ABI Research analysts will be attending Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 in Barcelona on March 2nd-March 5th to get a glimpse at the biggest innovations shaping the technology sector. In this blog, our analysts share their top expectations for the show, covering connectivity, Internet of Things (IoT), and digital security.
Contents:
Internet of Things
Jamie Moss, Research Director
Satellite IoT – Who is Partnering with Who
At MWC26, we expect more telco partnership announcements with satellite operators. Satellite IoT connection growth is still in its infancy, but operators need to not only gain a piece of the pie but also help define the use cases. Beyond use cases, business models, Return on Investment (ROI), and device development should be top discussions at MWC26, shaping the cellular-satellite narrative.
The Next Phase of RedCap
While China is way ahead with Reduced Capability (RedCap) adoption, the rest of the world is just getting started. RedCap modules are now becoming more available, but the question is the journey that RedCap will take to displace 4G technologies, namely Cat-1bis, Cat M, and NB-IoT. The guidance provided by telcos on their 5G Standalone (SA) and IoT plans at MWC26 will chart RedCap’s future over the next 5 years.
Dan Shey, Vice President
Edge AI, Physical AI, and A-IoT Enabling Intelligent, Autonomous IoT Systems
Sensorization plus AI may not be a headline theme at MWC, but how vendors are using these technologies to enable a ubiquitous data fabric of the physical world will be a top discussion item. The potential for autonomy applied to leading technologies such as robotics, drones, and vehicles will all rely on Physical AI for their success. Even A-IoT will benefit, pairing network and infrastructure intelligence with low-compute devices to enhance application value and ROI. ABI Research analysts will be going the extra mile to uncover the strategic activities vendors are pursuing to put these technologies into practice in the IoT domain.
Camera-Based IoT Powering Vision-Led and Vision-Assisted Applications
Camera-based IoT is a growing market, ranging from commercial video surveillance cameras to recreational trail cameras. With small, readily available cameras and ever-improving VLMs, OEMs across all markets are examining the potential of cameras to enable or elevate their IoT applications. As a data-rich technology, expect MWC attendees to demonstrate how their devices, networks, and applications are driving vision-led or vision-assisted IoT applications.
Space Tech
Andrew Cavalier, Principal Analyst
NTN Acceleration
MWC26 will see Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) discussions become more prominent as space operators and telcos strike alliances for new multi-domain national networks. SpaceX's US$17 billion acquisition of EchoStar's S-band spectrum for Direct-to-Cell (D2C) and IoT services, alongside consolidation of European Aerospace primes and operators, is accelerating discussions and partnerships for NTN.
Native D2D Applications
MWC 26 will spotlight the first wave of native Direct-to-Device (D2D) applications, as smartphones and IoT devices gain built-in satellite connectivity through 3GPP-standard NTN features, driving new operator-satellite alliances and expanding the mobile ecosystem into hybrid terrestrial-space networks.
Space Tech Stack Integration
With Amazon Project Kuiper’s commercial debut setting the pace, MWC 26 will highlight the convergence of the space technology stack, as satellite operators, telcos, and cloud providers align to build a seamless ecosystem spanning networks, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), devices, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and cloud infrastructure.
5G, 6G, and Open RAN
Sam Bowling, Industry Analyst
6G hype begins
MWC26 will see 6G discussions starting and operator hesitation turning to measured curiosity, particularly regarding monetization opportunities. NVIDIA’s US$1 billion investment in Nokia has accelerated this phase, and MWC will likely be the first major event for the new generation.
5G Standalone
Announcements like the ones from AT&T and BT on nationwide SA rollouts highlight the market interest in 5G SA technology and varying maturity across markets. At MWC26, the focus will be on network slicing, API-based services, and potential enterprise monetization.
In-building wireless
In the last year, we have seen market momentum shift more towards Distributed Radio Systems (DRS) than Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS). It will be interesting to see the latest showcases of more software-defined radio systems, as well as the influence of neutral host capabilities on DAS/DRS.
5G-Advanced Sensing evolves towards 6G
Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is one of the key use cases for 6G, and MWC26 will likely see results from early trials and ideas for use cases and monetization opportunities. This will further accelerate 6G discussions.
Artificial Intelligence
Larbi Belkhit, Senior Analyst
Agentic AI
MWC will follow the remainder of the market and highlight agentic AI capabilities and the role they can play in the burgeoning economy. B/OSS vendors will be notable players supporting this development. The focus will not be on Proof of Concepts (PoCs) but on sharing tangible value/opportunities.
