AI, networks and new devices, what to expect from MWC 2026

The Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona returns from 2 to 5 March 2026 at the Fira Gran Via in L’Hospitalet and does so with an “anniversary” edition: vent’anni since the GSMA brought the event permanently to Catalonia.

The feeling, looking at the program and trends, is that MWC 2026 will be less of a “smartphone fair” and more control room on three dossiers: artificial intelligence (and rules), connectivity infrastructures (from 5G to satellite), and technological autonomy in a global market under pressure.

Numbers and political “weight”: why 2026 matters

The organizers expect to equal or exceed the threshold of 109,000 participants and to confirm an MWC increasingly oriented towards decision-making profiles (executives, investors, regulators), rather than simply counting badges.

It is an approach consistent with the declared objective: to make the congress a place where business is done, but also where standards and regulation are discussed. On the economic front, the estimated local impact remains in the hundreds of millions and is part of the long-term budget of the MWC in Barcelona.

AI becomes “infrastructure”: rules, ethics and sovereignty

If there is one word that will cross pavilions and keynotes it is AI. Both as a function in products and as an industrial and regulatory theme: we will talk about ethics, responsibility and how reconciling innovation and governance.

Here a concept comes into play that is becoming central especially in Europe: the “sovereignty of AI” applied to telecommunications and digital services. In practice: who controls data, models, clouds, chips and networks on which AI-based applications and services run? It is the heart of the debate between operators, big tech and public decision makers, because AI “eats” data and requires bandwidth, low latency, reliability and security.

In concrete terms they are to be expected more announcements on AI for networks (automation, predictive maintenance, energy optimization), discussions on AI compliance and risk management in regulated sectors (healthcare, transport, PA); a growing attention to the relationship between AI and cloud/edge, i.e. where intelligence “lives” and where it is executed (in data centers, close to the user, or in hybrid architectures).

From the terrestrial network to space: satellites and “ubiquitous” connectivity

A second major axis is satellite connectivity integrated with mobile networks: an increasingly concrete topic (also for geopolitical and resilience reasons) and at the center of the European agendas on strategic digital autonomy.

It is no coincidence that among the names of interest stand out figures linked tospace and satellite ecosystemlike Gwynne Shotwell (SpaceX), cited among the most anticipated speakers.

The point is not whether satellite or 5G will prevail, but the idea of ​​hybrid networks: coverage in remote areas, continuity of service in case of crisis, transport and logistics services (from aviation to maritime routes), and new opportunities for operators.

5G remains a work in progress: not only coverage, but above all monetization (industrial private networks, low latency services, slicing, mission-critical applications). Alongside, we begin to talk about the “foundations” for 6G, more as an industrial roadmap than as an imminent product.

It all happens while the hardware supply chain is experiencing a delicate phase: AI-related demand, cost pressure (including on components such as memory), and macroeconomic and trade uncertainty.

The smartphone market, however, is showing signs of recovery and “resilience” after more difficult years. (In your text base you mention IDC numbers and 2025 market shares; they are a good context to explain why brands arrive in Barcelona with greater product aggressiveness.)

Foldables, robot-phones and AI on devices

The MWC remains a hardware showcase, but with a different center of gravity: phones become platforms for AI services and new interfaces.

The foldable case: from curiosity to stable premium segment

In the manufacturers’ story, foldable smartphones stand exiting the experimental phase and consolidate a premium niche that aims to grow.

Samsung highlights the maturity of the category after multiple generations and investments in R&D, with a focus on durability (hinges, displays), miniaturization and AI functions increasingly integrated into the user experience.

Honor describes a more mature market, where the barriers move from “pure” technical problems to perception and price, with the idea of ​​the foldable as “bridge” between smartphones and tablets for professionals e creator.

Motorola insists on the flip as a design/portability choice and on the role of the external display and the “hands free” modenoting that resistance remains above all on price and (often perceptive) fears of fragility.

“Robot phone” and new interfaces

Among the most talked about curiosities, a first telephone concept designed for is expected in Barcelona uniting AI and personal robotics in a demonstration object with high media impact.

Big tech yes, Apple no: the ecosystem at the fair

The MWC brings together telcos and big techs: operators, network vendors and large software/cloud platforms. The pattern should also repeat itself in 2026, with the difference that the conversation increasingly shifts to AIcloud, security, data, as well as on devices and networks.

Apple, as often happens, plays the game elsewhere with proprietary events and launches outside the perimeter of the fair (a useful detail to understand why in Barcelona the attention is distributed across multiple brands and multiple categories).

The role of MWCapital and the talent factor

Two decades of MWC have contributed to transforming Barcelona into a European hub of technology and innovation, also thanks to its “bridge” work with the local fabric and the academic world. It engages on this axis the Mobile World Capital strategy: retaining value in the territory not only with tourism, but with the attraction of businesses, projects and human capital.

Talent Arena 2026: the bet on digital skills

The most relevant “satellite” is the Talent Arena 2026, scheduled from 2 to 4 March (in conjunction with MWC and 4YFN), built as a major European event for developers and digital professionals: over 200 sessions including conferences, workshops and hackathons, with guests such as Tim Berners-Lee and Kate Darling.

Behind the scenes: logistics, sustainability and infrastructure of the fair

The MWC is also a huge logistics machine (assembly, catering, transport) and a test bed for the digital infrastructure of the fairgrounds. The Fira Gran Via is a strategic asset of the city: 240,000 m2 and an expansion path that looks to the coming years.