture supports seamless upgrades to O-RAN and other emerging technologies. 
• Flexible radio deployment: The nGenesis provides the capability to mix and match different power classes within the same infrastructure while compensating for differential system delay.
• Versatile Applications: Tailored and modular-based solutions for various industries, including MNO coverage, public safety, future railway communications, and private networks.  

"nGENESIS represents a significant leap forward in DAS technology," said Sam Lee, VP Technology and Product Management SOLiD EMEA. "With its unmatched performance, efficiency, and future-ready design, nGENESIS empowers mobile operators and enterprises to deliver exceptional wireless experiences today while laying the foundation for the next generation of connectivity."

Visit SOLiD at Mobile World Congress (Hall 7], Booth E34) to learn more about nGENESIS and experience the future of DAS.

About SOLiD

SOLiD is a global leader in wireless communication infrastructure solutions. The company's innovative DAS, optical, and IoT technologies empower mobile operators and enterprises to build, deploy, and manage high-performance wireless networks. With a commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction, SOLiD is driving the evolution of wireless connectivity around the world.

Barcelona, Spain, 28 February, 2025 – Deloitte announced today a collaboration with Ookla®, a global leader in connectivity intelligence, aimed at enhancing network performance, services, solutions, and insights across the globe. This alliance is poised to drive improved user experiences and help companies stay competitive in the rapidly evolving telecom landscape. 

This marks a significant milestone for both Deloitte and Ookla, reflecting their shared commitment to helping improve network connectivity and customer satisfaction worldwide. By leveraging Ookla's robust connectivity insights alongside Deloitte's trusted expertise and worldwide presence, this collaboration aims to deliver actionable solutions that drive innovation and efficiency for customers. 

Through this collaboration, clients can benefit from state-of-the-art anonymized data collected from network users, which is thoroughly analyzed and processed according to each client's specific purpose and operational context. Thus, clients can now unlock the full potential of their data by leveraging Ookla’s powerful insights and enabling informed and optimized network strategies, reinforced by Deloitte’s global leadership in Network Consulting services. This collaboration also drives best market practices to enhance customer satisfaction, accelerate rollouts and innovation, and maximize ROI through strategic investments. 

Together, Deloitte and Ookla are exceptionally well-equipped to address the numerous opportunities and needs our clients face today: 

Comprehensive network intelligence and connectivity insights analyses to help customers benchmark performance, optimize networks, and enhance customer experiences, driving better connectivity outcomes. 

• Support governments and regulatory authorities with tailored broadband connectivity reports, assuring compliance against national targets on service availability and digital divide initiatives.
• Provide Tower companies with valuable network service availability and performance data insights to better inform targeted investment decisions.
• Develop global connectivity adoption trends and maturity assessment on most innovative technology rollouts.
• Support digital transformation programs on enterprises from different sectors and industries leveraging connectivity insights on private or dedicated networks performance.
• Assist customers in effectively improving efficiency of network APIs, orchestration, and slicing, leveraging data and AI to reinvent the customer experience through OSS modernization.
• Advance connectivity and security certification programs for venues, campuses, buildings and other dedicated solutions, confirming the services quality and reliability to provide enhanced and secured digital experiences to end users. 

“Deloitte’s Telecom Network Engineering consulting services bring extensive global experience working with telecom clients, now strengthened by Ookla’s comprehensive network intelligence and connectivity insights. Together, we help optimize networks, enhance digital experiences, and drive better connectivity outcomes. This collaboration aligns with our vision to create meaningful impact for our clients, our people, and society”, said Pedro Tavares, Deloitte Portugal Cyber & Telecom Networks Lead Partner. 

“At Ookla, our mission is to provide industry-leading network intelligence that empowers organizations to optimize performance and help improve exceptional connectivity experiences. By partnering with Deloitte, we are extending the impact of our insights, enabling telecom providers, regulators, and enterprises to make data-driven decisions with greater confidence. Together, we are setting new standards for network efficiency, innovation, and customer satisfaction”, said Chip Strange, Chief Strategy Officer at Ookla.

Deloitte and Ookla are officially launching this alliance as part of their participation in MWC25 Barcelona, the world’s most influential exhibition for the connectivity industry, which takes place between 3-6 March 2025, in Barcelona, Spain. 

About Deloitte   

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL), its global network of member firms, and their related entities (collectively, the "Deloitte organization"). DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") and each of its member firms and related entities are legally separate and independent entities, which cannot obligate or bind each other in respect of third parties. DTTL and each DTTL member firm and related entity is liable only for its own acts and omissions, and not those of each other. DTTL does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more.  

Deloitte provides industry-leading Audit & Assurance, Tax & Legal, Consulting | Technology & Transformation and Advisory | Strategy, Risk & Transactions to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500® among thousands of private companies. Our professionals deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in capital markets, enable clients to transform and thrive, and lead the way toward a stronger economy, a more equitable society and a sustainable world. Building on its 180-year history, Deloitte spans more than 150 countries and territories. To learn how Deloitte’s 460,000 people worldwide make an impact that matters please consult www.deloitte.com.

About Ookla® 

Ookla® is a global leader in connectivity intelligence that provides consumers, businesses, and other organizations with data-driven insights to improve networks and connected experiences. We help our clients efficiently solve their biggest connectivity challenges and drive forward innovation. 

Ookla is a division of Ziff Davis (NASDAQ: ZD), a vertically focused digital media and internet company whose portfolio includes leading brands in technology, entertainment, shopping, health, cybersecurity, and martech. Ookla’s world-renowned brands include Speedtest®, Downdetector®, Ekahau®, RootMetrics®, and more.

Today, the four main UK mobile operators – Vodafone, Virgin Media O2, BT/EE and Three – have announced that they are collaborating on CAMARA APIs (Application Programmable Interfaces) to help businesses, cloud providers and app developers tackle online fraud and provide a more streamlined and frictionless age verification process.

Network APIs launched as part of the global GSMA Open Gateway initiative create a common framework using industry-wide CAMARA and TM Forum standards. These allow developers to simply plug into, provision and use the low-latency benefits, speed, and scale of 5G networks through a simple and secure user interface. Common APIs make it easier for third party companies to build apps and services that work seamlessly across all UK mobile networks, as well as overseas.

The operators already have the SIM Swap API available, which verifies that a SIM card has not recently been swapped or potentially under the control of a fraudster. The operators have also committed to collectively prioritise the launch of the following future CAMARA APIs by end 2025:

• Tenure API verifies the length of time a mobile number has been associated with a specific user.
• Age Verify API allows service providers to check whether customers are eligible for age-restricted products and services.

SIM Swap and Tenure APIs allow operators, financial institutions and governments to work together to prevent fraud on both a local and global scale. Age Verify API is an important consumer safeguarding tool, that provides a frictionless age verification experience for the user. The commitment of the operators to all individually launch the Tenure and Age Verify APIs by the end of 2025 provides developers with the certainty that their solutions will have the cross-operator scale they need.

More than 72 mobile operator groups, representing 284 networks and almost 80% of mobile connections across the world have now signed up to participate in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, with a large focus being on ensuring a universal approach to tackling fraud through verification and authentication services. The GSMA has been supporting the UK operators on the initiative, which follows the successful launch of CAMARA APIs in similar initiatives across Europe, Asia Pacific and South America.

As the mobile industry comes together at MWC25 in Barcelona this coming week, looking for new innovative ways to tackle digital fraud will be high on the agenda. Fraudsters continue to find new ways to access our data and our bank accounts. So, it’s great that the GSMA Open Gateway initiative is playing a part in helping the UK mobile operators can work together and do everything they can to keep one step ahead.

This collaboration marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of 5G technology, as both companies aim to deliver open, interoperable, and programmable solutions that challenge the traditional norms of custom radios and baseband units. The focus remains on enhancing the capabilities of 5G networks through innovative, standardized solutions based on ORAN specifications.

WiSig Networks and Altera are committed to advancing the ORAN 7.2x ULPI (Uplink Performance Improvement) PoC specifications, which include the integration of a massive MIMO uplink equalizer and the entire uplink receiver within the O-RU. This initiative promises to deliver a boost in uplink cell edge coverage, offering a significant improvement through a low-complexity, high-performance uplink Massive MIMO equalizer.

Prof. Kiran Kuchi, founder of WiSig Networks, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "Our collaboration with Altera is a testament to our shared vision of delivering world-class ORAN Massive MIMO radio solutions. We are excited to leverage Altera's expertise and technology to expand our offerings and conduct network-level Proof of Concepts (POCs) of the ORAN 32TR solution in Q4 of 2025. This technology will be pivotal for global wireless operators transitioning to ORAN technology."

Altera, with its high performance Agilex™ 7 FPGAs and SoCs, is poised to play a crucial role in this endeavor. "WiSig is at the forefront of innovation in wireless standards," said Dr. Mike Fitton, GM of Vertical Markets at Altera. "Our collaboration is set to redefine mMIMO beamforming technology, and we are eager to see the new features and optimizations that WiSig will implement using our mMIMO Enablement Package."

WiSig Networks and Altera are committed to revolutionizing the wireless communications landscape, driving innovation, efficiency, and interoperability across the 5G ecosystem.

MWC25 Barcelona is the one time of year where everyone who’s anyone, in the world of connectivity, comes together under one roof. Demonstration of proof of concept followed by a discussion about this technology can be done at GSMA MWC25 Barcelona at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona between March 3-6 2025 with subject matter experts from both Altera and WiSig Networks at Intel/Altera booth 3E31.

-END-

About WiSig Networks: WiSig Networks is a leading provider of wireless communications solutions, specializing in cutting-edge technologies such as Massive MIMO, 5G ORAN, and NB-IoT SOC solutions. With a commitment to innovation and excellence, WiSig is dedicated to shaping the future of wireless connectivity. www.wisig.com

About Altera: Altera, an Intel Company, specializes in programmable solutions for a wide range of applications, including wireless communications. Altera's Agilex™ families offer high-end performance, flexibility, and power and cost-optimizations for next-generation high-tech. systems. www.altera.com 

What is Complete 5G? The term is shorthand for the combination of programmable 5G standalone (SA) networks and other operator capabilities required to deliver advanced connectivity solutions that can transform businesses and society. In other words, Complete 5G brings together both technological advances and business model innovation, as explained in the new GSMA report ¹ - Destination Growth: The Journey to Complete 5G. Based on interviews with leading mobile operators and equipment vendors, this report explains how an accelerated rollout of 5G SA, open APIs, and advanced network products and solutions will drive substantial economic growth over the next five years. For mobile operators, this business transformation could deliver significant revenue growth, initially from enterprise markets, through the provision of more valuable, highly differentiated services tailored to specific needs.

Complete 5G boosts mobile operators’ flexibility by taking advantage of 5G SA’s support for DevOps, artificial intelligence (AI) for networks, disaggregation and delayering, and other advanced technologies and techniques.

First, let’s explore the technological aspect of Complete 5G. With a cloud-native, service-based architecture, 5G SA networks are efficient, flexible and future-ready.  5G SA is a fundamental building block for the roll out of network slicing, and 5G-Advanced technologies, such as non-terrestrial networks (NTN), high-speed uplinks and 5G RedCap – a low cost version of 5G. However, most 5G operators are not yet benefitting from this architecture – of the 326 5G live networks, only 61 of these are 5G SA networks, with another 89 5G SA networks planned by 2026, according to GSMA Intelligence.

What’s been holding 5G SA back? Primarily it’s uncertainty around the business case. Complete 5G looks to address that issue by enabling mobile operators to better customise their propositions for enterprises. In particular, 5G connectivity can become highly programmable through the provision of open application programming interfaces (APIs), which support quality-on-demand, mobile identity services, location verification and other valuable capabilities.

Working together, 5G SA and open APIs will drive a virtuous circle for the industry: As the deployment of open APIs strengthens the business case for 5G SA, operators will roll out more cloud-native networks that can support a wider range of APIs.  

For operators who have deployed 5G access networks already, we estimate adding the 5G core and taking the additional steps needed for Complete 5G is unlikely to exceed 20% of overall network investment spend from the past five years.

The discussions at MWC25 will also encompass the other challenges 5G SA faces, beyond the business case. In some markets, these challenges include a lack of low band spectrum, which is essential for broad coverage, the availability of 5G SA-compatible handsets and other equipment, and the need for interoperability between different kinds of networks. The availability of compatible devices is progressing quickly. In November 2024, the GSA said that 2,112 announced devices claimed support for 5G SA, up almost 40% from 1,511 at the end of September 2023.

Early deployments of 5G-Advanced

Another big theme at MWC25 will be the initial rollouts of 5G-Advanced technologies, such as 5G RedCap, which is designed to bring low-cost connectivity to a wide range of devices, including wearables and Internet of Things end points, particularly cameras.  Another key aspect of 5G-Advanced is the integration of non-terrestrial networks (NTN), such as those supported by satellites, with terrestrial cellular networks. In 2025, pioneering mobile operators are set to deploy 5G RedCap and NTN services based on 3GPP Releases 17 and 18.

At the same time, network operators will begin harnessing 5G-Advanced technologies to upgrade uplink capacity for fixed wireless access services, and to provide customers with a better experience at events, tourist hotspots and other locations where people are looking to upload high resolution photos and videos. 5G-Advanced also introduces technologies that enables mobile networks to be used for sensing use cases, such as mapping a location and detecting changes in environmental conditions. Working in tandem with these technologies, artificial intelligence will be extensively deployed to automate 5G networks and enable them to become more responsive to changes in customer demand and resilient.

Indeed, network resilience is set to be a major talking point at MWC25, given the growing frequency of wildfires, hurricanes and other extreme weather events. When terrestrial base stations are damaged, 5G-Advanced NTN services will increasingly step in to provide the impacted communities and emergency workers with the basic communications they need to coordinate rescues and aid.

Over time, NTN and other 5G-Advanced technologies will help mobile operators deliver Complete 5G, creating new value for both themselves and their customers, while driving broader economic growth.

¹ Destination Growth: The Journey to Complete 5G, written by Long Street Advisors in collaboration with the GSMA, with input from Airtel India,  China Mobile, Ericsson, Microsoft, Nokia, Singtel, Telstra, Vodafone Turkey and ZTE

About the authors

Henry Calvert is the head of networks at the GSMA

Barbara Pareglio is the GSMA’s technical lead for several areas of focus within the GSMA such as 5G, IoT, automotive, aviation and more

Cambridge-based cellXica is at the forefront of designing and manufacturing specialist cellular radio equipment. The company collaborates closely with mobile network system integrators and managed service providers to fully understand their clients' challenges and requirements. Crucially, its integrated-by-design all-in-one solutions provide reliable and scalable private networks without the need for additional servers.

Established in 2014, AttoCore specialises in developing ultra-mobile software technology to power consumer and enterprise radio networks. Its expertise in enabling dedicated private networks means AttoCore’s 5G core software is a perfect match for cellXica’s bespoke hardware.

cellXica and AttoCore are showcasing their initial product, the EXSITE-M5Q Plus self-contained 5G NR Private Mobile Network, at MWC25 Barcelona from 3-6 March.

The EXSITE-M5Q Plus’s compact yet rugged all-in-one form factor speeds up deployment and simplifies network management while keeping costs down. Offering both machine-to-machine and telephony services, it delivers the secure connectivity and managed quality of service needed by customers in the manufacturing, industrial, energy and logistics sectors.

David Neil, AttoCore’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“Working with cellXica will bring us closer to the customer, both through the integration of our hardware and software and by gaining a greater understanding of the customers using our software. We are delighted to be combining our strengths in this way.”

Commenting on the partnership cellXica Chief Executive Officer Niro Mahasinghe, said:
“Our customers are increasingly demanding pre-integrated products which are easy to use. AttoCore’s software expertise means we can now include the entire core network to create all-in-one solutions, speeding up our customers’ deployments.”

To see the EXSITE-M5Q Plus handling VoNR and live video calls, and to discuss how cellXica can speed up your deployments while lowering your costs, visit stand 7A9.6 at MWC25 Barcelona or contact Julian Hildersley at sales@cellxica.net.

Ends.

Notes for Editors

• cellXica and AttoCore will be exhibiting on stand 7A9.6 at MWC25 Barcelona, 3-6 March 2025

About cellXica

Cambridge-based cellXica designs and manufactures specialist cellular radio equipment.  They have a range of platforms that make extensive reuse of hardware, firmware and software. Their focus on Software Defined Radio (SDR) ensures solutions are easily and efficiently customised to match exacting requirements for specialist applications.
https://www.cellxica.net/

About AttoCore

AttoCore develops ultra-mobile core network software technology that can be deployed in consumer, professional, government and enterprise scenarios. Deployment can be as a standalone network or interconnected with existing network services to extend wireless services anywhere in the world.
https://www.attocore.com/

As technology leaders prepare to gather for MWC25 Barcelona, the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event, the GSMA’s ‘Rethinking Mobile Phones: the Business Case for Circularity’ report which surveyed more than 10,000 mobile phone users across 26 countries worldwide, shows that evolving consumer attitudes, regulatory changes and the growing impacts of e-waste are converging to challenge the traditional linear business model of the mobile phone industry. 

With more than 70% of consumers surveyed globally stating that they would be prepared to spend more for environmentally friendly phones, the report highlights the growing opportunity for the mobile industry to embrace circularity, not simply for positive environmental reasons, but also commercial benefits. 

Within the report, a survey of 31 operators from around the world highlights how they are embracing circular business models. 90% of operators surveyed already operate at least one circular business model, with refurbishment and e-waste management being the most popular. However, respondents recognised huge potential in scaling up further; 80% with refurb programmes thought 'a lot more' could be done. This could include developing leasing, renewal and upgrade propositions which would tap into new revenue streams, increase customer loyalty, and provide quality assurance.

