Devices, AI, Sovereignty, Networks, Satellite: What to Expect at MWC 2026, Part Two

This is the second part of a two-part blog sharing our expectations about the hot topics at this year’s MWC in Barcelona. In part one, we discussed connected device trends. Here, we turn our attention to operators, networks and connectivity.

Focus on AI, Sovereignty and 5G-Advanced Scenarios

Mobile network operators will once again enjoy a strong presence at MWC; their stands are usually among the most vibrant and their CEOs have secured high-profile presentation slots.

In keeping with the major theme of the event, AI will dominate operators’ presence on the show floor as the industry seeks to tap into the relentless hype surrounding the technology.

Deutsche Telekom has already confirmed that its MWC stand will be heavily centred on AI. This includes its use of AI in the network to adapt to people’s behaviour, anticipate issues and implement corrective action. We expect a showcase of its AI factory, which recently launched in Munich as part of a collaboration with Nvidia, and of how AI can be used in the home through voice controls, including with AI glasses.

Digital sovereignty will also be high on the agenda. In today’s unstable geopolitical climate, there’s an opportunity for operators to position as a trusted partner to win business from enterprise or government customers.

Network APIs will be another important focus on operator stands. We expect to see a range of demonstrations spanning areas like digital identity, fraud prevention and network quality. Other topics among operators are likely to include network slicing, satellite connectivity, autonomous networks, drones, robotics, private networks and quantum technologies. We may hear about 6G from Asian operators, but their European counterparts will steer clear and instead focus on maximizing investments in 5G.

Topics in the CEOs’ headline sessions will include the next stages of 5G deployment and the journey to 6G; capitalizing on opportunities from AI; momentum from APIs; and sovereign solutions for government and large enterprises.

We’ll probably also hear the perennial grumbles about over-zealous regulation and Europe’s poor global standing compared with other world regions. Attendees can expect references to the European Commission’s recently published Digital Networks Act. This proposes consistency on national spectrum authorization, including longer licences, but it has been criticized by the GSMA for not being ambitious enough.

Network Suppliers Will Highlight the Role of AI

AI continues to be a major theme in every part of the network. While almost every network supplier will use AI to market its offerings at MWC, unpicking the impact will require careful analysis.

There are four major areas to watch with AI:

• AI RAN: using AI to improve efficiency in the radio access network (RAN) and, in time, turn mobile base stations into mini-AI data centres.
• Network automation: using AI to improve operations and maintenance, and large-scale plans to deploy AI agents.
• AI-driven network requirements: a few years ago, network suppliers were using AR and extended reality to build a case for improved uplink speeds and lower latency. Now, their marketing focus has shifted to AI requirements to support smart glasses, especially visual AI, as well as physical AI to support robotics.
• Sovereign AI: at MWC 2025, network sovereignty was back on the agenda following the political change in the US. This isn’t a quick area to deploy, it’ll take years to decouple dependencies, and there are ongoing discussions about varying degrees of sovereignty and what is necessary for each customer. At this year’s event, we’ll see more discussion and more announcements.

We dig into the first two of these areas in more detail below.

AI RAN

The shockwaves from Nvidia’s $1 billion investment in Nokia in late October 2025 continue to reverberate. At the time of the announcement, Nokia said it would expand its portfolio with Nvidia products such as the Arc Pro Aerial RAN Computer, but the company offered little detail and no information on the implications for its current RAN products. Nokia has its usual big communications event on Sunday, where we expect to hear more about its plans.

There is another reason for RAN suppliers to talk up the role of AI: the RAN market is flat because it’s mid-cycle, approximately halfway between early 5G launches in 2019 and the arrival of 6G in 2029 or, more likely, 2030. While the industry aims to make 6G an AI-native network, many companies are using machine learning and AI on 5G to improve energy efficiency and improve performance. Huawei and ZTE are pursuing this objective, as are Western manufacturers.

However, the AI RAN Alliance, which was announced two years ago, continues to be a largely Western endeavour, with Nvidia and SoftBank the key movers. It reached over 100 members in 2025 and we expect more demonstrations at MWC this year.

