Uncovering MWC25’s key themes
By Anne Morris
This year’s edition of MWC comes under the banner of Converge. Connect. Create. Now we are at the midpoint of the 5G decade, the event promises to show what the next five years will bring, as emerging technologies move increasingly from the hype phase towards a more realistic vision of how they will shape the mobile industry and beyond.
MWC25 Barcelona has six central themes running across the event: 5G Inside, Connect X, AI+, Enterprise Re-invented, Game Changers and Our Digital DNA. These core areas have shaped the conference agenda and will be evident throughout the halls of the Fira Gran Via.
Here, Omdia research director Dario Talmesio, CCS Insight director, consumer and connectivity Kester Mann, and PP Foresight founder Paolo Pescatore offer their insights on the key talking points and expected highlights from the event.
AI: A PERVASIVE FORCE
It comes as little surprise all three analysts cite the impact of AI as an overarching theme. As explained by Pescatore: “it is everywhere and in everything. Expect it to dominate conversations and demonstrations everywhere, alongside a growing focus on responsible AI”.
Talmesio agreed AI will be one of the stars in Barcelona once again. He suggested that operators are starting to move on from the “low hanging fruit”, such as helping agents to become more efficient, towards more complex scenarios.
“There is the whole aspect of what operators call AI native: so how does every process, how does every side of the business start from an AI native point of view.
That’s still a huge job to be done, especially in the network and network automation,” he added.
Mann hopes to see greater emphasis on the value AI can bring at the event. “AI is going to be a huge story and it’s the sub themes within that I think would be of most interest. Can the industry perhaps move a little bit beyond the hype of last year and actually articulate how it’s helping, where the value is and what are the next steps?”
Another angle raised by the analyst is AI within a network and “how it can help drive more efficient network deployments and improve connectivity for everybody. Then [there is the] role of regulation in AI, where that fits in, and how that potentially could develop”.
CONNECTIVITY AND THE ‘GS’
Pescatore highlighted 5G remains an area of focus even though 6G is “garnering increasing attention”.
For him, discussion areas will include how 5G standalone (SA) is performing and whether operators are making money even though margins are being squeezed.
Meanwhile, Talmesio, who cited the ongoing “telco-to-techco” debate as a further key area, thinks there will be some diversity in the traditional network discussion.
“While we are going to see 5G-Advanced and early discussions on 6G, the reality is that telecoms operators are a bit tired of Gs, and they want to talk about what is it that makes network performance. What is it that makes a network monetisable, but maybe not necessarily related to the next G”, he questioned.
Mann added he will be looking out for examples of network slicing implementation now that 5G SA is starting to become more prevalent. “We’ve been hearing about network slicing at MWC for a very long time. I think we are now at the stage where the industry can roll it out and can benefit from it.”
REGULATION, AND MORE BESIDES
Views on regulation, especially in Europe, are often forcefully expressed at MWC, although the analysts believe the mood will be a little lighter at this year’s event. As succinctly put by Pescatore: “we’ve moved on from the bemoaning and now is the time for real change, with all eyes on the new European Commission”.
Mann pointed out high-profile mergers have been approved in Spain (Orange Spain and MasMovil) and the UK (Vodafone and Three) in the past 12 months, suggesting regulators are perhaps more sympathetic towards such deals.
“Maybe there’d be a bit more wind in the sails of the operators to get deals done because of those two mergers getting across the line,” he emphasised. “But there’s a whole host of other areas that I’m sure will form part of the discussion around spectrum allocation and fragmentation of Europe in particular”.
Of course, many other topics will form part of the general buzz in and around the Fira Gran Via. Pescatore expects to see “lots around open RAN, as well as satellite, fixed wireless access and routers, and innovative concepts such as Light Fidelity (LiFi)”, for example.
Mann cited satellite services and sustainability as two ongoing themes, although he fears the industry has “lost a bit of momentum around sustainability recently”.
Visitors will be able to hear about these topics and more by attending conference sessions throughout the event. The keynote sessions feature high-level speakers from across the globe, providing insights into where the industry is now, and where they hope it is heading.