Steven Moore, Head of Climate Action, GSMA, said: Fast-growing consumer demand for green and refurbished phones, as well as repair services, is a fantastic business opportunity for the mobile industry. Unlocking this requires strong collaboration across the value chain, helped by enabling policies and incentives from governments, bringing together manufacturers, mobile operators, refurbishers, repairers, and recyclers to address key barriers to unlock new revenue streams and future-proof business models.”

Consumers want more durable and sustainable devices

Sales of new mobiles have slowed in recent years, with consumers holding on to devices for a year longer than a decade ago, and many turning to the rapidly growing market for used and refurbished phones. This shift reflects growing consumer interest in refurbished phones as a way to save money, get a higher end device, and minimise environmental impacts. 

85% of consumers globally consider sustainability to be important when purchasing a device, exceeding other criteria such as device aesthetics (73%) and AI capabilities (67%). One in six phones sold in France last year was refurbished, while over half of Indian consumers surveyed were likely to consider refurbished for their next phone purchase. Two-thirds of consumers surveyed globally reported needing to have their current or previous phone repaired.

Business benefits of circularity 

The report shows that circularity is no longer just an environmental imperative – it’s a major business opportunity. The growing market for refurbished devices and repair services – projected to exceed $150 billion globally by 2027 – offers new revenue streams for both manufacturers and operators. Making durable and repairable devices fosters customer satisfaction and loyalty, strengthens brand image and resonates with environmentally conscious consumers and investors. 

Beyond financial gains, circularity strengthens local economies, reduces reliance on mining and imports, expands digital access and creates new economic job opportunities. The potential is not limited to phones themselves; the GSMA recently developed an online marketplace for mobile operators to resell and reuse network equipment, which is now being used by more than 40 operators, delivering both financial and carbon savings for the industry. 

With the average mobile phone user having more than one old phone sitting unused at home, the report estimates there are around 5-10 billion dormant devices worldwide, containing 100,000 tonnes of copper, 7 million ounces of gold, and a million ounces of palladium – worth around $20 billion. Given the growing strategic importance of critical minerals, old phones and electronics are becoming an important source of materials in many countries.

Tackling e-waste and emissions

In 2024, over 1.2 billion new smartphones were sold, generating over 60 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2 emissions from manufacturing - equivalent to the annual carbon output of countries such as Morocco or Romania. According to the UN, e-waste generates annual external costs of $78 billion to both people and the environment. Repairing and refurbishing mobile devices can reduce e-waste and reduce emissions – with 80-90% lower carbon emissions than manufacturing new devices.

Mobile operators already pursuing circularity strategies include Telefonica, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and KDDI, whilst Samsung, Apple and Fairphone are among the device manufacturers greening their supply chains and the eco-design of their devices.

The report also notes that governments worldwide are increasingly introducing policies to encourage circularity. For example, new European Union regulations on eco-design requirements related to repair and reuse, durability and recycling will come into force later this year. Emerging policies and strategies in the United States of America, Canada, Brazil and India are also promoting repair and reuse, reinforcing a long-term sustainability vision centred on circularity. 

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

As AI adoption in telecoms accelerates, LLMs have demonstrated significant shortcomings in handling technical telecom knowledge, regulatory compliance and network troubleshooting. In recent tests, GPT4¹ scored less than 75% on TeleQnA² ³, a comprehensive dataset tailored to assess the knowledge of LLMs in the field of telecommunications, and less than 40% on 3GPPTdocs Classification⁴, a dataset based on 3GPP standards documentation. Microsoft's Phi2⁵, a much smaller model, scored only 10% on MATH500⁶ ⁷, a benchmark of 500 general maths questions. 

These results highlight the current limitations of AI models in addressing telecom-specific queries. GSMA Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks will address these gaps by providing transparent, open evaluations of AI models across capabilities, energy efficiency and safety.

“Today’s AI models struggle with telecom-specific queries, often producing inaccurate, misleading or impractical recommendations,” said Louis Powell, Head of AI Initiatives, GSMA. “By creating an industry-wide set of benchmarks, we’re not only improving model performance but also ensuring AI in telecoms is safe, reliable and aligned with real-world operational needs.”

The mobile network operators supporting the launch of GSMA Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks include Deutsche Telekom, LG Uplus, SK Telecom and Turkcell and technology vendor, Huawei.

The GSMA Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks community enables mobile network operators, AI researchers and developers to submit use cases, datasets and models for evaluation. A standardised benchmarking framework ensures that all AI models are evaluated against real-world challenges in areas such as telecoms domain knowledge, mathematical reasoning, energy consumption and safety. The resulting benchmarks will be hosted on Hugging Face to ensure transparency and encourage community engagement. 

Mobile network operators, vendors, startups and researchers are now encouraged to contribute, by submitting interest and LLM telcos use cases, to aiusecase@gsma.com and for more information visit www.gsma.com/get-involved/gsma-foundry/gsma-open-telco-llm-benchmarks.

Quotes from partners: 

Hugging Face

Jeff Boudier, Head of Product and Growth, Hugging Face, said: "Hugging Face is the leading open platform for AI builders, and we're thrilled to support and host the GSMA Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks to advance telecoms AI adoption and innovation."

Khalifa University

“Academia plays a crucial role in advancing AI for telecommunications by ensuring rigorous benchmarking and scientific integrity. At Khalifa University, we are proud to support the GSMA Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks initiative. This effort will drive innovation and enhance the reliability of AI models in real-world telecom applications," said Prof. Merouane Debbah, Director, 6G Research Center, Khalifa University.

LG Uplus

Sangyeob Lee, Chief Technology Officer, LG Uplus, said: “We stand at a turning point, heading for human and AI agent coexistence, and the telcos will play a vital role in establishing safe, autonomous connections between them. LG Uplus is committed to this AI agent innovation through LLM advancement and welcomes GSMA Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks as our guiding light towards the assured intelligence services that we pursue.”

The Linux Foundation

"The launch of GSMA’s Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks marks a significant milestone in advancing AI adoption across the telecom industry," said Arpit Josphipra, General Manager, Networking, Edge and IoT, The Linux Foundation. "By establishing open, standardised benchmarks, this initiative brings much-needed transparency and performance insights, enabling operators and ecosystem partners to deploy domain-specific AI with confidence. The Linux Foundation supports this effort, as it aligns with our vision of open collaboration to drive innovation and efficiency in telecom networks worldwide."

SK Telecom

Eric Davis, Head of AI Tech Collaboration Office, SK Telecom said: “The introduction of GSMA Open-Telco LLM Benchmarks marks a pivotal milestone for the telecommunications industry in its pursuit of tangible AI benefits. By establishing a standardised evaluation framework, we're simultaneously driving innovation and ensuring AI solutions deliver the robustness, reliability and precision that our rapidly evolving sector demands.”

The launch follows last year’s industry-wide commitment to exploring telco AI use cases ethically and sustainably, central to which was the GSMA’s Responsible AI Maturity Roadmap, which helps MNOs ensure best-practice principles are applied from inception through evolution.  

AI at MWC25 Barcelona

The 'Gen AI Summit: Experimentation to Transformation' at MWC25 Barcelona will feature a range of sessions aimed at exploring the practical applications and transformative potential of generative AI within the telecommunications sector. Key sessions will include discussions on AI-driven network optimisation, personalised customer experiences and the integration of generative AI in 5G and beyond. Renowned speakers such as Harry Singh, Chief Digital Officer at BT; Harrison Lung, Group Chief Strategy Officer at e&; Kaniz Mahdi, Director Technology AWS Industries at Amazon Web Services; and Laurent Leboucher, CTO at Orange; will share their insights and experiences on leveraging AI for industry advancement.

Other AI speaker highlights at MWC25 Barcelona include keynote 7, 'Tech Game Changers', where Arthur Mensch, a leading AI researcher and CEO of Mistral AI, will take the stage to discuss the latest developments and the real-world applications that are set to revolutionise the telecoms industry. In addition, keynote 10, ‘Why AI Agents will Change Everything’, will see Bret Taylor, CEO and co-founder of Sierra and Board member of OpenAI, discuss how AI agents are poised to transform businesses and enterprises.

1 https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.08774

2 https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.15051

3 https://huggingface.co/datasets/netop/TeleQnA

4 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2407.09424

5 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/phi-2-the-surprising-power-of-small-language-models/

6 https://huggingface.co/datasets/di-zhang-fdu/MATH500

7 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2103.03874

Additional paper of interest, ‘TelcoLM: collecting data, adapting, and benchmarking language models for the telecommunication domain’, Cornell University, December 2024

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

All these questions and more will be answered at 4YFN25, the home of big ideas, which returns between 3-6 March at MWC25 Barcelona. Secure your place to attend now!

Last year’s event brought together 930 exhibitors and 1,000 investors, venture capitalists (VCs) and corporate VCs with over €50 billion worth of funds to invest, and we cannot wait to bring you our packed agenda of keynotes, pitching competitions, networking events and fireside chats. 

4YFN25 is all about AI, digging into the revolutionary impact of this exciting new technology through our AI XL theme. The Banco Sabadell stage will welcome an exciting host of visionary speakers, including founders of the world’s fastest growing AI startups and AI visionaries transforming the world’s largest technology companies; speakers will represent the likes of Amazon, Applied Intuition, Barcelona Super Computing Centre, CEA, Google, Palantir Technologies, Perplexity AI, Salesforce and more.

In a 4YFN preview session recently hosted by Mobile World Live, the French Atomic Energy Commission’s (CEA) Head of the AI and Interactive Systems Division, Gregorio Ameyugo, said: “AI, despite some of the emotion and turbulence we see right now, is extending the capacity of people and what we can do as humans, and we’re using it to level up, rather than down. But it’s important to remember that AI is just power, it's what you do with it that matters. At 4YFN25, we're going to see a lot of people doing good with AI, with their hearts in the right place – and that's the most important consideration.”

Experience the 4YFN Programmes

In parallel to our AI XL agenda, 4YFN25 will feature dedicated Programmes that will bring together founders, CEOs, investors and other leaders, for an agenda of keynotes, intimate fireside chats, 1:1 mentoring opportunities and networking events.

The Programmes will spotlight breakthrough innovations unfolding across seven industries and spaces:

1. Digital Health: Attendees will discover the digital startups using emerging technologies to improve patient care, whether it’s breaking down gender inequalities, transforming hospital operations or enabling the latest breakthroughs in fields such as neuroelectronics.
2. Green Tech: As governments and corporations race to meet sustainability targets, this Programme will welcome CEOs and founders from the climate tech space, to share best practices for balancing ROI and decarbonisation and explore how industries as diverse as energy, mobility, food and fashion are leveraging AI to accelerate their climate journeys.
3. Fintech: This Programme will spotlight the profound impact lifestyles and preferences of Gen Z and digitally native consumers have had on the banking industry. Topics to be explored include the industry’s readiness to deploy GenAI, a look at how blockchain could revolutionise payments, and the innovative new services emerging thanks to the API economy.
4. Founders: Platforming serial entrepreneurs who have been there before, to share best practices and learnings on securing funding, building teams and achieving the right product-market fit. The Founders Programme will also give entrepreneurs the opportunity to attend networking and cocktail events, speed dating sessions with investors and mentoring workshops.
5. Investors: Exploring the latest trends shaping the investment landscape and empowering investors to make the right connections, while also offering unique opportunities to go 1-to-1 with the world’s most influential corporate VCs.
6. University & Spin-Off Hub: Bringing together scientific excellence and innovation, this Programme will shine a light on the technological breakthroughs born out of universities and research centres, which are now unlocking progress in the business world.
7. Corporate Innovators: Introducing the tech transformation teams rolling out AI solutions in the world’s largest corporations, and the digital startups helping them along the way. The agenda will cover best practices for building a culture of innovation, as well as the role of ‘business prototyping’ to help de-risk decisions, foster creativity and achieve faster go-to-market success.

Crowning the world’s best digital startup

All the excitement and energy seen on stage and across the show floor culminates in the 4YFN Awards, honouring the most outstanding startup at the event. Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech’s CEO and winner of the 4YFN24 Award, Marta Pascual Estarellas, said: “Winning 4YFN24 was a defining moment for both Qilimanjaro and for quantum computing in Spain as a whole. To be recognised among such an impressive and competitive group of start-ups, meant we received validation not only for our vision, but also for the impact of quantum computing on the future of the industry. We strongly believe in what we're building, but receiving such an award shows us that the world sees us in the same way.”

During an on-stage pitching competition on day 3 of 4YFN25, this year’s finalists – Bankuish, Horus ML, Qflow, Ramon.Space and Rockfish Data – will battle it out for their chance to win a €20,000 cash prize. 4YFN gives a platform to propel world-changing ideas by shining a light on the digital startups shaking up industries and giving rise to the next generation of unicorns. Come and be a part of it by registering here. 

These capabilities will be demonstrated at MWC25 Barcelona, March 3-6 in Barcelona, Spain, as part of the GSMA Open Gateway Showcase. MEF, along with industry leaders Colt and Orange will present a Quality on Demand (QoD) demonstration leveraging open-source CAMARA APIs to enable real-time, automated network interactions.

Traditionally, network performance was managed manually or through static configurations, limiting adaptability. As enterprises increasingly rely on AI, real-time analytics, and immersive technologies, networks must evolve to meet shifting demands. MEF’s NaaS Network APIs, in combination with GSMA Open Gateway and CAMARA APIs, enable applications to intelligently adjust network resources on demand—paving the way for a new era of adaptive, automated connectivity.

"NaaS Network APIs are a significant step forward in MEF’s API strategy, enabling new opportunities for AI enabled applications, real-time automation, and secure service delivery across wired and wireless networks," said Pascal Menezes, CTO, MEF. "By integrating open-source CAMARA APIs with MEF standards, enterprises and developers can dynamically program the network, ensuring that edge-native applications—from autonomous vehicles to AI-powered real time analytics—operate with reliable performance and security. This is a major milestone in advancing NaaS with AI, automation, and cybersecurity at its core.”

At MWC25 Barcelona’s GSMA Open Gateway Showcase, the QoD demonstration with MEF, Colt, and Orange will highlight how edge-native applications can seamlessly interact with both mobile and fixed-line networks to dynamically provision resources. The demo features a converged approach to network quality, with Orange’s 5G Quality on Demand capability optimizing mobile network performance, and Colt’s On-Demand NaaS platform ensuring dynamic service quality across the core backbone network. By leveraging CAMARA APIs, MEF standards and software defined networking, the application intelligently provisions and adjusts network resources in real time, enabling adaptive, cross-domain connectivity for a wide range of use cases, including AI, cloud gaming, tele-robotics, and Industry 4.0 applications.

Henry Calvert, Head of Networks, GSMA, said: “Through this showcase MEF, Colt and Orange are bringing to life the benefits that open QoD APIs can deliver. By integrating QoD APIs, enterprise developers can enhance a whole range of digital services from online gaming and entertainment streaming through to powering smart mobility, beyond line of sight aviation and industry 4.0. However, for these services to gain strong adoption around the world, it’s vital that the mobile ecosystem unifies behind a common approach, as we’re seeing here, through the GSMA Open Gateway and CAMARA initiative.” 

Mirko Voltolini, VP Technology and Innovation, Colt Technology Services said, “Our technology demonstration with MEF and Orange is a powerful example of collaboration driving innovation and pushing boundaries. It paves the way for a more integrated and effortless service experience for our customers as we embrace the Digital AI Era.” 

Emmanuel Rochas CEO Orange Wholesale International said, “Combining MEF APIs and CAMARA APIs unleashes the potential of Fixed and Mobile network convergence, enabling any application to seamlessly and transparently switch between the two networks.

This “Quality on Demand” use case applies to SD-WAN design for businesses, supports many other use cases where managing quality is required in order to deliver the right level of service. This project reinforces our commitment to providing our customers with a seamless user experience across our networks, in a federated approach with our peers.  Our NaaS offering, Click, is a key part of this approach and is already embraced by our customers.”

Experience MEF’s NaaS Network APIs in action at MWC25 Barcelona in the GSMA Open Gateway Showcase to see how innovative network APIs are shaping the future of AI, automation, and edge-native applications. For more information about MEF visit www.mef.net. 

About MEF

MEF is a global consortium of enterprises and service, cloud, cybersecurity, and technology providers collaborating to accelerate enterprise digital transformation. It delivers standards-based frameworks, services, technologies, APIs, and certification programs to enable Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) across an automated ecosystem. MEF is the defining authority for certified Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) business and operational APIs and Carrier Ethernet, SASE, SD-WAN, Zero Trust, and Security Service Edge (SSE) technologies and services. MEF's Global NaaS Event (GNE) convenes industry leaders building and delivering the next generation of NaaS solutions. For more information about MEF, visit MEF.net and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. 

For the fourth consecutive year, we will serve as the GSMA’s exclusive Connected Industries Knowledge Partner. From cloud network modernization and private wireless networks to network APIs and AI-driven networking, Connected Industries in Hall 4 provides a unique platform for CSPs and businesses to engage in discussions that will accelerate the next wave of innovation and shape the future of industries.

Highlights for our presence this year include:

1. Demos 

1. Our demos this year showcase how CSPs can innovate and grow using cutting-edge technology.

Unlock the power of Data & AI

• Accenture AI Refinery™
• GenWizard

Scale Platforms Models for Enterprise Growth

• EdgeStudio 

Drive Growth Through Customer Experience

• AI Powered Customer Insight Hub
• Digital Marketing Workbench

Use Your Network Infrastructure to Grow

• Modern Network Deployment
• Intelligent NOC & Autonomous Network
• Network Engineering & Security

2. On Stage – Key Speaker Highlights

• Redefining Connectivity with AI and private 5G
• The new shared services model for telco growth
• Expanding revenue streams in finance and telco: APIs, integration and collaboration
• Powering mobile-first commerce
• Unlocking the Potential of Level 4 Autonomy in Mobility Ecosystems
• Mobile innovations for tomorrow’s digital identity
• The Future of D2C, Fan Engagement
• Is AI A Solution Or Challenge To Networks
• IOWN Global Forum

Booth location:  Hall 4, stand #4B30.