AI-Powered Network Automation

AI is a key tool to improve network automation, speed up network repair and help operator engineering teams to manage the increasing complexity of mobile networks. It is also at the heart of network monetization products from suppliers such as Netcracker and Amdocs. We’ll see more agentic AI offerings at MWC 2026, and the challenge will be to unpick how close to commercial deployment these agentic solutions are — especially those that aim to create inter-agent interaction. Amdocs is notable in its recent announcement. Having already highlighted AI in its amAIz product, it has now unveiled aOS, which uses AI to connect its complete product portfolio.

The core network suppliers are now out of cycle with the RAN. Early 5G offerings used existing 4G core networks. However, over the past two years we have seen rising deployment of 5G cloud cores and, as a result, 5G standalone. At MWC, we’ll hear more about the extent to which 5G standalone has changed how operators make money from 5G networks.

Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure continue to be extremely active in core network solutions, often in partnership with Nokia and Ericsson. The rising importance of AI helps the Western cloud companies build increased traction in the telecom market.

China’s two large players, Huawei and ZTE, are extremely active in using AI and agents to automate network operations. They’re helped by a large domestic market, where operators are keen to become more efficient and build modern networks. Expect to see extensive AI demonstrations at the stands of the Chinese operators, as well as those of Huawei and ZTE — although the vendor showcases may be in invitation-only areas.

6G Demos Move to the Main Stage

While 6G is years away, long lead times mean that we’re now at the stage in the cycle where suppliers demonstrate the scenarios and functionality that they aim to deliver for the next generation. We expect the number of demonstrations to reach the levels seen in 2016, when examples of 5G-powered network slicing were sprinkled throughout the show.

The business focus for 6G is an area to watch, not least to establish to what extent data communication is still a driver, compared with new markets such as public safety and defence. There are also questions about how 6G will build on the business-to-business and industrial markets that 5G targeted.

The designers of 6G are targeting two notable areas:

• Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC): This enables the cellular network to detect objects and the environment. An early focus is to detect drones. There are clear uses in protecting airports and smart cities, but applications include public safety and defence too. Interdigital, Ericsson, Cohere and ZTE are among the companies to watch for demos of sensing.
• Ubiquitous connectivity: This will include seamless integration of terrestrial cellular networks with new platforms to offer a network connection everywhere. This includes both satellite networks and high-altitude platforms such as balloons and drones.

Suppliers Aren’t Waiting for 6G for Sensing and Satellite

There has been a lot of cynicism about the prospects for 6G, especially in Europe. However, there’s interest and momentum everywhere, and not just among the Asian vendors and operators that are likely to be the leaders in 6G deployments.

Both sensing and satellite connectivity are being developed now using 5G-era technologies. In sensing, ZTE has been an early innovator with 5G millimetre-wave-based sensing deployments. Lynk, Skylo and Starlink now have multiple satellite partnerships in place. Apple and Google have launched simple narrowband satellite connectivity. All these moves highlight the potential for 6G and why cynics must change their view. Both sensing and satellite connectivity are included in 5G standards, but the capabilities are considerably more primitive than the designs and goals being worked on for 6G.

Satellite Networks Are Now a Mainstream Topic

Satellite and non-terrestrial network (NTN) technology is going to be one of the defining themes of MWC this year. It’s a topic that has been building momentum steadily over the past few years, but this year we expect it to step into the mainstream.

Aside from seeing the letters “NTN” on slides and stands — alongside imagery of space and planets — it will also be reflected in the conference agenda itself. There are nine keynotes, panels and workshops dedicated to satellite and NTN topics this year, culminating in the Satellite and NTN Summit on Wednesday morning.

Direct-to-device is the hottest topic right now, not just in the satellite industry, but in the mobile operator community. It enables satellites to connect directly with smartphones when they are outside terrestrial coverage areas.

This time last year, we were just starting to see the first signs of commercialization, largely through announcements of partnerships and trials. Today, the landscape looks very different. In just the past few months, we’ve seen commercial launches from operators all over the world, including T-Mobile and Verizon in the US, KDDI in Japan, Telstra in Australia, Rogers in Canada and Kyivstar in Ukraine.

The services are developing too: we’ve moved beyond basic SOS and emergency text messaging to enabling lightweight data in apps like WhatsApp, maps and weather.

