AI Transforms Mobile Industry at MWC 2026

BARCELONA — Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, the world's largest mobile telecommunications exhibition, opened here on Monday and has transformed into a battleground for intelligent network supremacy.

At the main venue Fira Gran Via, global tech companies demonstrated robots operating without latency, showcasing AI-powered telecommunications technology. Humanoid robots greeted visitors at booths of Chinese firms including China Mobile, Honor, ZTE, China Unicom, and Agibot. At U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm's booth, industrial robots powered by AI and next-generation networks operated at high speed.

These developments signal that telecommunications is expanding beyond simple connectivity services to become critical infrastructure determining success across industries. The GSM Association (GSMA), which hosts the event, plans to feature physical AI and satellite communications in its exhibition program, along with in-depth industrial applications.

Companies are racing to establish next-generation telecommunications standards. U.S. chipmaker Nvidia announced on January 28 that it would build 6G infrastructure based on an open and secure AI-native platform in partnership with major carriers including SK Telecom, Japan's SoftBank, T-Mobile US, and Germany's Deutsche Telekom.

"AI is redefining computing and driving the largest infrastructure transformation in human history," said Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia. "The next frontier is telecommunications."

He added: "Together with global industry leaders, we will build AI-RAN to transform telecommunications networks worldwide into AI infrastructure accessible from anywhere."

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