• Accenture Media Relations contacts: Molly McDonagh (molly.mcdonagh@accenture.com), Chandra Deschpande (c.b.deshpande@accenture.com) and Irene Salvadores Natal (i.a.salvadores.natal@accenture.com)  

Available Resources: Refer to our Accenture at MWC site for the latest speaker, demo and news updates: Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 Barcelona | Accenture

For 2025, Blacknut will showcase its newest, unique, and lucrative opportunity leading publisher Ubisoft, known for its iconic brands like Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Tom Clancy’s The Division and more. The partnership has already brought the acclaimed titles to B2B partners CTM, Asiacell, Smart Axiata, STC, Vectra, Etisalat, Orange Jordan, and Wim by AT&T. 

After the gaming partners’ announcement in August 2024, Blacknut has continued to reveal aspects of its ongoing partnership with Ubisoft, introducing key initiatives to enhance value proposition for partners and consumers alike. 2024 revealed the launch of the Blacknut Annual Plan with an exclusive Ubisoft gift, the addition of Blacknut-Ubisoft Bonus Games in the premium Blacknut “+” space, and most notably the integration of the Ubisoft+ Classics subscription directly into Blacknut’s platform. These developments significantly enriched Blacknut’s offering, enabling seamless access to Ubisoft's iconic game library and reinforcing Blacknut as a premier distribution channel for AAA and indie titles alike. 

Blacknut currently works with more than 150 acclaimed publishers to distribute a catalog of over 800+ premium PC and Console video games. The cloud gaming platform supplies the fastest go-to-market solution for partners to distribute and provides access to premium gaming experience through streaming technology, capitalizing on an advanced cloud infrastructure that is ready and deployable globally alongside its SDK integration and business solutions offerings. 

The platform is present in more 65 countries across MENA, LATAM, APAC, and North America and features accessibility on an estimated 10B connected devices, including Android mobile and TV, Windows, Titan OS, MacOS, AndroidTV, Tizen (Samsung TV), WebApp including Safari (including iPhone and iPad) and ChromeOS, Amazon FireOS, and LG TVs webOS. Blacknut has consistently demonstrated the value of its exclusive cloud gaming service and technology for partners; the platform’s excellent, low-latency mobile device and 5G network capacities liberate millions of consumers to enjoy the full PC games / Console experience without forcing them to invest in specific hardware. Furthermore, publishers and gamers both enjoy a new level of game reach possible thanks to the breadth of cloud accessibility but without the hindrance of development costs thanks to Blacknut’s existing infrastructure.

As the world gathers to explore the latest innovations in mobile technology at MWC 2025, Blacknut is poised to demonstrate how cloud gaming can be seamlessly integrated into phone carrier services bringing the biggest names in gaming to users in a one-of-kind user acquisition feature. 

Key Highlights of Blacknut's Participation:

 Live Demonstrations:

   - Visit Blacknut's booth at MWC25 Barcelona for live demonstrations of their cloud gaming platform including demos of iconic Ubisoft IPs. Delegation present from Mon, Mar 3, 2025 – Thu, Mar 6, 2025.

Partnership Opportunities:

   - Blacknut invites mobile carriers and industry stakeholders to explore potential partnerships bringing Ubisoft games or others of Blacknut's additional 150+ licensing partners’games to their offering. Learn about how integrating cloud gaming into your consumer data & 5G offerings can attract and retain subscribers, providing a competitive edge in the dynamic mobile market.

 Enabling On-Demand Gaming:

   - Discover how Blacknut's cloud gaming solution empowers consumers with on-demand gaming experiences. No longer constrained by device capabilities or storage limitations, users can enjoy a vast array of games anywhere, anytime, and on a myriad of compatible devices: computers, mobile or TV screens.

Technological Advancements:

   - Gain insights into the cutting-edge technologies powering Blacknut's unique hybrid public-private cloud supported gaming platform. With a focus on low latency, high-speed streaming, and adaptive performance, Blacknut ensures a seamless and responsive gaming experience for mobile users.

"Our participation at MWC25 Barcelona marks a pivotal moment to reflect on Blacknut's remarkable growth over the past year and to engage with leaders shaping the future of technology. In 2024, we achieved significant milestones with our cloud gaming partners, expanding our ecosystem to deliver more diverse and accessible gaming experiences worldwide. The introduction of our newest premium offerings, including the integration of Ubisoft+ Classics and exclusive content through Blacknut “+” space, underscores our commitment to delivering unparalleled value to both partners and users. We look forward to showcasing these advancements and engaging with attendees to explore our next phase of innovation in cloud gaming."

-Olivier Avaro, CEO Blacknut

"2024 was a year of forging deeper collaborations and expanding opportunities across the cloud gaming industry. The partnerships we’ve built and the premium content we’ve brought to our platform, including the groundbreaking integration of Ubisoft+ Classics, is unparalleled and more reveals are already in the pipe for 2025. These advancements highlight our commitment to creating value for both content creators and players. For our delegation, MWC25 Barcelona offers an ideal platform to showcase how these strategic partnerships are driving innovation, while exploring new opportunities to further enhance our global offering.”

-Nabil Laredj, VP Licensing & New Business Blacknut

“At MWC25 Barcelona, the team is eager to demonstrate how our solutions seamlessly integrate with existing ecosystems in the telco space and beyond, driving innovation and delivering value to end users worldwide. Blacknut’s unique ability to deliver high-quality cloud-based gaming experiences tailored to the needs of partners, its strong portfolio of premium content, and its driven teams empower Blacknut to enhance customer engagement for all our players, direct  subscribers or otherwise” 

-Pierre Galluc, VP Pre-Sales & Delivery at Blacknut

About Blacknut- www.blacknut.com 

Blacknut is the world's leading pure player cloud gaming service dedicated to the general public, distributed both Direct to consumers and B2B through ISPs, device manufacturers, OTT services & Media companies. Blacknut offers the largest catalog of premium games with 500+ premium titles carefully selected for the whole family, all included in a monthly subscription. The service is now available across Europe, Asia & North America on a wide range of devices, including mobiles, set-top-boxes and Smart TVs. Blacknut was founded in 2016 by Olivier Avaro (CEO) and is headquartered in Rennes, France, with offices in Paris, Seoul and San Francisco. Blacknut was awarded the Red Herring 2021 Top 100 Winner, in Europe.

To succeed in 2025, CSPs must act on five distinct truths and respond strategically. Those who act decisively will strengthen customer loyalty, drive long-term revenue growth and establish themselves as industry leaders.

First, It’s Time to Simplify Subscriptions

Truth: Customers are frustrated with complex bundles and billing structures. CSPs must simplify their offerings and improve transparency.

In a world where customers expect seamless digital experiences, convoluted subscription plans are a major pain point. Whether it’s unclear promotional pricing, hidden fees or difficult cancellation processes, complexity erodes trust. Research shows that overall wireless customer care satisfaction declined for the first time in two years in 2024, driven by billing confusion and service frustrations.

How CSPs Should Respond:

• Offer straightforward, flexible subscription models with transparent pricing.
• Lean on tools like AI to generate clear, personalized billing breakdowns to eliminate surprises.
• Streamline the customer journey by making it easy to modify or cancel plans without penalty.

Second, Communicate Openly to Keep Customers

Truth: Radical transparency builds trust and customer lifetime value.

CSPs often believe that making it difficult to leave or cancel will reduce churn. In reality, the opposite is true. Customers value honesty and convenience, and a lack of clear communication drives them away. Gartner research indicates that 96% of customers with high-effort service experiences become disloyal, while only 9% of those with effortless interactions feel the same way.

How CSPs Should Respond:

• Clearly communicate pricing changes before they take effect.
• Reduce unnecessary customer interactions by proactively addressing common concerns.
• Simplify the cancellation process—when customers trust they can leave easily, they’re more likely to stay.
• Tap into technology like AI and predictive analytics to identify customers likely to churn and take a white glove approach to improve their experience.

Third, Telcos Need Specialized Solutions

Truth: Generic systems can’t keep up with CSP complexities—industry-specific solutions are essential.

CSPs operate in a highly complex environment, managing partnerships across multiple regions and industries. Yet, many still rely on generic billing and configure, price, quote (CPQ) solutions that weren’t built for CSP needs. A study by Appledore Research found that for 85% of CSPs, their current CPQ system fails to meet even 75% of their business requirements.

How CSPs Should Respond:

• Invest in industry-specific solutions designed to handle the scale and complexity of CSP operations.
• Prioritize platforms that offer real-time visibility into profit margins and automate quoting processes.
• Ensure that software integrations support business agility, reducing time-to-market for new offers and services.

Fourth, AI Needs a Firmer Foundation

Truth: AI’s potential is vast, but without clean, well-structured data, its benefits remain untapped.

CSPs have embraced Generative AI (GenAI) to enhance customer service and automate operations. However, data silos and inconsistent record-keeping prevent AI from reaching its full potential. Without a strong data governance strategy, AI models can produce unreliable insights and fail to improve customer experiences effectively.

How CSPs Should Respond:

• Implement standardized data management practices to ensure AI has access to high-quality information.
• Break down internal data silos to create a unified view of customers and operations.
• Focus on smaller-scale AI applications that drive immediate value, such as automated customer support and personalized recommendations.

Fifth, CSPs Must Finally Embrace the Cloud

Truth: The cloud is no longer optional—it’s the foundation for delivering next-gen customer experiences.

Cloud adoption in the telecom industry remains inconsistent. While CSPs recognize its benefits—scalability, cost savings and improved CX—many are still hesitant to transition fully. Even for those already investing in cloud capabilities, most CSPs use less than 50% of their available capacity, missing out on efficiency gains and innovation opportunities.

How CSPs Should Respond:

• Prioritize cloud migration as a key component of digital transformation.
• Use the full capacity of existing cloud infrastructure before expanding to maximize investments.
• Focus on cloud-native solutions that enhance agility, reduce OpEx and future-proof operations.

The Bottom Line? Listen, Adapt & Act

These five truths highlight the urgent need for simplified services, transparent communication, industry-specific solutions, AI readiness and cloud adoption. By embracing efficiency-oriented changes and keeping the customer at the center of their strategy, CSPs can enhance customer satisfaction, reduce churn and drive sustainable growth.

At CSG, we help CSPs navigate these challenges with innovative solutions built for their industry. From AI-powered automation to cloud-based billing and customer engagement platforms, we enable telcos to deliver seamless, customer-centric experiences.

If you are ready to meet market demands in 2025, visit CSG at MWC Barcelona, Hall 5, Booth 5A51, to explore how we can deliver effortless, value-driven experiences that drive customer loyalty and realize ROI.

Multinational business consultancy McKinsey - famous for having competitive hiring practices - released analysis in 2023, that states there is significant opportunity to drive economic growth through increasing gender diversity. It showed that narrowing the gender gap by 2025 could have added $12 trillion to the global GDP ¹- now a missed opportunity. Further, gender diverse companies are 25% more likely to financially outperform competitors, and this goes up to 36% for ethnically diverse companies ². The impact on individual motivation is also clear - people on diverse teams who feel a sense of belonging are 50% more productive, according to Boston Consulting Group – another of the ‘big 3’ ³.

Promoting a diverse culture helps companies attract, and retain, the best talent, because that talent is (self-evidently) spread across all demographic groups. According to the BCG survey, 74% of respondents stated that they factor an organisation’s DE&I approach into their choice to join or stay working within it. For our industry, at this critical moment; why would we want to limit our resource selection to only ‘parts’ of the population?

Put simply, more representative businesses are more successful businesses. That’s why our industry must stand by the principles that underpin our people and culture programmes and continue to pursue best practice on representation and inclusivity. 

At the GSMA, we have a unique perspective to lend to this; at the centre of the mobile industry, and with unmatched convening power, we bring hundreds of thousands of technology leaders together every year. Through our Diversity4Tech programme, and across our global events series, we demonstrate the value that diversity brings. 

Embedding the right principles matters more now than ever. It is clear that AI is set to drive enormous change in business and society. That is hugely exciting, but we need to make sure that AI is built on the right foundation. I believe it is our responsibility to ensure that existing biases – the same ones that ensure the tech sector still has only a 22% female workforce - are not carried over into this new era. 

That’s why we have kicked off the GSMA Voice Initiative, a survey we’re running throughout the year, in partnership with inclusio, to capture people and culture insights from among GSMA members. This will allow us to paint a full picture of the state of diversity, equity and inclusion within our rapidly evolving industry and inform our action plan. I would encourage you all to look out for our survey kiosks, on the GSMA Pavilion at MWC25 Barcelona and elsewhere, and be open with your experiences. Together, I’m convinced we can forge an industry that represents the best of human potential, for the benefit of individuals, industry and society. And importantly, for the bottom line. 

¹ https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace-2023

² https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters

³ https://web-assets.bcg.com/img-src/BCG-How-Diverse-Leadership-Teams-Boost-Innovation-Jan-2018_tcm9-207935.pdf

Iconic thinkers at MWC25

This year, MWC25 Barcelona expands its thought leadership sessions to explore the intersection of technology with social, political and economic challenges.  Our new speakers, from a variety of different industries, will bring you a host of insightful perspectives and are fearless in tackling the compelling issues of today head-on.

Keynote 1: The Gateway to a New Future
The opening keynote of MWC25 will showcase how the GSMA Open Gateway initiative is enabling telecoms operators to collaborate in a unified API economy – empowering developers and cloud providers to unlock 5G's potential and create innovative solutions. Don’t miss the opportunity to see how Open Gateway is redefining the telecoms industry and revolutionising operators’ roles in the value chain. 

Explore Keynote 1

Keynote 2: Beyond Connectivity: The Telco to Techco
How can mobile operators match their influence on global economic and social transformation with financial returns?  This session aims to answer that, with leading operators from diverse regions sharing insights into how they’ve leveraged the convergence of AI, cloud and 5G standalone (5G SA) to transition from connectivity providers to comprehensive Techcos.

Explore Keynote 2

Keynote 3: Balancing Innovation and Regulation: Global Perspectives on Telecom Policy
This is a critical period for regulation and innovation, as telecoms regulators in India, Europe and the USA balance the need for advancements with the responsibility to ensure equitable access, competitive markets and consumer rights. Join the new faces taking the regulatory reins in telecoms as they discuss how they’re overcoming the complex mix of challenges they’re facing.

Explore Keynote 3

Keynote 4: Driving Europe’s Digital Future: Leadership in Action
Be in the front row for this pivotal dialogue as the CEOs of Europe’s leading mobile operators come together to confront challenges on digital progress, outline strategies and share insights on forging a sustainable and inclusive digital Europe, through innovation and collaboration.

Explore Keynote 4

Keynote 5: The AI Frontier: Transformative Visions and Societal Impact
How will AI reshape our lives and transform the way we do business? Join some of the most distinguished experts and brightest minds in the field for an enlightening session on the profound impact of AI and what it means for the future.  From how AI will revolutionise our lives to AI-human symbiosis – this is unmissable.

Explore Keynote 5

Keynote 6: The Age of Revolution with Scott Galloway
Don’t miss this opportunity to get a glimpse into the mind of one of the world’s most influential thought leaders.  Almost 7 million people watched Scott Galloway deliver one of the most impactful TED talks of 2024. At MWC25, he’ll delve into the transformative economic impact of AI and the intensifying geopolitical tensions reshaping the global landscape – and that’s just for starters.

Explore Keynote 6

Keynote 7: Tech Game Changers
Hear directly from some of the most influential visionaries redefining technology in their fields, as they share exclusive insights into the groundbreaking innovations transforming our world. From healthcare and manufacturing to AI and hardware.

Explore Keynote 7

Keynote 8: Global Shifts
How will the race for technological supremacy reshape the future of innovation, security and the global economy?  This session dives straight into the shifting power dynamics at the intersection of geopolitics and technology, as the tech rivalry between China and the U.S. intensifies – examining the critical challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Explore Keynote 8

Keynote 9: Technology, Climate Change & Justice
Tackling a critical issue that should be at the forefront of every business agenda, this session will provide actionable insights as some of the world’s most influential voices in sustainability and climate change explore how we can align efforts to address this global challenge. From AI’s growing energy demands to leadership best practices. 

Explore Keynote 9

Keynote 10: Innovation in Action
In 2025, how will AI continue to reshape and disrupt traditional business models? We hear from industry leaders, such as Jessica Sibley, CEO, Time and Silicon Valley visionary, Bret Taylor, who are reinventing their sectors and leveraging transformative technologies to drive change. 

Explore Keynote 10

Keynote 11: Disinformation, Trust & Security
In a time of rising polarisation, eroding trust and the disruptive influence of social media, this discussion on safety, security and disinformation couldn't be more crucial. Discover cutting-edge detection techniques redefining the field, from companies leading the way in this space.

Explore Keynote 11

Keynote 12: Future of Work and Economic Growth
As AI firmly integrates itself into the economy over the next decade, how will shifting skill demands reshape global labour markets?  Plus, what are the strategies to unlock Europe’s innovation potential and restore its global competitiveness? This must-attend keynote block gives you the answers.

Explore Keynote 12

Buy the Leader’s Conference Pass

Get ready for a deep dive into how Industry 4.0 technologies are transforming sectors like manufacturing and production, fintech, smart mobility, and sports and entertainment. Connected Industries at MWC25 is an exciting showcase of the cutting-edge innovations reshaping the way businesses operate and engage with customers.

Reflecting the major themes of MWC25, you can expect big conversations on 5G, private networks, and AI, with real-world applications taking centre stage. How are fintech companies leveraging network intelligence, GSMA Open Gateway and security? What’s next for connected vehicles in smart mobility? How’s mobile tech revolutionising fan experiences in sports and entertainment? These are just some of the key topics we explore.