This is proving popular in some markets. Initial data from our forthcoming report on developments in the satellite market in the fourth quarter of 2025 suggests there are about 12 million active direct-to-device connections globally. That’s still an early-stage number in mobile industry terms, but it’s meaningful momentum and signals that direct-to-device services have moved firmly from concept to commercial reality.

Telco Operators Have Satellite Partnership Choices to Make

Operators are under growing pressure to choose their satellite partners. There are a few distinct options, and all of these will be pitching for business at MWC.

The most prominent of these is Starlink. It has the strongest momentum, the largest low-Earth-orbit (LEO) constellation for direct-to-device and the most commercial partnerships that have launched. Crucially, its European presence is accelerating, as evidenced by Virgin Media O2 in the UK recently partnering with Starlink and MasOrange in Spain. Discussions about Starlink now extend beyond technology, with geopolitics now part of the conversation, as well as long-term questions about its market power. The company’s spectrum position and a recent “Starlink Mobile” filing raise competitive considerations for operators.

Other satellite options include AST SpaceMobile, whose joint venture with Vodafone was a headline from MWC in 2025. The company is targeting commercial broadband phone services in 2026 and has built a strong operator ecosystem. However, deployment of its satellite timelines remains tight. Skylo is another alternative. Using geostationary-orbit satellites and mobile-satellite services (MSS) spectrum, Skylo has strong traction in internet of things (IoT) scenarios, as well as partnerships with Orange and Deutsche Telekom. However, the company offers limited device support and lower overall data capability.

But these aren’t the only players. The field is widening, and more partnerships and constellations are coming. Two are from satellite companies that have been operating for a few decades: Iridium and Viasat, which is working with Space42. We can expect high visibility of both at MWC: they have sponsored several stage sessions and will be using the event to highlight their progress. Iridium has adapted its LEO constellation to support 3GPP mobile standards and is promoting its NTN Direct solution for direct-to-device and IoT. Space42 and Viasat launched the Equatys brand last year, combining their spectrum assets. Both are aligned with the 3GPP 5G-NTN architecture.

More broadly, we expect standards-based NTN to be a major theme at MWC. Announced a few weeks ago, Airbus’s UpNext SpaceRAN demonstrator involves a large consortium of suppliers, many of which will be at the show. Expect more memoranda of understanding, trials and demonstrations focused on NR-NTN and early discussions about 6G satellite networks. The European Space Agency will highlight its orchestration of some of these in its keynote presentations.

Spectrum will also feature heavily in discussions. To enable some of these visions, MSS spectrum has become strategically valuable, highlighted by Starlink’s $17 billion EchoStar deal. We expect the launch of more chipsets and IoT devices supporting these various bands at MWC. The GSMA will also host a keynote session on the topic with Viasat, which holds the S-band MSS licence in Europe. Those licences expire in 2027, so policy and renewal debates will intensify.

Satellite Broadband Competition Intensifies

The opportunity in satellite spans several segments where the underlying economics are perhaps most attractive. To date, the primary drivers of LEO satellite fixed broadband have been Starlink and OneWeb. However, meaningful competition is now emerging, particularly in the enterprise market.

At MWC 2026, we expect to see an increased focus on a variety of satellite-enabled usage scenarios, including industrial IoT, automotive connectivity, private networks and backup connectivity for data centres and AI workloads. There’s even early discussion about space-based data centres, which reflects how ambitious the road map has become.

The new kid on the block, Amazon Leo, will no doubt have a strong presence, with services targeted at rural households as well as businesses, taking advantage of Amazon Web Services’ partnerships. Another to watch for is Telesat’s Lightspeed, with both companies moving closer to commercial deployment. In the past few weeks, we learnt that Blue Origin is launching its own constellation in 2027, called Terawave, which is focused on high-capacity space communications of up to 6 Tbps through laser optical links.

And of course, SpaceX isn’t slowing down. Beyond Starlink’s consumer and mobility ambitions, its coming together with xAI, the owner of Grok, signals a broader convergence between space infrastructure and advanced computing, ahead of its upcoming IPO.

For our expectations on connected device trends at MWC, see Devices, AI, Sovereignty, Networks, Satellite: What to expect at MWC 2026, Part One.

Stay tuned for our insights from the event, which takes place from 2 to 5 March 2026.