MWC26 Barcelona is drawing closer, with the GSMA confirming a comprehensive line-up of global CEOs, presidents and founders as speakers at the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event. The flagship mobile and digital transformation conference will take place from 2 to 5 March at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, uniting technology leaders, innovators and policymakers from across the global digital ecosystem.
Thought leadership will shape discussions across MWC26, with keynote stages featuring senior executives from telecom, artificial intelligence, devices, platforms, gaming and digital services. Confirmed speakers include John Stankey, CEO of AT&T; Johanna Faries, President of Blizzard; Allison Kirkby, CEO of BT Group; Karandeep Anand, CEO of Character.AI; and He Biao, CEO of China Mobile.
Also taking to the MWC26 stage are Tim Hottges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom; Gabe Pereyra, President and Co-Founder of Harvey; Kaiwei Tang, CEO and Co-Founder of Light; Anton Osika, CEO and Co-Founder of Lovable; Kate Johnson, President and CEO of Lumen; and Justin Hotard, CEO of Nokia.
The speaker line-up further includes Akira Shimada, President and CEO of NTT Inc; Tom Hale, CEO and Board Member of OURA; Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange Group; Cristiano R. Amon, President and CEO of Qualcomm; Roberto Daniel Nobile, CEO of Telecom Argentina; Alex Blania, CEO and Co-Founder of Tools for Humanity; and Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone. Expanding beyond the technology sector, MWC26 will also feature actor, producer and entrepreneur Aaron Paul.
Alongside the strong keynote programme, MWC26 Barcelona will place a major emphasis on live showcases and real-world technology demonstrations. New experience zones include Airport of the Future and New Frontiers, designed to show how advanced connectivity, automation and AI are being deployed across operational environments.
The debut Airport of the Future experience will bring large-scale aviation innovation directly onto the MWC show floor. Built around real-world use cases, the exhibit will feature a live, full-scale Motional Digital Twin delivered by Outsight, marking the first time this technology has been deployed at a technology event in a real, full-scale setting. Attendees will see how airports can anonymously track passenger movement, manage queues, optimise asset usage and improve operational performance in real time.
Additional demonstrations will include AENA’s digital luggage tagging and pet travel passports at check-in, a connected aircraft cabin experience from Airbus that allows visitors to personalise onboard environments, and a 5G-connected aircraft showcase from Neutral Wireless demonstrating low-latency live video streaming for broadcasting.
MWC26 will also welcome new exhibitors such as Adobe, Cohere, NSCALE, Siemens and Toshiba, alongside Meta’s immersive Meta Lab, which will allow attendees to experience the latest innovations in wearable AI technology. These companies join confirmed exhibitors including Agibot, Alba Robot, ANYbotics, Mossos d’Esquadra, Vueling and WaltR.
Another major debut at MWC26 is New Frontiers, an immersive exhibition exploring future-focused innovation at the outer limits of technology. Featuring around 20 exhibitors, many appearing at MWC for the first time, New Frontiers will include quantum computing leaders such as Global Data Quantum and the Quantum Flagship, satellite and NTN pioneers including the European Space Agency, Eutelsat and Viasat, and embodied AI innovators such as Magiclab Robotics.
The GSMA Pavilion will highlight the power of networks and cross-industry collaboration, with experiences including an immersive Formula E simulator, AI- and 5G-powered patient care demonstrations from NUHS in collaboration with Ericsson and Singtel, and the return of Elmo’s tele-driving service, enabling attendees to remotely drive a car at the Circuit de Catalunya from the MWC show floor. Capgemini will showcase a smart factory featuring a vision-guided robotic arm, while Infobip will challenge attendees to build and direct AI agents to combat banking fraud.
MWC’s startup and innovation platform 4YFN will once again run alongside the main event, featuring a dedicated North Entrance and a packed programme of startup-focused speakers and exhibitors shaping the future of technology and connectivity.
With confirmed speakers including Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano R. Amon, Character.AI CEO Karandeep Anand, OURA CEO Tom Hale, AT&T CEO John Stankey, Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle and Nokia CEO Justin Hotard, MWC26 Barcelona is set to deliver one of its most influential programmes yet, combining executive insight with large-scale, real-world technology demonstrations.