As lead knowledge sponsor of Connected Industries at MWC25, Accenture has played a key role in shaping our agenda, ensuring we tackle the most pressing challenges and opportunities across industries. And while Connected Industries at MWC25 puts the spotlight on these conversations for a week, the work doesn’t stop there. Through GSMA’s Connected Communities, these discussions and connections continue year-round, driving lasting impact across industries.

Beyond these discussions at Connected Industries, the event is always a huge opportunity for collaboration. Industry heavyweights like NVIDIA and 5GAA will take to the stage, offering insights and sharing real-world advancements.

How do you see the Connected Industries events and sessions shaping the future of sectors like manufacturing and productivity, fintech, smart mobility, and sports and entertainment?

One of the best parts about Connected Industries at MWC25 is that it doesn’t just show off the la.com tech, it’s about real-world impact. The sessions and summits bring together mobile operators, enterprises, and industry leaders to tackle real business challenges and learn how technology can drive real business outcomes and revenue.  

Take manufacturing and production, for example. Here, 5G and IoT are already transforming production, making operations smarter and more efficient. Sessions like Transforming Ports and Mines with Advanced Network Technologies show us exactly how this plays out in real-world industrial settings.

Fintech and commerce are enjoying serious upgrades, driven largely by APIs and mobile networks. APIs, for example, allow better integration and communication between the various financial systems, enabling automation and real-time data access. When combined with network intelligence and initiatives like GSMA Open Gateway, APIs can also enhance security, streamline transactions, and power hyper-personalised banking experiences. At the Fintech and Mobile Commerce Summit, we explore these in more detail, along with other ways technology is disrupting fintech.

In smart mobility, the focus is on the future of connected vehicles. Think AI-driven traffic systems, autonomous fleets and seamless connectivity – all powered by smart private networks. 5G enables low latency and increased uplink for better real-time decision-making in autonomous fleets. At the Smart Mobility Summit, we’ll explore how 5G and AI are driving the next wave of innovation in transportation.

And in sports and entertainment, fan experiences are evolving fast. From AR-enhanced, in-stadium experiences at live events to immersive at-home streaming, our Sports and Entertainment Summit will explore how mobile tech is using 5G, AI and private networks to bring fans closer to the action than ever before.

Many believe the telecom industry is currently at a crossroads. While current services are stable, is there a significant opportunity for telco to evolve beyond traditional offerings? 

Absolutely, there’s a huge opportunity waiting to be unlocked beyond traditional connectivity services. In fact, a recent GSMA Intelligence report uncovered a $400 billion enterprise market just waiting for telcos to tap into.

Right now, most B2B revenues in telco come from core offerings like SD-WAN and unified communications, but these are only growing at about 3% per year. Meanwhile, enterprise spend in areas like cloud, cybersecurity, IoT, AI and blockchain is set to nearly triple by 2030, growing at a much faster 14% annually. 

These figures make a compelling case. But here’s the key shift: to succeed, telcos can’t just be connectivity providers anymore. They need to think and act more like IT consultants, offering complete solutions rather than just selling network access. That means streamlining their enterprise offerings, adapting sales and marketing strategies, and building new technical and commercial expertise. 

In short, the real opportunity in telco isn’t just in selling services – it’s in becoming trusted, long-term partners for digital transformation.

That’s why MWC25 could represent a major turning point. It’s not just business leaders and decision-makers within the mobile ecosystem who’re flocking to Barcelona. It’s senior folks and c-suiters from a diverse range industries seeking opportunities to transform their own industry and business with technology.

In fact, over 50% of attendees at this year’s MWC come from outside the telecom sector. The status quo is sustainable but there’s a new world of opportunity out there for those willing to shake things up.

What's driving telcos to evolve beyond their traditional services, and what cultural changes are necessary to make this shift successful?

Currently, the push for telcos to expand is largely driven by two main factors: the need to enhance cybersecurity and the desire to boost revenue. GSMA Intelligence research shows 60% of businesses prioritise revenue growth, customer experience, and staying competitive over merely cutting costs in their digital transformation efforts.

How do they achieve this? As I stressed earlier, this shift is, at its very core, about mindset. Telcos need to undergo a significant cultural transformation. This means moving away from a traditional connectivity-focused mindset and adopting a more holistic, solution-oriented approach. It's about re-thinking go-to-market strategies, building new skills and structures, and adapting pricing and incentives.

As we all know, the enterprise market is busy and fiercely competitive. IT providers hyperscalers, software startups… they’re all vying for the same customers. Telcos that act fast, evolve their business models, and position themselves as true technology partners (not just connectivity providers) have the potential to come out ahead.

How do the GSMA’s Connected Communities drive innovation and create new opportunities for operators and industries?

The GSMA’s Connected Communities kicked off in 2021 with a simple goal, to bring people together to spark ideas, build new capabilities, and create real-world solutions. The GSMA is in a unique position here: we can promote collaboration between mobile operators, industry leaders, and ecosystem partners to make sure enterprises have the right tech in place to drive their businesses forward.

Unsurprisingly, Connected Communities is growing fast. Over 400 organisations are now involved, spanning telcos, industry players and even government bodies. That kind of scale means real impact.

With traditional telecom growth slowing, operators are shifting gears and focusing more on B2B tech services. And for good reason. The B2B market is already worth $1.3 trillion in 2024 and is set to more than double to $2.9 trillion by 2030. That’s a huge opportunity for telcos, with nearly $1 trillion up for grabs.

As mentioned, around $400 billion of that market is ready for operators to tap into right now. How? Well, unlike the consumer side of telecom, B2B is all about customisation (think cloud, IoT, cybersecurity, and edge computing). These are the areas where operators can move beyond connectivity and become key partners in digital transformation across industries like finance, manufacturing, automotive, and aviation.

At the end of the day, Connected Communities is about helping operators evolve and take on bigger roles in the digital world. What makes it truly special, though, is that it’s not just about keeping up, it’s about leading the way.

Many of the topics above will also be explored at the CIO Summit during MWC25, as companies continue to focus on turning the promise of technology investment into value. The CIO Summit brings together a cross-section of executives including CIOs, CTOs, Mobile Network Operators and systems integrators - looking to manage a digital infrastructure plan that delivers ROI to their business in terms of data management, automation, productivity, transparency, security and more.

Click here for findings from the report, Economic Growth and the Digital Transformation of Enterprises 2025, GSMA Intelligence. 

Register now for MWC25 Barcelona to explore how telcos can move beyond connectivity and unlock new enterprise opportunities at Connected Industries, and the CIO Summit on March 5, 2025, from 15:00-18:00.

This blog post explores how Alat’s co-innovation model—built on partnerships with global technology leaders—is enabling smarter factories, advancing sustainability, and redefining the future of manufacturing. We also share actionable insights for manufacturers aiming to accelerate innovation through collaboration.

Alat’s Co-Innovation Approach: Transforming Factories into Smart Ecosystems

Alat’s vision for Industry 4.0 centers on co-innovation—a collaborative approach that brings together technology providers, research institutions, and industry stakeholders to tackle the challenges of modern manufacturing. At the heart of this strategy is our commitment to building world-class facilities that set new benchmarks for efficiency, flexibility, and sustainability.

Through our partnership with Lenovo, we are creating smarter, more resilient factories. These facilities leverage advanced technologies such as 5G connectivity, IoT devices, and AI-driven automation to optimize operations in real time. Lenovo’s expertise in smart infrastructure and computing solutions plays a pivotal role in enhancing data processing and operational efficiency on the factory floor, enabling predictive maintenance, quality control, and supply chain optimization. AI-enabled predictive maintenance, for example, could reduce maintenance costs by up to 30% and unplanned downtime by 45%.

This collaborative model does more than enhance productivity; it fosters an ecosystem of shared knowledge and innovation. By working closely with partners like Lenovo, we ensure that every solution is tailored to meet the specific needs of our operations while setting industry-wide standards for excellence. According to McKinsey, companies implementing AI in factories are seeing a 10-15% increase in production and a 4-5% improvement in EBITA—further proof of the transformative potential of such collaborations. 

The Role of 5G, IoT, and Edge Computing in Real-Time Operations

Industry 4.0 is powered by connectivity, and technologies like 5G, IoT, and edge computing are its lifeblood. At Alat, we are leveraging these technologies to enable real-time monitoring, automation, and decision-making across our facilities.

5G connectivity provides the high-speed, low-latency networks required to support massive IoT deployments. In our factories, IoT sensors collect and transmit data on everything from machine performance to environmental conditions. This data is then processed at the edge—closer to where it is generated—enhancing speed and reliability, ensuring that critical decisions can be made instantly.

The benefits of these technologies extend beyond operational efficiency. They enable predictive maintenance, reducing downtime and extending the lifespan of equipment. They also facilitate dynamic reconfiguration of production lines, allowing us to adapt quickly to changing market demands. In essence, they transform factories into agile, intelligent ecosystems capable of responding to challenges and opportunities in real time.

The global market for Industry 4.0 technology is expected to reach   USD 728.51 billion  by 2033, illustrating the massive growth potential in adopting these advancements.

Sustainability Through Partnerships: Building a Greener Future

Sustainability in manufacturing goes beyond just reducing emissions; it’s about optimizing resource use, minimizing waste, and innovating for a circular economy. Artificial intelligence can monitor and optimize production lines to reduce energy consumption and material wastage. The global AI market, projected to reach US$2.02 trillion by 2030, underscores the scale of opportunities for innovation in this area. Additionally, the global AI in manufacturing market is expected to grow to US$695.16 billion by 2032, reflecting its transformative potential.

Companies can develop alternatives to existing materials for production and packaging that are more eco-friendly. This not only benefits the environment but also creates cost efficiencies and improves resilience in supply chains.

Energy is a major focus area for improvement. The industrial sector accounted for 37% of global energy use and a quarter of CO2 emissions from energy generation in 2022. By powering factories with clean energy sources, such as solar, wind, or green hydrogen, their carbon footprint can be reduced dramatically.

Our partnership with Lenovo is central to this mission. By integrating innovative technologies into our facilities, we are creating factories that are not only efficient but also environmentally responsible. Saudi Arabia offers a range of unique advantages for Lenovo that align with the company’s wider strategic goals. The Kingdom’s location at the crossroads of major trading links with Europe, the Middle East and Asia allows the company to serve the region with far greater efficiency and speed. Meanwhile, by opting to manufacture in the country, the company can reduce the carbon footprint of its products and support its target of achieving net-zero by 2050. This coupled with the region’s fast-growing IT market presents huge opportunities to expand its presence with innovative solutions tailored for local needs. Together, we aim to set new standards for what is possible in sustainable manufacturing. 

Saudi Arabia’s continued investment in technology is another key driver of this transformation. With US$36.6 billion allocated to information and communications technology in 2024, Saudi Arabia is leading the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa in tech spending (IDC). Furthermore, the US$9 billion investment announced at LEAP23 highlights the nation’s commitment to fostering a thriving technology ecosystem.

Pioneering the Future Together

At Alat, our vision for Industry 4.0 is rooted in collaboration. By working with global technology leaders, we are transforming our facilities into smarter, greener, and more resilient ecosystems. Our partnership with Lenovo exemplifies what is possible when innovation and sustainability intersect.

As the world continues its journey through the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the potential for transformative growth in manufacturing is limitless. The future of manufacturing is bright, and it is a future we are proud to shape alongside our partners. Together, we are not just imagining the factories of tomorrow; we are building them today.

Qualcomm is committed to inspiring future inventors and enhancing the global tech ecosystem. Together, we can create a future where technology serves as a powerful tool for societal transformation and economic growth. 

BBVA's participation in the world's largest technology fair underscores its commitment to innovation and technology, a pledge backed by its 57 million mobile customers and by the fact that 78 percent of its total sales are already conducted through digital channels. It also brings the bank face to face with the best technological talent to continue incorporating advanced banking solutions that enhance the customer experience. 

Innovation and digitization: key drivers of BBVA's strategy

BBVA has placed technology at the core of its strategy. It invests more than €1 billion in technology annually in Spain alone and €3 billion globally, and it already has around 20,000 tech profile employees worldwide.

A good example of this strategy is its digital-only bank in Italy, which has succeeded in acquiring 600,000 customers in just two years. BBVA plans to replicate this strategy in Germany in 2025. This firm commitment to digitization is not limited to transactions, but also integrates personalization capabilities and financial health tools to improve the user experience.

BBVA Spark, supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem

Following its innovation strategy, BBVA created BBVA Spark to support startups and tech companies with scalable business models. Since its launch in 2022, BBVA Spark has expanded its presence in strategic markets such as Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and, recently, London. This unit not only offers financial services tailored to the needs of these companies, but also fosters networking and collaboration within the entrepreneurial ecosystem through events such as the Spark Summit in Barcelona or participation in international forums such as 4YFN and Finnosummit in Mexico.

Through BBVA Spark, the bank has supported innovative and high-impact companies such as Payflow, Cafler, Casafari, Exoticca, and Cabify, strengthening its commitment to the growth of disruptive projects in the market.

Artificial intelligence there for the customer

BBVA is highly experienced in leveraging artificial intelligence solutions to optimize decision-making and enhance operational efficiency. It also aims to improve its customers' financial experience. To succeed, the bank employs neural networks, natural language processing, and machine learning to help customers manage their savings, analyze their spending habits, and anticipate future expenses.

Now, with the rise of generative AI, BBVA is taking another step to unlock the full potential of these technologies. As part of this effort, the bank has signed an agreement with OpenAI to accelerate the adoption of language models that streamline internal processes and enhance service personalization.

BBVA has acquired 3,000 ChatGPT Enterprise licenses, already in use for marketing initiatives and improving customer support in legal inquiries, among other applications. The bank is also actively exploring and developing its own AI solutions. By combining traditional and generative AI, BBVA can further tailor financial services, delivering precise recommendations and personalized solutions to meet each customer’s needs.

Open Banking as an opportunity

Open Banking is a core pillar of BBVA’s digital transformation. With a globally recognized strategy in this realm, the bank empowers customers to access a wider range of financial services securely and efficiently. By integrating with third parties through its API platform, BBVA has created new opportunities for customers and businesses alike, fueling innovation and collaboration across the financial ecosystem.

By staying ahead of the field in Open Banking, BBVA continues to shape solutions that elevate the user experience, giving customers greater control over their finances and seamless access to a broad network of service providers.

Discover the future of banking

BBVA’s presence at MWC 2025 underscores its commitment to innovation and cutting-edge financial solutions. From digitization and AI to open banking and support for tech-driven entrepreneurship, the bank is shaping the future of the industry.

By taking part in this global event, BBVA has doubled down on its commitment to progress, making banking more accessible, flexible, and tailored to the evolving needs of customers and society.
See how BBVA is driving the future of finance. Meet its experts on March 4 at the Connected Industries stage (Hall 4) and take a first-hand look at how data and AI are redefining the banking industry.

 A new approach to telco cybersecurity

 BlackDice’s platform goes beyond traditional DNS filtering, delivering deep device intelligence and real-time threat prevention directly at the router level. This comprehensive approach enables telcos to: 

• Protect subscribers on any device, any network, in any location.
• Save costs by eliminating junk traffic, freeing up network capacity, and reducing operational strain.
• Grow revenues by offering cybersecurity as a value-added service to residential and SMB segments.

Real-world deployments, such as with Orion telekom in Eastern Europe, showcase the platform’s impact. In the first month, with an initial 200 users, BlackDice blocked over 953,000 threats and saved 4.33 terabytes of data traffic for just 200 users. A scaled deployment across their 60,000 residential and SMB users is projected to save $1.6 million annually.

 Showcasing New Product Features at MWC25 Barcelona

 At MWC25 Barcelona, BlackDice is unveiling a suite of advanced product features, built to provide deeper insights, enhanced protection, and greater value for operators and their subscribers. 

• BlackDice Retina™: A centralised intelligence platform that provides operators with actionable insights into network traffic, device behaviour, and cyber threat trends.
• Deep Packet Inspection: Analyse traffic in real time to detect and block sophisticated cyber threats before they reach subscribers.
• Port Scanning: Identify and address vulnerabilities proactively, reducing the risk of exploitation.
• Device Intelligence: Offer unparalleled visibility into every device connected to the network, enabling more accurate threat detection and management.

 Visit BlackDice at MWC25 Barcelona

 “We’re excited to return to MWC to share how our platform is helping telcos protect their subscribers, optimise their networks, and grow their revenues,” adds Paul Hague, CEO BlackDice. “This is an opportunity for telcos to see firsthand how our AI-driven solutions can transform their cybersecurity offerings and deliver real customer value.”

 Join BlackDice at MWC25 Barcelona in Hall 7, Booth 7A9 to learn more about the platform and its potential to revolutionise cybersecurity for telcos and their subscribers.

 For more information, visit blackdice.ai

 - ENDS

About BlackDice

 BlackDice is pioneering the future of AI-powered cybersecurity solutions. Its commitment to transforming cybersecurity infrastructures through advanced technology empowers people and organisations to safeguard their digital assets and information against evolving threats through comprehensive protection and enhanced security. BlackDice works with Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 telecom providers to deliver proactive and adaptive solutions to their customers - who range from small and medium-sized businesses to residential customers. Capable of monitoring billions of devices at one time, BlackDice’s unique platform can detect unusual patterns that signal a threat or attack is starting to build - and prevent it before it occurs.

Based in the United Kingdom with European headquarters in Malaga, Spain, BlackDice serves customers and partners across the globe, providing expert guidance and support to prevent cybersecurity risks.

More information at: www.blackdice.ai 

“The French pavilion is once again breaking records, thanks to the number of exhibitors and the diversity of the technologies on display,” says Thomas Levy, French Tech Pavilion Manager at Business France. “The French companies we are supporting this year excel in a variety of fields ranging from telecoms infrastructures to gaming platforms, AI, mobile solutions, IT security... This shows the richness of our ecosystem of technology companies.”

