Julian Bright

It’s the biggest event in the industry’s calendar, so of course Developing Telecoms is back on the ground in Barcelona next week for Mobile World Congress 2026 Barcelona. But what will be under discussion? We could have said “AI” and left it there, but our readers are an engaged and discerning bunch who wouldn’t be satisfied with a glib response, so ahead of the show, our editorial team discuss its biggest talking points and how they’ll impact emerging markets.

The year ahead undoubtedly holds challenges for the telecoms industry, but progress on a number of fronts appears assured. At the macro level, continued slow economic growth, tensions over global trade, fractured component supply chains and an increasingly uncertain geopolitical landscape, will continue to impact the business plans of service providers and the wider industry.

History will judge whether 2025 proves to have been pivotal for the telecoms industry or perhaps heralding a false dawn. The technologies and tools necessary for service providers to transition from connectivity providers to digital services companies continued to be rolled out over the year, yet network investments have struggled to recover from recent lean years and monetising 5G connectivity remains a challenge.