GPUaaS
Telcos will start to introduce announcements of AI cloud infrastructure, with sovereignty likely to be a major driver. According to ABI Research, telco GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) revenue will reach over US$21.1 billion by 2030, up from around US$0.02 billion in 2024. The inflection point for significant growth is expected in 2027, as telcos will have built out their AI infrastructure and GPU capacity not just for internal, but external workloads
Distributed AI
Major announcements from Qualcomm, Lenovo, Intel, and others emphasize the persistent importance of distributed AI. Agentic AI growth will provide another opportunity for stakeholders at MWC to position themselves within this nascent market space.
Physical AI
As NVIDIA and now others have highlighted, physical AI is the likely next step after agentic AI. MWC will see telecoms and others lean into this vision of the future and start to position themselves to address this greenfield opportunity.
Enterprise engagement with vendors around AI
Fear of an AI bubble continues to grow, as the market is struggling to see a connection between massive multi-trillion-dollar capital expenditure (CAPEX) outlay and enterprise value. Critical players will try to remedy this market concern by showcasing how enterprise customers and creatingreal value for enterprise customers with new AI capabilities.
Telco AI
Dimitris Mavrakis, Senior Research Director
Telco network as a distributed AI platform
Telcos have the real estate and transport networks to capture part of the distributed inference market. MWC26 will be the first event through which deployment models, new business ideas, and partnerships will be discussed between telcos and AI providers.
AI-native telco
MWC will continue the discussion for the AI-native telco, integrating AI into more aspects of the telco operations, monetization systems, and the network itself. Large infrastructure vendors will dominate these discussions as open networks are not growing.
Silicon diversification and Nvidia
NVIDIA is the most influential company and will join AMD, Intel, Marvell, Qualcomm, and others at MWC, aiming to dominate 6G’s processing platforms. This year’s event will give us more visibility on which processing platform will likely capture the lion’s share of6G radio processing.
Best effort to QoE
3G, 4G, and 5G have been providing services on a best-effort basis, but the deployment of SA, APIs, and the high-capacity nature of 5G Radio Access Networks (RAN) will allow telcos to move to Quality of Experience (QoE) business models. MWC26 will be the first event where the industry will discuss new enterprise business models based on this.
Telco Sovereign AI (instead of just GPUaaS)
MWC 26 will take place at a time when sovereignty continues to become a larger factor in the geopolitical and AI landscapes. Telcos will find themselves uniquely positioned to be the regional/national players, enabling the markets and initial announcements to take place in MWC26.
Extended Reality (XR)
Andrew Zignani, Senior Research Director
XR devices proliferate
MWC will take place 2 months after CES, where ABI Research saw XR make a big splash. This new concept will likely become a major driver for mobile network design in the future, and MWC 26 will give the industry a glimpse of this future.
Wi-Fi
Andrew Spivey, Principal Analyst
Wi-Fi 8 Enters the Arena
MWC 2026 will see hype for the upcoming Wi-Fi 8 standard begin to develop, with chipsets on display from the market’s main vendors and the unveilings of early equipment prototypes. Yet the industry is likely to struggle with messaging for the standard, as it grapples with a shift in focus away from faster throughputs and towards ultra-high reliability. At the same time, with Wi-Fi 7only now just beginning to find its feet, the industry will need to strike a fine balance between exciting audiences for Wi-Fi 8 without damaging the future potential of Wi-Fi 7.
Advanced AI-Powered Wi-Fi Materializes
AI-driven Wi-Fi will again be front and center at MWC 2026, but whereas in previous years AI-driven Wi-Fi was still in early stages of development and most implementations were relatively simplistic or conceptual, at this show we expect to see a plethora of real-world advanced AI-driven Wi-Fi applications on display, supporting customers with everything from achieving greater spectrum efficiency, automated network optimizations, and streamlined management.
Security
Phil Sealy, Research Director
SGP.32 Becomes the Launchpad for Certified, Commercial Cellular IoT Innovation
The new GSMA SGP.32 eSIM standard will take centre stage at MWC 2026, with the key focus on service provider readiness from a certification and commercialization standpoint. The cellular IoT market is poised for acceleration, with MWC used as the event foundation to demonstrate full capabilities as well as a platform from which service providers can begin to demonstrate differentiation.
PQC readiness becomes a mainstream topic
Pre-MWC, Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) readiness remains an extremely hot topic and one that will continue to gain momentum throughout MWC and beyond. The question of PQC readiness should be a focal point and strategic priority for all MWC attendees. Critically, the topic should be in the awareness, planning, or execution phase, and those vendors not talking about it are those that are not future-proofing. ALL attendees should be considering migration/transition strategies to accommodate legacy systems, alongside PQC readiness.
See You at the Show
Our team of ABI Research analysts will be on-site at MobileWorld Congress 2026, covering a wide range of technology and market areas across the connectivity ecosystem. Whether you’re evaluating near-term investments or longer-term strategy, our analysts are available to discuss what’s driving change — and what to watch next. Connect with us today.