As part of the support provided by Business France, companies will have the opportunity to take advantage of qualified meetings with decision-makers and international buyers. These visits will be complemented by several networking events (lunches, delegation tours, happy hours, etc.). 

“Business France does its utmost to support French companies wishing to expand internationally”, explains Thomas Levy. “This involves a number of different stages, from scoping with our teams in our foreign network, to putting them in touch with the decision-makers involved, to upstream coaching to help them stand out from the crowd. We offer briefings on target markets, organize awareness bootcamps (how to pitch your company, manage your press relations at a trade show...) and other keys to success.”

Participation punctuated by highlights:

Several highlights will punctuate the French delegation's participation at Mobile World Congress. These include

• Monday, March 3
  • 2:00 pm: Inauguration of the French Pavilion
  • 5:30pm: France & International happy hour

• Tuesday March 4th
  • 5:30 pm: Happy French Hour
  • 8:00 pm: French Time Barcelona evening (registration required)

• Wednesday, March 5th
  • 11am: MWC Pitch Competition - Innovation Award, followed by prize-giving ceremony

Who are the French companies present?

Deeptech & AI :

ART-Fi, Erase4Good, Greenerwave, Muvraline, Optipus-PV, SCS Sentinel, Splio

Hardware & Software:

Agissim, AthenaSys, Athesi, Belledonne Communication, Cirpack, DataGreen, DXOMARK, IPOS, MVG Industries, nPerf, Opale Systems, Outsight, Perfwave, Secure-IC, SERMA Safety and Security, Spectronite, Tablette Store, United Monolithic Semiconductors SAS, Wupatec, XVOLV

IOT, FinTech, MedTech :

Skyted, Smartcom, SmartViser

Mobile Services & Gaming, Broadcast :

Broadpeak, ENENSYS, Blacknut, CareGame, iQsim

Telecom, GIS, Infra :

ANYFIELDS, Art & Fact Innovation, AW2S, Binom Mobile, Constellation Global, Dipli, Ekinops, Enreach, Evistel, Firecell, Free Pro, Halys, ITD - IT-Development, Jaggo Solutions, Kizwork, Kwarto, Lillybelle, Marben Products, Neoditel, P1 Security, Planet Network International, SETELIA, Wireless Logic   

To find out more about the Business France delegation at Mobile World Congress 2025 and the companies attending, please visit: https://event.businessfrance.fr/MWC/ 

Björn Qvarsell, Head of Product Portfolio, KDDI Spherience 

In recent years, the battleground in automotive manufacturing has centered around software, electrification, and supply chain resilience. Of these, software and electrification have posed significant challenges for legacy automakers. As a result, competitive strength in the automotive sector increasingly hinges on how well an automaker can become truly “Software Defined.”

The boating industry is—or will soon be—facing similar challenges and opportunities. While the transition to being Software Defined may look different for boats due to unique operational and environmental factors, the core principles of leveraging software and connectivity for innovation, customer experience, and operational efficiency remain the same.

When defining “the Connected Boat Opportunity,” it is helpful to examine both the similarities and differences between the automotive and maritime industries. Both cars and boats are vehicles that serve as a means of transport or leisure, yet boats vary widely in form and function, presenting distinct challenges and opportunities for innovation.

As a Connectivity Aggregator, we will not claim to be maritime industry experts—that is a role better suited for our good friends in the industry. However, we are well-versed in the transformative potential of connectivity for an industry poised to accelerate its digitalisation journey. 

Software in Boats

Software is quickly becoming the backbone of innovation in many industries, and boating is no exception. From smart navigation systems to automated maintenance alerts, software has the potential to enhance every aspect of boat ownership and operation. Advanced software systems can enable features like:

• Intelligent Navigation: Real-time data for weather, currents, and obstacles to optimize routes.
• Predictive Maintenance: Monitoring onboard systems to prevent costly breakdowns and reduce downtime.
• Automated Systems: Features like automated docking or anchoring to make boating safer and more accessible for less experienced users.

However, implementing software in boats comes with unique challenges. To a greater extent than cars, boats operate in harsh environments, including saltwater, extreme temperatures, and remote areas with limited connectivity. These conditions demand durable hardware and resilient software solutions.

To the customer, the software defined model means continuously expanded feature sets, seamless maintenance scheduling and a potential for infinite customization.

Connectivity as a Core Principle of ‘Software Defined’

Connectivity is the lifeblood of any Software Defined system, and it is particularly critical in boating. A robust connectivity infrastructure enables boats to communicate in real time with onshore systems, other vessels, and global services. This opens opportunities such as:

• Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates: Keeping software and navigation systems up to date without requiring a visit to the marina.
• Real-Time Data Sharing: Supporting predictive maintenance, weather alerts, and fleet management for commercial operators.
• Remote Monitoring and Control: Allowing owners to monitor their vessel's systems and performance from a smartphone or tablet.

Given the variable connectivity in open waters, solutions such as hybrid satellite-cellular systems will be essential to ensuring consistent and reliable connections. The peace of mind in being connected is a benefit to Customers who can also enjoy the digital services they are accustomed to in their daily lives – if, and when they want to.

A Digital Customer Experience

Today’s customers expect intuitive, smartphone-like experiences in every aspect of their lives, and boating should be no exception. By investing in a seamless digital experience, boat builders can attract a new generation of tech-savvy customers. This includes:

• Personalized Interfaces: Dashboards that adapt to the user’s preferences and skill level.
• Integrated Ecosystems: Apps and platforms that connect with other devices, such as wearables and smart home systems.
• Enhanced Entertainment Options: High-quality audio, video, and internet services to transform the onboard experience.

With the control of their boats literally at their fingertips, customers can now enjoy peace of mind in their boat ownership. Something that previous generations have struggled with.

The Value of Data

As boats become increasingly connected, the data generated by their systems becomes an asset. This data can be used to:

• Optimize Performance: Identifying inefficiencies and improving fuel consumption or battery usage.
• Enhance Safety: Leveraging real-time insights to reduce accidents and ensure compliance with maritime regulations.
• Support New Business Models: Data can enable subscription-based services, fleet management tools, and more.

Importantly, the collection, storage, and use of this data must be handled responsibly, with robust security measures to protect against breaches and misuse. When handled responsibly, the sharing of data will significantly simplify service and maintenance of the boat for the customer.

Navigating a Software Defined Future

The boating industry has a golden opportunity to redefine itself by embracing software and connectivity as cornerstones of innovation. The pioneers who act now will not only improve their operational efficiency but also deliver new value to their customers and reach new segments of the market.

As we have seen in the automotive sector, the journey to becoming Software Defined requires a paradigm shift and a customer-first mindset. The boating industry will rise to this challenge, leveraging the lessons learned from other sectors while addressing its own unique opportunities. 

Join us at the MWC25 Smart Mobility Summit and explore the connected boat as the next frontier of Software Defined Vehicles. The summit will also discuss the future of mobility, including building the backbone of modern mobility, developing critical network APIs and AI, and forging strategic partnerships for monetisation.

The four-session summit covers:

• Unlocking the Potential of Level 4 Autonomy in Mobility Ecosystems
• Building the backbone: The infrastructure behind modern mobility
• Empowering mobility: how network API and AI drive innovation
• Keys to success: monetisation, partnerships, and sustainability

You can register here https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/agenda?date=2025-03-05&track=Connected+Industries

The GSMA’s Director General, Mats Granryd, said: “There’s real excitement in the air for MWC25 Barcelona; that same disruptive energy we saw with the growth of mobile is here again in the AI era. From AI to 5G Advance to the rich potential for digital services unleashed by GSMA Open Gateway, only at MWC will we first see the products and ideas that embody this spirit of innovation set to reshape our digital future.”

Discussions about technology’s role in our societies are in the spotlight like never before. MWC will host some of the world's most influential minds who will share their insights on topics including how AI will reshape our lives, the challenges of balancing innovation and regulation, and the evolution of mobile networks. 

This year’s keynote and conference agenda will centre around the key trends shaping connectivity, from 5G inside to AI+. As well as an inspiring line up of around 1,200 speakers across MWC25 Barcelona’s 19 stages, recently confirmed keynote speakers include:

• AI Visionary, Ray Kurzweil
• Databricks’ Chief AI Officer, Naveen Rao
• European Commission’s Executive Vice President, Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera
• US Federal Communication Commission’s Chairman, Brendan Carr
• e&’s Group CEO, Hatem Dowidar
• Maven’s Founder & CEO, Kate Ryder Maven
• Mistral AI's CEO and Co-founder, Arthur Mensch
• Multiverse's CEO and Founder, Euan Blair
• Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas
• Pivot podcast’s co-host and NYU Professor of Marketing, Scott Galloway
• Shutterstock's Senior Director of AI and Data Science, Dr. Alessandra Sala

The GSMA’s Chief Marketing Officer, Lara Dewar, said: “MWC25 Barcelona is shaping up to be one of the most thought-provoking and insightful editions yet, staying true to our long history of showcasing the most influential leaders of our time. Discussions at MWC resonate far beyond its walls; the keynote stage will welcome the industry's most iconic thinkers to spark debate, share insights and inspire us about technology's role in redefining our societies and world.”

New speakers are being announced continuously on the MWC25 Barcelona website.

First-time exhibitors attending the show include Alibaba Cloud, China Unicom, Databricks, Indra, KDDI Spherience, KYOCERA, Liberty Global, Siemens, SquareTrade, Tencent Cloud, TransUnion and Ubiquiti. These companies join returning exhibitors and sponsors such as Accenture, AWS, China Mobile, Dell, e&, Ericsson, Google, HPE, Huawei, Lenovo, Meta, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, SK Telecom, Vodafone, Xiaomi and ZTE, among others.

4YFN, the home of big ideas, will bring together startups, investors and corporates to power the next generation of unicorns in Halls 8.0 and 8.1. The Banco Sabadell stage at 4YFN will host some of the biggest names from the global startup and investor community as well as the father of modern AI, computer scientist Juergen Schmidhuber. Day 3 will reveal one of the 4YFN Awards finalists – Bankuish, Horus ML, Qflow, Ramon.Space, Rockfish Data - as the winner.

On the GSMA Pavilion in Hall 4, the European Space Agency (ESA) will demonstrate the results of its partnership with the GSMA which aims to foster new terrestrial and satellite communications services for society. Also on the Pavilion, the GSMA will show a new Kazakh large language model (LLM) for AI to support under-resourced languages around the world. The LLM was created through our partnership with VEON, Beeline Kazakhstan and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, one of Europe's seven AI factories. 

And in the GSMA Open Gateway showcase next to the Pavilion, we will spotlight how network APIs are helping developers in vertical sectors deploy new services. There will be six demo pods hosting 17 organisations, including Nokia and Elmo Cars who will show how to remotely drive a car in Finland using APIs.  

The GSMA Ministerial Programme will convene industry leaders, government ministers and regulatory authorities for the world’s largest gathering of policymakers who enable the digital economy. Topics on its agenda will include AI governance, energy efficiency of networks, future spectrum for mobile and network investment. 

MWC25 Barcelona co-locates with FC Barcelona’s Sports Tomorrow Congress run by the Barca Innovation Hub in Hall 6 and, in a first for this year, it will take exhibition space at 4YFN. And, after a successful pilot last year, Mobile World Capital’s Talent Arena will co-locate at Fira Montjuïc. Over 200 speakers will attend Talent Arena this year, including Apple’s Co-founder Steve Wozniak. 

The GSMA Open Gateway DevCon will take place at Talent Arena, along with the Open Gateway hackathon. Developers will .com their projects under realistic conditions on live networks, with access to the la.com network APIs. Mobile World Capital is also bringing 180 developers from Paris on a charter flight with Vueling, and 70 developers on a dedicated high-speed train from Madrid with Iryo. 

The press conference is available to view: MWC25 Barcelona Press Zone; register to attend here.

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

Ahead of the 4YFN awards ceremony where a winner will be announced at MWC25 in Barcelona on 5 March 2025, the finalists have been selected by a panel of judges representing some of the most influential figures from the investor community. The finalists are recognised as leading startups driving progress across five key areas: digital health, green tech, fintech, digital horizons, and mobile frontiers.

Meet the 4YFN Awards finalists 

1. Bankuish (Colombia): Provides gig workers, creators, and freelancers easy access to affordable and ethical credit and banking services by leveraging work history to demonstrate creditworthiness. Bankuish helps de-risk the lending process for traditional banks, increasing productivity and discovering new customers.
2. Horus ML (Spain): Enhancing clinical decisions with AI to improve early diagnosis, personalised medicine, and remote monitoring of chronic patients. Horus ML is revolutionising cardiovascular risk detection, aiming to be the main provider of tools for early detection of atherosclerosis in Europe and Latin America.
3. Qflow (United Kingdom): Transforming construction with a data platform that uses AI to capture and analyse material supply chain data in real-time. Qflow is focussed on decarbonising the construction industry by reducing carbon emissions, minimising waste, and managing costs.
4. Ramon.Space (Israel): Driving the digital transformation of space systems by equipping satellites with cutting-edge onboard computing systems. Ramon.Space’s 5G NTN On Board Processor (OBP) technology transforms satellites into intelligent, autonomous units capable of delivering advanced space services.
5. Rockfish Data (United States): Revolutionising the telecoms industry with a generative data platform, using synthetic data and Generative AI to eliminate data bottlenecks and improve product lifecycles. Built on proprietary technology from Carnegie Mellon University, Rockfish Data's platform empowers companies to achieve efficiency and innovation.

The five finalists were selected from a pool of 20 groundbreaking startups, and will compete for a €20,000 cash prize, courtesy of GSMA Foundry. All 20 companies will be exhibiting at an exclusive Awards zone at 4YFN25.

The winner will be crowned at a ceremony following a high energy on-stage pitching competition taking place at the Banco Sabadell stage on Wednesday 5 March 2025 at 5pm CET. 

Pere Duran, Director at 4YFN, said: "A huge congratulations to our outstanding finalists, and to everybody recognised in this year’s top 20 startups list. Each year, I am blown away at the innovative ideas that continue to make the competition so strong. We look forward to showcasing how these 5 ambitious startups are harnessing the power of AI to disrupt their markets."

Secure your place to attend GSMA MWC25 Barcelona and 4YFN25 here.

– ENDS –

As registration for GSMA MWC25 Barcelona opens, I look forward to returning to the Fira Gran Via in March, welcoming new and returning attendees to the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event. 

In the almost 20 years since we brought our flagship event to Barcelona, the city has evolved to become one of Europe’s leading technology centres and is now home to R&D pioneers, including the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and the Institute of Photonic Sciences. What’s more, the number of international tech hubs in Barcelona and the wider Catalonia region has quadrupled in the last seven years to reach 140, generating over 26,000 jobs with an annual economic impact of €2.5 billion. 

During this time, MWC Barcelona has changed with the world around it, growing in both scope and scale. We’ve brought new features to the event, whether it’s the GSMA Ministerial Programme which began in 2006, the 4YFN startup platform which celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this year, or Connected Industries which we introduced in 2022 to celebrate the mobile innovations driving progress in vertical sectors. It’s this unique combination of exhibition, conference, startup platform and the largest gathering of policymakers who enable the digital economy that means you’ll find everybody at MWC Barcelona, from founders and enterprise leaders, right up to heads of state.

At the heart of all this change sits human talent, which powers every idea, technological breakthrough or societal change, however large or small. Our event is only possible because of this human talent; because of the visionaries and pioneers who not only anticipated change, but created it - for the benefit of humanity and the planet.

MWC25 returns under the banner of our new event theme, Converge. Connect. Create. and is the place where global leaders and innovators gather every year to network, take inspiration and do business.  This year’s  themes chart the next chapter of digital change: 5G Inside, Connect X, AI+, Enterprise Re-invented, Game Changers and Our Digital DNA.

As an event geared around the future of connectivity, it’s important that we serve the needs of the future innovators and leaders of our industry. And that’s exactly what Talent Arena seeks to achieve. 

Talent Arena – a new co-located event with MWC25 Barcelona 

After a successful pilot edition earlier this year, Talent Arena will once again be the place where digital talent meets, at a time when the global connectivity community is gathered in Barcelona for MWC.

Presented by Mobile World Capital in collaboration with the GSMA, the Spanish Ministry of Digital Transformation, Barcelona City Council and Generalitat de Catalunya, Talent Arena was introduced as a way of developing people – to train, retrain, upskill, identify opportunities and progress – and help inspire change, rather than waiting for it to come about. With Talent Arena, we are creating an environment to invest in people, so that they can invest in themselves.

The event takes place at the Fira Montjuïc – the former home of MWC – which is a reminder of our roots and how we far we have come. With Fira de Barcelona’s plans for Hall Zero, Talent Arena’s first edition is just the beginning of a journey towards uniting three ecosystems at MWC 2027 – global industry leaders and policymakers, global startups and global digital talent.

It is an important part of the MWC community, joining mSchools, 4YFN and the GSMA Ministerial Programme, with a commitment to developing human talent and creating a better world where people, businesses and societies thrive.

Dedicated to shaping the future of digital talent, Talent Arena will foster connections within the professional technology sector and provide insights into the latest technology advancements.  The event aims to connect corporate leaders and representatives of training institutions with world-class digital experts – including software developers, AI professionals, cloud engineers and many more – to level and then enhance the playing field for people of all ages and backgrounds, including those coming from underrepresented parts of society, so no-one is left behind. 

Delving into the most prominent topics impacting the digital ecosystem, including AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, emerging technologies and more, Talent Arena will feature a dynamic lineup of keynotes, workshops, networking sessions and more. Notably, the GSMA Open Gateway DevCon summit and hackathon, a global initiative designed to foster innovation in programmable networks using APIs, enabling participants to develop collaborative technological solutions to real-world problems. 

