Global telecom industry body, GSMA has outlined plans for MWC26 Barcelona, confirming a lineup of global technology and telecom CEOs alongside a series of live, large-scale demonstrations designed to highlight how advanced connectivity is being deployed in real operational environments.
The event will take place from March 2–5 at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue and is expected to draw operators, vendors, policymakers and digital platform companies from across the global connectivity ecosystem.
This year’s edition will feature keynote appearances from top industry leaders, including Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm, Margherita Della Valle of Vodafone, Tim Höttges of Deutsche Telekom, Christel Heydemann of Orange, Allison Kirkby of BT Group, John Stankey of AT&T, He Biao of China Mobile and Akira Shimada of NTT Inc. The speaker roster also extends beyond telecom, with executives from Character.AI, OURA, Blizzard and several AI and software startups scheduled to take the stage.
According to the GSMA, the conference program will emphasize AI, advanced connectivity and cross-industry digital transformation, reflecting how mobile and cloud technologies are increasingly embedded in sectors such as transport, healthcare and manufacturing.
New exhibitors this year include Adobe, Cohere, NSCALE, Siemens and Toshiba. Meta will also debut an immersive Meta Lab experience focused on wearable and AI-driven technologies.
John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd., said the 2026 edition will put stronger emphasis on applied innovation through interactive exhibits and operational-scale demos. He said new themed zones are designed to show how emerging technologies are being tested and scaled in real environments rather than just concept settings.
One of the headline additions is the Airport of the Future zone, which will simulate next-generation aviation operations inside the exhibition halls. The showcase will feature a full-scale digital twin environment from Motional Digital Twin provider Outsight, demonstrating real-time passenger flow tracking, queue management and asset optimization using live data models.
Other aviation and travel-related demos will include digital luggage tagging and pet travel passport systems from airport operator AENA, a connected aircraft cabin personalization experience from Airbus, and a 5G-enabled aircraft broadcasting demonstration from Neutral Wireless focused on low-latency video streaming.
GSMA is also introducing a New Frontiers zone, positioned as a future-tech exploration area featuring around 20 exhibitors working on advanced and emerging domains. Participants will include quantum technology groups such as Global Data Quantum and the Quantum Flagship initiative, satellite and non-terrestrial network players including the European Space Agency, Eutelsat and Viasat, and embodied AI robotics firms such as Magiclab Robotics.
The GSMA Pavilion will host cross-industry demonstrations linking connectivity with vertical applications. Planned exhibits include a Formula E simulator highlighting ultra-low-latency networks, an AI- and 5G-enabled healthcare showcase featuring robotic nursing and holographic surgical planning developed with NUHS, Ericsson and Singtel, and a remote vehicle tele-driving experience from Elmo operating on a live racetrack. Capgemini is set to present a smart factory robotics demo, while Infobip will run an AI agent–driven banking fraud prevention challenge.
With AI infrastructure, non-terrestrial networks, immersive computing and vertical industry applications converging, MWC26 Barcelona is being positioned less as a telecom-only gathering and more as a cross-sector digital infrastructure event centered on applied connectivity at scale.
CXO Chapter will be reporting from the event, bringing you key takeaways, leadership insights and trends from the global telecom and technology players.