A partnership built on mutual success

MWC Barcelona is unique in that no other event brings together high-level government ministers, industry leaders, founders, operators, startups and, now, digital talent on such a scale. With its diverse profile of attendees, our event represents the intersection of social policy, business leadership and technological innovation.

Our relationship with the city of Barcelona is a partnership built on innovation, collaboration and mutual success. This perfect marriage of MWC and Barcelona has created a tech and innovation flywheel that continues to attract top tech talent globally. At MWC25 you will find the ultimate confluence of ideas, technologies, and people who are working together to create a better world. And with Talent Arena, it unites the entire digital ecosystem, while raising Barcelona’s profile on the global business and digital policymaking stage. In short, delivering a year-round economic and social capital legacy for Barcelona, the people of Catalonia and the people of Spain. 

Secure your place to attend MWC25 Barcelona now. To register for Talent Arena, click here.

4YFN brings together the most innovative startups from across the global ecosystem, and springboards them onto the radar of some of the most powerful decision makers in the connectivity ecosystem. Last year, over 2,000 founders of world-leading startups from 110 countries, and 1,000 investors, venture capitalists and corporate venture capitalists – representing over €50 billion of funds – came to 4YFN to showcase their cutting-edge solutions, network with like-minded founders and investors, and propel their ideas to a global audience.

4YFN25 is presented under the theme AI XL, which pays homage to the bold disruptors advancing this groundbreaking technology in new and exciting ways. Across its seven stages in Halls 8.0 and 8.1, the 4YFN agenda will tackle the latest trends reshaping industries, whether it’s the role of AI in fast-tracking innovation or the technology’s transition from the digital realm to our physical world. 4YFN is open to every attendee at MWC25 Barcelona; secure your place to attend here.

Introducing the 4YFN Top 20 Startups

One of the highlights of 4YFN each year is the 4YFN Awards, a global startup competition dedicated to discovering the best digital startups on the planet. The winner is crowned at a ceremony following a high energy on-stage pitching competition taking place at the Banco Sabadell stage on Wednesday 5 March 2025 at 5pm, chosen by a panel of judges representing some of the most influential figures from the investor community. 

Participating startups are selected from the recently published Top 20 Startups, which recognises leading startups driving progress in five key areas:

Digital Health – recognising the digital solutions and technologies striving to improve healthcare prevention, detection and delivery across services, systems, approaches and locations.

• The Blue Box (Spain) – transforming breast cancer screening through groundbreaking urine-based tests.
• Cure Bionics (Tunisia) – revolutionising the prosthetic market for low- and medium-income communities.
• Horus ML (Spain) – enhancing clinical decisions with AI assistance.
• Kemtai (Israel) – offers digital musculoskeletal care through its AI exercise platform.

Green Tech – shining a light on the solutions driving environmental sustainability across different sectors, whether it’s protecting our natural resources, environments and biodiversity or battling climate change.

• EnergyX (Republic of Korea) – revolutionising sustainable architecture by driving the creation of zero energy buildings.
• Mitiga Solutions (Spain) – empowering resilience in a changing climate through its climate risk intelligence platform.
• Phelas (Germany) – transforming renewable energy through its energy storage and planning platforms.
• Qflow (United Kingdom) – minimising materials waste to drive circularity across the construction industry.

Fintech – introducing the startups that are improving and automating the delivery and use of financial and insurance services, as well as driving financial inclusion globally.

• Bankuish (Colombia) – platform providing freelancers, gig workers and creators with easy access to credit and banking services.
• Embat (Spain) – transforming financial management through its platform designed by financial experts for financial experts.
• Okoora (Israel) – providing businesses with the financial infrastructure to scale their international operations.
• Spendbase (Ukraine) – empowering companies to optimise their SaaS, cloud and corporate card spending.

Digital Horizons – the pioneers that are transforming traditional industries and markets with cutting-edge technologies.

• Orquest (Spain) – optimising retail scheduling through its AI-powered platform.
• Rockfish Data (United States of America) – eliminating data bottlenecks across product lifecycles in the telecoms ecosystem.
• Sakak (Republic of Korea) – researching safe and reliable AI applications and improving interactions between people and technology.
• Shakers (Spain) – reimagining the way companies and freelancers connect and collaborate.

Mobile Frontiers – dedicated to the startups powering innovation in the telecommunications sector.

• Fossa (Spain) – delivering IoT connectivity solutions for remote asset and infrastructure management.
• IS-Wireless (Poland) – providing reliable Private 5G solutions for Industry 4.0.
• Quantum Industries (Austria) – offering secure and scalable quantum communication networks for critical infrastructure.
• Ramon Space (Israel) – driving the digital transformation of space systems.

One company from each category will be chosen to take part in the on-stage pitching competition, for their chance to be crowned best digital startup at the 4YFN25 Awards. The finalists will be announced on Thursday 10 December 2024, so keep an eye on the latest news coming out of 4YFN here.

Whether you’re a founder, investor or corporate trailblazer, 4YFN shines a light on the disruptive players powering the startup ecosystem and transforming vertical sectors. Secure your place to attend here.

For the third consecutive year, the congress will be held as part of MWC Barcelona, the world’s largest and most influential  connectivity event, which is hosted annually in the city. This is made possible, once again, thanks to the strategic partnership between FC Barcelona and GSMA, a global organisation that unites the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change.

This year, BIHUB is taking its presence at MWC a step further with a dedicated space at 4YFN, which has showcased and powered the startup ecosystem, from AI disruptors to visionary VCs and corporate change makers, for over 10 years at MWC. This will provide startups supported by BIHUB with a new way to present their projects to a global audience. In parallel, BIHUB is also collaborating with GSMA Foundry, the organisation’s innovation hub, to work jointly hereinafter on upcoming projects in this field.

From historical weight to future creation 

This will be the eighth edition of an international congress that this year has adopted the tagline “Hold the roots, mold the next”, a slogan that closely ties in with the club’s 125th anniversary and will serve as a springboard for debate around ways to combine historical legacy and identity with a forward-looking, bold, and inspiring spirit.  

FC Barcelona’s Center of Excellence is playing a specifically important role at the 2025 Sports Tomorrow Congress by showcasing experiences in relation to talent management for athletes to thus spark discussions about the present and future of the football industry.

Online format now available 

The latest edition of the Sports Tomorrow Congress will take place over two days at the Fira de Gran Via venue in Barcelona. Like last year, it will include a networking area and a large conference hall hosting ten thematic sessions designed to encourage dynamic exchange between experts and attendees. 

The event targets professionals across the wide spectrum of sports disciplines and can be attended either in person (by invitation only) or in an online format, which is now available for purchase on the congress website.

Why the GLOMOs stand above the rest

A big part of the GLOMOs’ prestige comes from their judging process. The awards are evaluated by over 200 independent experts, including analysts, industry veterans, and journalists. Unlike other awards driven by popular vote, the GLOMOs are peer-reviewed by those who understand the technological, economic, and social impact of each innovation. Being shortlisted isn’t just a nod of approval - it’s an acknowledgment from certified experts that the winning solution can shape the future.

Past winners often use their award to amplify brand reach, attract investor interest, and secure high-profile partnerships. A GLOMO signals that a company has a unique vision and the capability to execute it. For companies awarded at MWC, the timing is ideal: this is where partnerships are forged, technologies launched, and where media coverage is at its brightest.

The award categories

At MWC25, the awards span seven major categories: Mobile Tech, Digital Everything, Device, Tech4Good, Government Leadership Award, Outstanding Achievement, and Marketing Excellence. Each category covers a critical aspect of the mobile ecosystem, from breakthroughs in 5G and AI to innovations that drive digital inclusion and sustainable development.

This diversity underscores the GLOMOs’ commitment to recognising a broad range of achievements across the industry. Whether you’re a leading tech giant or an emerging start-up, each entrant is evaluated on the strength of their innovation and impact.

The final push: don’t miss out on the industry’s highest honour

With the deadline looming, companies now have a limited window to complete their submissions. The GLOMOs have become synonymous with excellence in mobile innovation because they focus on more than just hype—they’re about substance, relevance, and genuine industry advancement. For companies serious about their impact and legacy, a GLOMO represents the ultimate endorsement, a stamp of approval that can open doors to new markets, opportunities, and partnerships.

As the deadline approaches, now is the time for companies to bring their best to the table. The GLOMOs are more than just awards—they’re an institution within the mobile industry, defining and celebrating the innovations that will shape tomorrow. For those aiming to take their place in history at MWC, the time to act is now. 

Submit by November 29 and join the ranks of mobile technology’s most influential players.

Get ready to experience MWC25 Barcelona which returns for its 19th edition at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, 3 – 6 March 2025. MWC25 Barcelona is undeniably the world’s largest and most influential connectivity, with its unique combination of exhibition, conference, startup platform 4YFN and the largest gathering of policymakers who enable the digital economy.  

Join us at GSMA MWC25 Barcelona - from founders to presidents, it’s where ideas, technology and people converge, connect and create.  

Bringing together thought leaders and visionaries, leaders from the mobile ecosystem and diverse industry sectors – from startups and investors to SMEs and multi-nationals alongside global policymakers driving the digital economy – MWC25 Barcelona is the ultimate confluence of ideas, technology and people.  

With this intersection of social policy, business leadership and technological innovation, global leaders and innovators are set to gather at this year’s edition to take inspiration, do business, experience industry launches and vibrant discussion. 

Industry titans, technology pioneers and CEOs from companies such as Agility Robotics, the B-Team, Bharti Enterprises, Lenovo, the London Business School, Telefonica, Telstra, TIME, Women in AI will deliver keynotes  – with more to be announced; follow our digital channels (LinkedIn, X and Instagram) for updates.   

Speakers will take to the stages of MWC25 Barcelona named for the first time this year in honour of the trailblazers and tech luminaries who have shaped our digital and connected world: Katherine Johnson, Guglielmo Marconi, Alan Turing, and Hedy Lemarr.  

Converge. Connect. Create. 

Under the event theme of Converge. Connect. Create. this year’s event and conference programme will spotlight technological and digital change across the sub-themes of Our Digital DNA, Game Changers, Enterprise Reinvited, Connect X, 5G Inside and AI+.  

Last year, MWC25 Barcelona welcomed over 2,700 exhibitors, sponsors and partners and with over 80% exhibitors and sponsors re-booked in the two weeks following the close of the show, this year’s edition will feature an impressive lineup sponsors and exhibitors, including Accenture, Amazon Web Services, China Mobile, Dell, E&, , Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Honor, Huawei, Intel, Meta, Microsoft, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, ZTE and Xiaomi.  

Participants will engage in dynamic summits and discussions, including the perennial and impactful GSMA Ministerial Programme which focuses on transformative policies and practices for the industry. It hosts the largest gathering of policymakers who enable the digital economy. Leaders from government, industry and international institutions will meet their global peers in a curated space set up exclusively for industry leaders and policymakers, creating a unique global policy and regulation platform helping to address the power of mobile and global challenges. Last year, it convened over 180 delegations from 140 countries, including 2 heads of state, over 70 ministers, nearly 120 heads of regulatory authorities and over 40 intergovernmental institutions.  

As more industries are transformed by digital technology, the show is already shaping up to deliver a rich variety of conferencing content promising over 1,100 influential leaders speaking at panels and summits, across nearly 20 stages, on topics from AI to sports & entertainment, to cybersecurity and manufacturing and fintech and Connected Industry.  This includes the co-located Partner Programmes such as FC Barcelona’s Sports Tomorrow Congress on the Lamarr Stage and other events from over 40 global businesses and authorities. Click here for further updates.  

This year Diversity for Tech, brought to MWC with EY, brings together thought leaders to inspire and connect with a programme of roundtables and fireside chats to share solutions to help drive progress for equality, diversity and inclusion.  

From AI disruptors to visionary VCs and corporate change makers, 4YFN has powered the startup ecosystem for over 10 years, with 1,000 investors and VCs representing 50 billion euros and 930 startups participating in last year’s edition. Under a dedicated show theme of AI XL, 4YFN will host 7 programmes designed to turbo change the business plans and visions of startups and investors: Digital Health, Green Tech, Fintech, Universities Spin Off, Founders, Investors, Corporate Innovators.  

This year’s 4YFN Awards will recognise five finalists representing categories of Digital Health, Green Tech, Fintech, Digital Horizons and Mobile Frontiers with an overall winner announced at an awards ceremony at the show on 5 March 2025.   

Essential to its character and success is MWC25 Barcelona’s networking experiences and opportunities.  Hall 6 will once again feature the MWC conference district dedicated to bringing leaders together across a range of collaborative networking areas, auditoriums, and VIP lounges. Our thanks to Barcelona City Council and Mobile World Capital for bringing Beat Barcelona back for its fourth edition, where you can experience Barcelona’s music, tapas and drinks in an atmosphere designed for networking in a relaxed setting. Find it across the two gardens in the upper walkway of Hall 8.1. 

GLOMOS – Celebrating 30th Anniversary – Submissions Open until 22 November 2025 

This year we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Global Mobile Awards, the mobile industry’s most prestigious awards that recognise game-changing achievements and industry contributions. We have added a new 7th category for Marketing Excellence, reflecting the growing importance of innovative marketing strategies in shaping the future of the digital economy. Closing date for submission to the GLOMOs is Friday 22 November 2024.  

Introducing Talent Arena 

Mobile World Capital Barcelona is bringing Talent Arena, piloted at last year’s edition, to be co-located with MWC Barcelona, on location at Fira Montjuic. Talent Arena will bring together developers and recruiters, global companies and universities and become a hub for learning, networking and career development. Registration is now open and members of the media are invited to apply for a complimentary press pass to MWC Barcelona here. Registration for Talent Arena is available here. 

Barcelona, November 13, 2024.- Mobile World Capital Barcelona has announced the launch of the first edition of Talent Arena, set to take place from 3-5 March at Fira Montjuïc Barcelona, Hall 8. Co-located with MWC Barcelona 2025, Talent Arena will bring together developers, leading tech companies, and educational institutions, creating a dynamic environment for learning, networking, and professional growth in digital technology.  

Spanning three action-packed days, attendees will immerse themselves in workshops, live technology demos, and multiple hackathons. Also, offering over 200 expert speakers sharing their insights on the digital talent ecosystem, emerging technologies, and industry trends.

The presentation of the first edition of Talent Arena 2025 will be presided over by the Deputy Mayor of Barcelona City Hall, Jordi Valls, the Secretary for Digital Policy of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Maria Galindo Garcia-Delgado, the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in the Government of Spain, María González Veracruz, the CEO and director of GSMA Ltd., John Hoffman and the CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, Francesc Fajula.

Talent Arena is an initiative of Mobile World Capital Barcelona with the collaboration of GSMA, Barcelona City Council, the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Civil Service. Also, the event is supported by the private sector, with companies such as Grupo CaixaBank (Main Partner), which will showcase technological innovation projects and address issues like digital inclusion; Schneider Electric (Event Sponsor); and Eurofirms Group (HR Sponsor), all demonstrating their commitment to digital talent and continuous learning.

Barcelona, a Hub for Digital Talent 

The event seeks to reaffirm Barcelona as a global benchmark in the digital sector, acting as an international hub for the entire digital ecosystem. Talent Arena will run alongside MWC Barcelona- the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event- and 4YFN, which focuses on empowering the start-up ecosystem. We will have the entire digital ecosystem in the same city on the same dates.

With this, MWCapital aims to consolidate Barcelona as a top-tier destination for generating and attracting digital talent, relying on a strong base of over 122.185 professionals in ICT sectors and more than 140 tech hubs. The event offers valuable networking opportunities with industry leaders, fostering collaboration and mentorship among attendees. 

Continuous learning and innovation are prioritized, equipping participants with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in an ever-evolving technological landscape.

Talent Arena 2025: Activities and Themes of the Present and Future 

Talent Arena will address key topics such as artificial intelligence, software engineering, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and future technologies like Quantum computing, Microchips or NewSpace. Additionally, themes related to sustainability and the management of digital talent in an increasingly demanding environment will also be discussed. 

Among the 200 speakers who are experts in ICT and leaders of technology companies are speakers such as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak; former world chess champion and AI promoter, Garry Kasparov; Google’s vice-president of Product, Xavier Amatriain; Open-Source expert and former Microsoft Azure Office executive, Sarah Novotny; the head of AI at Meta, Cristian Canton, and Former Senior Developer Enigneer at Space X, Blue Origin & Starlink, Lauren Lyon, among others. In addition to technology disseminators such as Nate Gentile and Dot CSV will also participate. Furthermore, companies will showcase success stories and technological advancements, providing developers with valuable insights, while attendees will have the opportunity to learn about educational offerings in their sector and tools for excelling in recruitment processes.

Key highlights of the event include the GSMA Open Gateway hackathon, a global initiative designed to foster innovation in programmable networks using APIs, enabling participants to develop collaborative technological solutions. For the first time, the GSMA Open Gateway DevCon will move to Talent Arena. This developer-focused summit, led by the GSMA, will showcase the potential of network APIs and their ability to revolutionise digital experience development.

Moreover, Talent Arena’s activities will extend beyond the conference walls through an agreement between MWCapital and iryo, which will launch a high-speed train connecting Madrid and Barcelona, bringing together talent from both cities.

A Decisive Step Following the Success of the Pilot Edition 

Building on the success of the pilot edition at MWC Barcelona 2024, which attracted tech professionals from leading companies, Talent Arena is set to reach new heights in 2025 with an expanded and ambitious first edition. Last year’s proposal, covering a 1,500 sqm space, showcased the enormous potential of this initiative. Now, Talent Arena will grow to 20,000 sqm, with three days exclusively dedicated to digital talent.

About Talent Arena

Talent Arena is the main European event dedicated to digital talent, organized by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and co-located with MWC Barcelona 2025. For the first time, digital professionals, world-leading technology companies and educational institutions will come together to create a hub for learning, networking and professional growth. In collaboration with the GSMA, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council and with the support of CaixaBank as main partner and Schneider Electric as Event Sponsor, Talent Arena plays a key role in fostering the next generation of technological talent in Europe.

About Mobile World Capital Barcelona

Mobile World Capital Barcelona is a public-private foundation that promotes the digital development of society to build a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future through the humanistic use of technology. MWCapital contributes to positioning Barcelona as a global benchmark in the digital field and consolidating MWC's legacy throughout the year, promoting initiatives in the field of technology transfer, the promotion of digital talent, the development of innovative technological projects with social impact and the generation of knowledge. MWCapital hosts the MWC in Barcelona, is the founder of 4YFN and connects citizens with the latest digital trends through key events.

For more information:

Emily Henley – ehenley@mobileworldcapital.com – +34 673 004 102
Estela López – e.lopez@romanrm.com – +34 654 741 683
Àlex Palau – a.palaul@romanrm.com – +34 651 579 415
Eva Soler – e.soler@romanrm.com – +34 665 038 781

13 November 2025, London: MWC25 Barcelona, the world's largest and most influential connectivity event, returns for its 19th edition at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona from March 3-6, 2025. The event brings together innovators, visionaries, and leaders from the mobile ecosystem and diverse industry sectors, including startups, investors, SMEs, and multinationals, alongside global policymakers driving the digital economy.

Under the umbrella event theme of Converge. Connect. Create., this year’s event and conference programme will spotlight technological and digital change across the themes of Our Digital DNA, Game Changers, Enterprise Reinvited, Connect X, 5G Inside and AI+. Participants will engage in dynamic summits and discussions, including the GSMA Ministerial Programme, which focuses on transformative policies and practices for the industry.

New for this year, MWC25 Barcelona will feature stages named in honour of the trailblazers and tech luminaries Katherine Johnson, Guglielmo Marconi, Alan Turing, and Hedy Lemarr. Industry titans, technology pioneers and CEOs from companies like Agility Robotics, the B-Team, Bharti Enterprises, Lenovo, the London Business School, Telefonica, Telstra, TIME, and Women in AI will deliver keynotes – with more to be announced; follow our digital channels (LinkedIn, X and Instagram) for updates. Exhibitors and sponsors will include Accenture, Amazon Web Services, China Mobile, Dell, E&, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Honor, Huawei, Intel, Meta, Microsoft, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, ZTE and Xiaomi. 

The event will also feature the 4YFN platform, which has powered the startup ecosystem for over 10 years. Under a dedicated show theme of AI XL including AI technology keynote speakers, 4YFN will host seven programmes designed to turbocharge the business plans and visions of startups and investors: Digital Health, Green Tech, Fintech, Universities Spin Off, Founders, Investors, Corporate Innovators. 

The 4YFN Awards will recognise five finalists in categories such as Digital Health, Green Tech, Fintech, Digital Horizons, and Mobile Frontiers, with an overall winner announced at the show on March 5, 2025.

Networking experiences and opportunities are essential to MWC25 Barcelona's character and success. Hall 6 will feature the MWC conference district, dedicated to bringing leaders together across a range of collaborative networking areas, auditoriums, and VIP lounges. Additionally, the event will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Global Mobile Awards (GLOMOs), recognising game-changing achievements and industry contributions.

Finally, Mobile World Capital Barcelona is bringing Talent Arena to MWC25 Barcelona, a hub for learning, networking, and career development, co-located at Fira Montjuic. Registration is now open and members of the media are invited to apply for a complimentary press pass to MWC25 Barcelona here. Registration for Talent Arena is available here.

Read more about MWC in this blog post here.

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com

Over the past three decades, the GLOMOs have become synonymous with industry leadership, celebrating the most impactful advancements and contributions to the sector. With over 200 independent judges and 33 awards spanning seven categories, the GLOMOs have consistently recognised the innovation and achievement in the mobile and digital industries. 

Following last year’s successful edition, this year, the GLOMOs are introducing a new 7th category – Marketing Excellence. This category will recognise outstanding achievements in event activation and marketing campaigns, highlighting the growing role of creative marketing strategies in shaping the future of the digital world.

The GLOMO Awards are considered one of the top accolades in the industry, judged by leading experts. Being shortlisted for a #GLOMOAward has signified recognition as a key player ready to make a significant impact in tech.

For more details and to submit your entry, visit the GLOMO Awards page.

If you didn’t catch Demis in action at MWC Barcelona 2024, you can re-watch his keynote session, Our AI Future, where he discusses AI and his work.

And finally we solved this problem – where we could predict in a few seconds, from the genetic sequence, the 3D structure of a protein. And because it’s so fast – it would normally take five years for one protein and there are 200 million proteins known to science - what would have taken a billion years to do, we have done in one year with AlphaFold.  

Demis Hassabis, speaking at MWC Barcelona 2024 
 

Hassabis, best-known for AlphaGo—the first AI to defeat a world champion at the game of Go—has led DeepMind to become a key player in AI research, with over 1,000 published research papers, including breakthrough studies featured in Nature and Science. His work in AI has not only pushed the boundaries of machine learning in gaming but also tackled real-world challenges. AlphaFold’s advancements have significantly accelerated research in fields like drug discovery, contributing to the understanding of protein structures, which are essential to numerous biological processes. 

Explore MWC Barcelona 2025's conference themes

At MWC Barcelona 2024, Hassabis joined Steven Levy, tech industry author, on the keynote mainstage to discuss how AI can continue to drive human progress. He delved into the responsible deployment of AI, DeepMind’s achievements across various domains, and the latest innovations, including Gemini, Google DeepMind’s most advanced AI model to date. 

As we witness the rapid evolution of AI, Hassabis’s achievements serve as a reminder of the technology’s potential to address complex scientific questions and accelerate solutions to some of society's most pressing challenges. Congratulations Demis!  

Watch Keynote 3: Our AI Future →

The report also shows thattelcos need to look beyond connectivity driven solutions and services and take a broader view of the opportunity. Core telecom solution and service areas, such as SD-WAN, unified communications and mobile voice and data, currently contribute around 70% of B2B revenues or $250bn for operators in 2023, although they offer little headroom for growth with just 3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) expected out to 2030.

Read the full story on gsma.com →

MWC Barcelona 2024, which welcomed more than 101,000 attendees across four days in February also created 9,200 part time jobs in the city of Barcelona, an increase of 100 jobs compared to 2023. Cumulative, since 2006, MWC Barcelona is estimated to have generated over 160,000 part-time jobs across Catalonia. 

This year’s edition of MWC cemented its reputation for vibrant discussion, networking, industry launches, policymaker gatherings as well as convening industry leaders and attendees from across the mobile ecosystem. With its unique combination of exhibition, conference and the largest gathering of policymakers who enable the digital economy, MWC is undeniably the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event. 

MWC Barcelona 2024 in numbers:

• €502mn of economic impact generated
• More than 9,200 part time jobs created
• €6.3bn contributed to the Barcelona economy in total since 2006
• More than 101,000 attendees from 205 countries and territories
• More than 2,700 exhibitors, sponsors and partners
• Over 59% of attendees representing industries adjacent to the core mobile ecosystem
• Over 1,100 speakers and thought leaders, including over 40% female speakers
• 51% of attendees at director level or above, 21% of whom were C-suite
• The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened over 180 delegations from 140 countries, including 2 heads of state, over 70 ministers, nearly 120 heads of regulatory authorities and over 40 intergovernmental organisations.

“Our contribution to the prosperity and economic opportunities of Barcelona is clear, and we are delighted and proud to be part of the success of this city which means so much to us. MWC and Barcelona is the perfect combination of innovation, collaboration and mutual success – without the support of Host City Partners and the people of Barcelona, we wouldn’t be able to put on such a successful event, year after year. We are so grateful for this public-private partnership,” said GSMA Ltd.’s CEO, John Hoffman. 

Jordi Valls, fourth deputy mayor of Barcelona City Council, expressed his gratitude for the results, stating, “The news today of MWC’s economic impact to Barcelona is a message of confidence in the city, and is evidence of our shared success. After 18 years of relationship, we can affirm that the MWC is much more than just a congress for Barcelona, and that Barcelona is much more than just a city for the GSMA.” 

The economic impact generated by MWC includes direct impact (i.e. the additional expenditure in the host economy due to MWC, indirect impact (i.e. the "ripple effect" as direct expenditure is recycled through the economy, and a significant tax inflow to the Government as a result of hosting MWC. It is calculated by  an independently verified process and has been measured since 2006.

The benefits of MWC Barcelona extend beyond the value it brings to the global mobile and technology sectors during the event’s annual week – it provides a legacy all year round. MWC is a vital creator of prospects and economic opportunities that benefit the citizens of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain. Since it came to Barcelona in 2006, MWC has evolved to include an entire ecosystem that serves all, with a range of programmes and activities such as the Mobile World Capital and mSchools

-ENDS-

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com 

Media Contacts

GSMA Press Office 
pressoffice@gsma.com                                                                                      

This strategic expansion is being led by Natalia Olson-Urtecho who’s international and government experience as an Obama Appointee running start-ups and small business for the US government provides extensive experience in scaling impact globally.

The launch of the Startup Sherpas platform in Spain is a milestone moment, taking the impact Startup Sherpas has been having on the teen economy beyond the UK, targeting young entrepreneurs across the Mediterranean - with the aim of venturing into LatinAmerica.

John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd, said: "It is an honour to support something so crucial to the development of the global teen economy. These young individuals are not just tomorrow's customers but also our future talent. The privilege that Barcelona and MWC have been chosen to be at the heart of Startup Sherpas' global expansion is not lost on us. We are thrilled to be part of this journey, shaping the future of entrepreneurship and innovation."

The British Embassy and the Spanish Government have already supported this move; they see the global need for entrepreneurial education as a critical priority.

Startup Sherpas has crafted its educational approach with global scalability at its core. The model, which merges practical paid work experience, junior apprenticeships and startup training, has already celebrated remarkable success in the UK. To date, nearly 5,000 teenagers have completed the programme - and Startup Sherpas is on track for a further 10,000 teen ‘Sherpees’ in 2024.

Natalia spoke to professional basketball player Ricky Rubio, who said: “We look forward to working with organisations like startup sherpas to innovate and improve the experiences for children and adolescents. Working with Hospitals across the region exemplifies the foundation's commitment to enhancing healthcare environments. I want to use basketball to help unprivileged youth to teach them the values of life as teamwork, resilience, and entrepreneurial skills can give them a better future.”

Startup Sherpas does more than just arm the youth with the essential tools to become the upcoming tide of innovators, ready to address worldwide issues like climate change, sustainable food systems, and a robust global economy. It also provides these teenagers with a source of income, injecting immediate value into the teen economy.
 

Katherine Walker, Chief Impact Officer at Startup Sherpas, said: “We have a proven model for engaging diverse teenagers at real scale. Yes, the individual impact on each teenager is significant, but really, the impact of the teen economy is much, much bigger. “The Spanish office shows our commitment to driving an inclusive economic future for everyone, from Spain, from around the Mediterranean, from LATAM - all teenagers and important to our mission.”. she added.

The organisation is keen to adapt and customise its highly successful UK-based model to align with the distinct cultural and economic contexts of the Mediterranean and Latin American regions. This expansion underlines Startup Sherpas' dedication to forming a global network of one million young entrepreneurs by 2029.

Hugo Pickford-Wardle, Co-founder of Startup Sherpas, highlighted: “Given that this is the global gathering of people who care about connecting the world for a better future, it’s fitting to launch our next phase at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

“The support from the British Embassy and the Spanish government also underscores the timeliness of our expansion.”

Sarah Roles-Ndibe, Head of Technology & Financial Services at the British Embassy, shared her enthusiasm. “Supporting Startup Sherpas’ expansion into Barcelona aligns perfectly with our mission of promoting innovation and collaboration between the UK and Spain,” she said.

“Its venture into the Mediterranean and Latin America underscores the universal demand for entrepreneurial education and the global influence of innovative UK enterprises.”

The organisation’s work in the UK, including partnerships with the HMRC Tax Office and Accenture to address Cyberbullying and scams, sets a precedent for its international efforts.

Its impactful work has garnered acclaim from partners and media alike, including Allianz and the Financial Times. A testament to its success, a group of teenagers from the programme is shortly showcasing their work at the Financial Times headquarters in London.

Startup Sherpas invites media, potential partners, and interested parties to support its mission to empower the next generation of global innovators.

About Startup Sherpas:

Startup Sherpas is a pioneering organisation dedicated to equipping teenagers with startup skills through a unique model that blends paid work experience and junior apprenticeships with startup training.

Committed to addressing global challenges through innovation, Startup Sherpas has educated nearly 5000 teenagers in the UK and is now poised to expand its influence internationally. The organisation champions the power of a global generation of innovators to solve the world's most pressing problems.

For more information and partnership opportunities, please contact: 
press@startupsherpas.co.uk
Hugo Pickford-Wardle
Founder - Startup Sherpas +44 (0)7869 412356 
LINK TO PRESS HUB

www.startupsherpas.org 
www.linkedin.com/company/startup-sherpas

MWC Barcelona is undeniably the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event thanks to its unique combination of exhibition, conference and the largest gathering of policymakers who enable the digital economy.

John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. said, “MWC Barcelona embodies the energy and vibrancy of the mobile ecosystem. We are honoured to host this special event which once again has delivered an exceptional four days of debate, thought leadership, inspiration and deal making. Our thanks to all who came to this year’s show; and special thanks to the Host City Parties. Barcelona has delivered again!”

MWC Barcelona 2024 in numbers

• Over 101,000 unique in-person attendees from 205 countries and territories
• Over 59% of attendees representing industries adjacent to the core mobile ecosystem
• Over 2,700 exhibitors, sponsors and partners
• Over 1,100 speakers and thought leaders, including over 40% female speakers
• 51% of attendees at director level and above, of which 21% were C-Suite
• 26% female attendees
• Over 2,600 journalists and industry analysts from around the world
• The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened over 180 delegations from 140 countries, including 2 heads of state, over 70 ministers, nearly 120 heads of regulatory authorities and over 40 intergovernmental organisations
• 4YFN, which this year celebrated its 10th anniversary edition, welcomed 930 exhibitors, 450 speakers and over 1,000 investors with collective funds totalling €50 billion
• MWC Barcelona has been certified as carbon neutral for 10 years. And this year, use of the complimentary public transport pass given to all MWC attendees increased by 42% compared to last year. With the GSMA’s Environmental Programme, we aim to minimise the environment footprint of MWC
• So far, over 400,000 unique viewers of the keynotes and live sessions on the MWC Barcelona website, Mobile World Live and media partners platforms and media outlets
• Talent Arena, a new programme of MWCapital, celebrated its first edition at MWC with a 48-hour Open Gateway Hackathon and professionals from more than 400 companies

Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA said, “Hearing truly compelling industry insights from the conference programme, and experiencing the innovation, ingenuity and optimism from the show floor, is why we meet in Barcelona every year. This event is about providing a glimpse into the future and demonstrating how AI, 5G and APIs are unlocking new possibilities, thanks to collaborative initiatives like GSMA Open Gateway. We wish everybody a safe trip home and look forward to welcoming you back next year.”

Future first: realising the future’s potential

MWC Barcelona kicks off the GSMA’s annual calendar of events. Join us as we continue our journey to bring industries, technologies and communities together to realise the future’s potential at MWC Shanghai between 26-28 June 2024; followed by MWC Las Vegas from 8-10 October 2024; and MWC Kigali from 29-31 October 2024. MWC Barcelona 2025 returns to the Fira between 3-6 March 2025.

The M360 series begins with M360 Eurasia, which returns to Baku between 15-16 May 2024; followed by M360 LATAM in Mexico City from 5-6 June 2024; M360 APAC in Seoul between 1-2 October 2024; and M360 MENA in Doha from 18-19 November 2024.

All keynote sessions from MWC Barcelona 2024 are available on-demand on the MWC Barcelona website, app, and Mobile World Live. News and updates from the event, as well as B-roll and photography, are available on the MWC Barcelona Press Zone.

– ENDS –

About GSMA The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Quantum computing startup Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech was selected as winner after an on-stage pitching competition judged by a panel of experts from the investor community and a live audience consisting of investors, business executives, entrepreneurs, government officials and the general public. Among the perks awarded to the winners are a €20,000 cash prize courtesy of GSMA Foundry, as well as a startup exhibition pod and speaking opportunity at 4YFN MWC Barcelona 2025.

The 4YFN Awards is a global startup competition aimed at finding the best digital startups around the world, and is the highest recognition offered exclusively to startups at MWC Barcelona.

Pere Duran, Director at 4YFN, said, “Congratulations to Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech for winning the 10th anniversary edition of the 4YFN Awards, and to each of the four finalists that took to the stage this evening – I’ve been continuously amazed at the level of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit we’ve seen on the 4YFN stages over the past decade. The future is bright for the global startup ecosystem, and we look forward to the next 10 years of connecting founders with investors and shining a light on the planet’s best digital startups.”

The winning startup was selected by a jury made up of Kate Cornell, General Partner at All Iron Ventures; Hendrik Brandis, Co-founder & Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital; Shesh S, Sr Director – CVC at SK Telecom; Nicole Leblanc, Partner at Woven Capital; and Sébastien Lefebvre, Partner at Elaia Partners.

Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech faced tough competition from the other finalists – Bitsensing (South Korea), Mica AI Medical (Israel), Ocean Econstructures (Spain) and Whispp (the Netherlands) – who were shortlisted from the 4YFN Top 50 Startups list. The finalists were selected based on criteria including the innovation of the startup’s proposition, its impact, its future potential and more.

The 4YFN Top 50 Startups list, which was published for the second consecutive year in November 2023, recognises the digital startups at the forefront of technology.

Celebrating a decade of impact at 4YFN

Now in its tenth year, 4YFN is the startup and innovation platform at MWC Barcelona. To celebrate its 10th anniversary edition, 4YFN24 has unfolded across two Halls – Halls 8.0 and 8.1 – and featured seven stages, four networking spaces and a number of programmes dedicated to key topics such as Digital Health, Green Tech, Fintech and more. Debuting this year is the Founders programme, as well as the University & Spin-off Hub which celebrates academic innovation.

Day four of 4YFN will feature a partner programme from AWS focused on the investment and technology trends for startups to consider in 2024. In addition, there will be a full day of panel sessions, fireside chats and pitching competitions. Topics include steps to help founders build resilience in their startups, top tips for sustainable investments, and the importance of driving social change in today’s startup landscape.

During a decade of impact, 4YFN has connected over 9,200 founders with 5,400 investors, and this year’s show has welcomed over 900 exhibitors, 400 speakers and over 1,000 investors with collective funds totalling €50 billion.

The 4YFN Awards is sponsored by Console Connect and GSMA Foundry.

– ENDS –

About GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

New this year are six categories created especially for the 2024 edition of the Awards – Best AI Innovation; Best Mobile Innovation for Enhancing the Lives of Children and Young People; Best Non-terrestrial Network Solution; Best Private Network Solution; the GSMA Foundry Innovation Award; and the Open Gateway Challenge.

The GLOMO Awards represent the connectivity industry’s most prestigious accolade, honouring the companies, individuals and governments driving innovation and positive change in the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries. With 30 awards available across six categories, the winners are chosen by a panel of over 220 independent judges representing the industry’s most prominent subject matter experts.

During his opening remarks at the ceremony, John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd. said, “Winning a GLOMO Award means achieving the highest form of recognition from your peers across the connectivity industry. As we celebrate the 29th edition of the Awards, the industry sits on the cusp of a new digital era, and our winners represent the companies, individuals and governments that will lead us into this hyper-connected world. Congratulations to all of our winners!”

Introducing the winners of the 2024 GLOMO Awards

Mobile Tech

CTO Choice: Outstanding Mobile Technology Award: Athonet, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Acquisition, Ampliphae and Arqit for The First Quantum-Secure 5G

Best Mobile Network Infrastructure: Huawei for Green Antenna Series, Energy-Saving & Simplified Deployment

Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough: Huawei for ‘0 Bit 0 Watt’ Solution

Best Network Software Breakthrough: Huawei for RAN Digital Twin System Enables RAN Intelligence

Best Digital Tech Breakthrough for Companies with Under $10mn Annual Global Revenue: Cirrus360 for RAN Domain Specific Language Driven Intelligent Automation: Gabriel™

Best Mobile Security Solution: Athonet, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise Acquisition, Ampliphae and Arqit for The First Quantum-Secure 5G

GSMA Foundry Innovation Award: Sony for NTN using Murata’s 1SC Module and Skylo’s Network

Best Cloud Solution: SK Telecom for Cloud Radar (Telco’s AI-Powered Cloud Business Platform for Telcos & Enterprises)

Best Non-terrestrial Network Solution: Skylo Technologies

Best Private Network Solution: China Unicom, State Grid, Huawei and TD Techh for their Inclusive 5G Smart Grid Solution to Build the World’s Largest New Power Supply System

Digital Everything

Best Mobile Operator Service for Connected Consumers: China Unicom Guangdong for the World’s First 5G Livestreaming Service

Best Mobile Innovation for Connected Economy: Wuhan Iron and Steel Corporation (WISCO), China Unicom and ZTE for 5G Fully Connected Smart Steel Factory

Best Mobile Innovation for Connected Health and Wellbeing: Hyodol for AI Elderly Care Platform

Best Mobile Innovation for Digital Life: Kyiv Municipality for Kyiv Digital Live-saving App

Best Mobile Innovation for Cities: Kyiv Municipality for Kyiv Digital Project

Best AI Innovation: Qualcomm Technologies for Qualcomm AI Engine

Open Gateway Challenge: Axiata Digital Labs for Dialog Axiata and XL Axiata Meta Stage

Device

Best Smartphone: Google Pixel 8 Series

Breakthrough Device Innovation: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Best Connected Consumer Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Best in Show: Honor - Porsche Design Magic V2

Tech4Good

Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets: Huawei & Ufone for Microwave SuperHub Solution – a Spectrum Congestion Remover for Operators

Best Mobile Innovation Supporting Emergency or Humanitarian Situations: Kyivstar for Network Resilience Project

Best Use of Mobile for Accessibility & Inclusion: SK Telecom and Tuat for AI-based Virtual Assistance Voice Guidance Service ‘Sullivan Finder’

Best Mobile Innovation for Climate Action: Fairphone for Fairphone 5

Outstanding Mobile Contribution to the UN SDGs: Huawei & BJFF: Intelligent AI-based Fish Filtering System to prevent the Extinction of Atlantic Salmon

Best Mobile Innovation for Enhancing the Lives of Children and Young People: Zoë-Life Innovative Solutions for KidzAlive Talk Tool App

Government Leadership Award

Government Leadership Award: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Outstanding Achievement

Outstanding Contribution to the Mobile Industry / Chairman’s Award: Rima Quereshi, CSO of Verizon, Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom and Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Group Executive Director and CEO of Telecommunications Business, Axiata

Diversity in Tech Award: Madalina Suceveanu, Managing Director, Mobile & Cloud Technology, Liberty Global

For further information about the GLOMOs, visit: https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/mobile-awards

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About GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

Barcelona, February 28, 2024 - Mobile World Capital Barcelona has successfully concluded the hackathon of the first edition of Talent Arena, the new space dedicated to digital talent at MWC Barcelona 2024. For two days, 48 tech professionals have developed innovative projects to design the future of telecommunications. The hackathon has been the main activity of the Talent Arena, aimed to connect digital professionals from different backgrounds with leading companies in Barcelona and exploring the latest trends and job opportunities in the digital sector.
 

The three winning use cases of the 48-hour hackathon were, in first place, a collaborative system to report incidents to the public administration and verify their location; in second place, a streaming platform to optimize the experience of users watching live video; and in third place, a platform to improve healthcare when you are in a foreign country without knowledge of the local language. All participants defended their projects in the boxing ring. Throughout the experience, participants have had the opportunity to create practical use cases to explore the potential of different Open Gateway APIs provided such as: Number verification, SIM swapping and WiFi QOD. The professionals, with profiles such as front-end, back-end, full stack, and business, have worked in 12 multidisciplinary teams. 

 

Talent Arena, the new epicentre of talent and networking in the technology sector 
In addition to the success of the hackathon, Talent Arena has featured sessions by renowned experts such as Arduino co-founder, David Cuartielles; former vice president of engineering at Linkedin, Xavier Amatriain; Google software engineer, Carlos Villavieja; Institute of Artificial Intelligence co-founder, Miguel Ángel Román; Tinybird.com co-founder, Javi Santana; and Ruby on Rails core member, Xavier Noria.

The new digital talent space driven by Mobile World Capital Barcelona, in collaboration with GSMA, Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council and CaixaBank as the main partner, has allowed participants to immerse themselves in the latest developments in the sector through various workshops and technological presentations that have offered a detailed vision of the emerging trends and future opportunities offered by the digital sector, as well as the latest disruptive projects from Barcelona's leading technology companies. 

 

About Mobile World Capital Barcelona 
Mobile World Capital Barcelona is a public-private foundation that promotes the digital development of society to build a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future through the humanistic use of technology. MWCapital contributes to the positioning of Barcelona as a global benchmark in the digital field and consolidating MWC's legacy throughout the year by promoting initiatives in the field of technology transfer, the promotion of digital talent, the development of innovative technological projects with social impact and the generation of knowledge.

MWCapital hosts MWC in Barcelona, is the founder of 4YFN and connects citizens with the latest digital trends through Jump2Digital and Tech&Play.

For further information:

Estel Estopiñan – eestopinan@mobileworldcapital.com +34 656 25 83 94 
Emily Henley – ehenley@mobileworldcapital.com - +34 673 004 102 
Sergi López – s.lopez@romanrm.com - +34 649 354 568

Key agenda items will include the role of initiatives such as the GSMA Open Gateway in fostering industry-wide collaboration, the importance of policy frameworks that ensure fair and equitable contributions to mobile infrastructure upkeep, and progress in closing the usage gap in MENA and bringing the benefits of mobile internet to all.

Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA said, “We are excited to collaborate with Ooredoo in hosting M360 MENA in Doha. This partnership signifies our commitment to fostering digital inclusion, innovation, and collaboration in this dynamic region. By bringing together key stakeholders, industry experts, and thought leaders, we aim to drive conversations that will shape the future of connectivity, propel economic growth, and contribute to the continued digital advancement of the Middle East and North Africa. The event reflects our dedication to building a connected and empowered future for the entire region.”

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulla Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer of Ooredoo Group, emphasized the significance of this event, stating, "The unveiling of M360 MENA in Doha during MWC Barcelona underscores our strategic alliance with GSMA. This moment is not just a celebration for Ooredoo but for both our organisations and the pivotal role we play in digital transformation. Our deep-rooted partnership with GSMA aims to leverage connectivity for the betterment of society, businesses, and the world. By bringing together thought leaders, policymakers, and innovators from around the globe, we are helping to advance the boundless potential of digital technologies to unite us and highlight the critical part telecommunications and GSMA play in crafting our collective and more connected future."

Sheikh Ali Bin Jabor Bin Mohammad Al Thani, Chief Executive Officer of Ooredoo Qatar, also shared his insights, remarking, "The announcement of M360 MENA in Doha is a significant milestone for both Ooredoo and Qatar. As we prepare to host our international guests in Doha this November, we are reminded of the transformative potential of digital technology to transcend borders and its critical role in shaping our society for the better. Our M360 MENA event will serve as a platform for sharing insights, fostering partnerships, and showcasing the latest technological advancements that will help build a more inclusive and empowered digital community."

M360 series: Regional focus, global impact

Presented by the GSMA, M360 is a series of global events that unify the regional mobile ecosystem. The events aim to discover, develop and deliver innovation that serves as the foundation for positive business environments and societal change. Through inspirational keynotes, thought-provoking panel discussions and insightful case studies across mobile technology, senior executives from mobile and adjacent industries come to learn and discuss in detail their challenges and successes, as well as network with peers.

For more information, including the latest news and information live from MWC Barcelona, we invite you to visit our Press Zone.

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About GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at gsma.com

About Ooredoo

Ooredoo is Qatar’s leading communications company, delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses. As a community-focused company, Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people’s lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential.  
  
X: @OoredooQatar  
Instagram: @OoredooQatar  
Facebook: facebook.com/ooredooqatar  
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ooredooQatar  
YouTube: youtube.com/user/OoredooQatar  
Website: ooredoo.qa 

Photo caption: Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA joined Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulla Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer of Ooredoo Group to celebrate the return of GSMA M360 MENA in a signing ceremony at MWC Barcelona 2024.

As of January 2024, 261 operators in 101 countries had launched commercial 5G services, and more than 90 operators from 64 markets have committed to rollouts. Of the 261 commercial 5G services available, 47 are provided by 5G Standalone (SA) networks, with a further 89 planned deployments near-term that will take advantage of network slicing, ultra-reliable low-latency communications support and the simplified 5G SA network architecture.

The growth of available 5G SA networks, and improved support for private & dedicated networks, will support a massive number of connected devices and help to realise the global IoT vision for the enterprise. GSMAi data shows the enterprise segment now counts 10.7 billion IoT connections (versus 10.5 billion consumer connections) and this momentum is expected to continue, with enterprise connections more than doubling to 38.5 billion by 2030 and smart buildings and smart manufacturing accounting for 34% and 16% of total enterprise connections respectively.

Beyond 5G SA, the availability of 5G-Advanced with 3GPP Release 18 will be another key 5G milestone in IoT delivery, providing the catalyst for new 5G investment throughout 2024 and into 2025. GSMAi data shows over half of operators expect to begin deploying 5G-Advanced within a year after commercial availability of 5G-Advanced solutions, driven by priority use cases such as 5G multicast services and low-cost IoT support.

GSMAi predicts a fourfold rise in mobile data traffic between now and 2030 with expansions in 5G coverage and capacity playing a prominent role, showcasing the importance of continued infrastructure investments. It is predicted that monthly global mobile data traffic per connection will grow from 12.8 GB in 2023 to 47.9 GB in 2030.

The increasing use of Generative AI (GenAI) – 56% of operators are currently testing applications – will also likely fuel this growth. This will be driven by applications including the use of GenAI-enabled chatbots for customer service efforts or the continued growth of AI-generated video and music content.

Peter Jarich, Head of GSMAi, said: “The early success of 5G was driven by enhanced mobile broadband (EMBB) and EMBB-related network traffic requirements. Yet, while consumer requirements will continue their trajectory, we’re now seeing use cases beyond that. Opportunities are now appearing in areas including API monetisation and 5G RedCap for enterprise IoT – all supported by 5G-Advanced and 5G SA networks. 5G SA brings home 5G’s early promise, particularly where slicing, low-latency and massive IoT capabilities tied to enterprise service needs can be met. 5G-Advanced will only extend that further.”

Revenue realisation

New use cases will deliver new revenue streams for operators – which in turn brings a new focus to billing for 5G services. As more 5G SA networks become available, a new standard for billing was required to support the rollout of advanced network services and the flexible billing process that 5G SA cores offer.

The GSMA worked with its members, including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Swisscom and Vodafone, to develop and launch a new Billing and Charging Evolution (BCE) standard to replace Transferred Account Procedures (TAP). The BCE Standard represents a simplified charging model and will be a requirement for operators looking to implement 5G SA networks and deliver value from wholesale roaming settlement in 5G, LTE and operational efficiency of IoT.

Commercialising network APIs

Network API exposure is offering operators another route to maximise returns on their 5G investments and generate revenue beyond the traditional approach of selling connectivity services. GSMA Open Gateway is now empowering operators to harness the full potential of new capabilities built into 5G networks. In the 12 months since launching, 47 mobile operator groups – representing 239 mobile networks and 65% of global connections – have now committed to exposing their network APIs via CAMARA.

Working with technology partners including AWS, Infobip, Microsoft, Nokia and Vonage; 94 APIs are now commercially available to enterprise developers worldwide.

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• The Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, visited the Bluewave Alliance stand where he was introduced to the SeaSpore project, which uses cutting-edge technology to recover the marine biodiversity of the Mediterranean coast.
• The Bluewave Alliance is an alliance driven by ISDIN, the leading dermatology laboratory in Spain, which brings together purpose-driven companies, the scientific community and social entrepreneurs committed to the rejuvenation of the Mediterranean through innovative and impactful projects.
• The SeaSpore project proposes to install works of art along the Coast of Barcelona, co-created with artists, converted into calcium carbonate spores of 3x3x3 meters, which will regenerate the seabed. Through innovative technology it will be possible to monitor biological metrics and the evolution of biodiversity in real time.
• The fusion of science, art and technology aims to raise awareness among citizens who will be able to visit the exhibition of the replicas of the underwater works of art that will be installed on the surface and, through technology, see how marine life is generated.

Barcelona, February 27th 2024. The Bluewave Alliance, an alliance of purpose-driven companies, social entrepreneurs and the scientific community, powered by the ISDIN laboratory, presented today its flagship SeaSpore project to regenerate the seabed of the main Mediterranean capitals by combining technology and art. The Bluewave Alliance aims to protect, rejuvenate and recover the biodiversity of the Mediterranean, the most polluted sea in the world, through innovative and impactful projects.

Barcelona could be one of the cities to host the SeaSpore project, an initiative in which different national and international artists will collaborate to expand the breakwaters with works of art that will become generators of marine life. The project was presented as part of MWC Barcelona at the Bluewave Alliance stand where a scale recreation of one of these works of art can be seen. "The Mediterranean is the sea that saw us born and that has inspired us with its beauty, richness of species and its privileged ecosystem, unique in the world. Today it is under threat. That is why at ISDIN, through the Bluewave Alliance and the SeaSpore project, we intend to create a movement to discover, love and protect the sea and thus promote its regeneration so that future generations can enjoy a healthy and beautiful Mediterranean," explains Juan Naya, CEO of ISDIN, the company behind the Bluewave Alliance.

Each work of art made with calcium carbonate will be a 3x3x3 meter sculpture that will be submerged in the seabed and through state-of-the-art technology it will be possible to monitor biological metrics and the evolution of biodiversity in real time. The aim of the project is to raise awareness among citizens to preserve the seas and oceans, therefore an exhibition of replicas of the sculptures will be installed on the surface and visitors will be able to see, scanning them with an app, how they generate life on the seabed. This will create a tourist attraction and an area of interest for both locals and visitors to approach the coast and the sea to appreciate the beauty of art and nature.

A partnership to protect the Mediterranean

The UN Oceans treaty, approved a year ago, maintains the 30×30 target of protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030, as scientists have shown that effectively protecting 30% of the seas and oceans should be sufficient for the regeneration of 100% of the marine surface. One of the challenges facing the Bluewave Alliance is to protect 30% of the Mediterranean in order to achieve this global regeneration, as currently less than 1% of this sea is effectively protected. The aim of this alliance is to promote conservation and restoration projects in the Mediterranean that can also be applied to the rest of the world's seas and oceans, in order to raise public awareness of the importance of caring for the seas and oceans.

The Bluewave Alliance is a non-profit initiative that seeks to restore the health and beauty of the Mediterranean Sea. It brings together entrepreneurs-dreamers of sustainability with innovative projects; purposeful companies willing to promote them with their resources; and the scientific community to provide the necessary knowledge to ensure their impact.

About ISDIN: