Friday 5 June, 2026
At the 2026 Sports and Entertainment Summit, global leaders from mobile, sports, media and technology gathered to discuss how advanced connectivity and intelligent digital platforms are transforming live events, content access and the fan experience.
As part of the programme, GSMA captured two exclusive interviews with T‑Mobile US and Bango, offering insights into the innovations shaping the next phase of sports technology and entertainment services.
Watch both interviews below and discover how the industry is evolving.
Interview 1: T‑Mobile US – How 5G is Powering the Next Generation of Live Sports Experiences
Grant Castle, SVP, RAN Engineering & Emerging Technologies, T‑Mobile US
5G is playing an increasingly central role in how live sports are delivered, experienced and operated. In this interview, Grant Castle discusses the capabilities that are enabling new possibilities for stadium operations, broadcasters and fan interaction.
Grant highlights the growing use of wireless broadcast video, one of the most technically demanding applications to run over a mobile network. When supported reliably, it enables broadcasters to capture new camera angles, expand coverage and reimagine how fans engage with the action.
He also touches on how T‑Mobile’s private networks are being used in Major League Baseball to support automated calls on balls and strikes – a sign of how connectivity is becoming part of the real‑time decision‑making fabric of sport.
Reflecting on the summit, Castle emphasises the value of bringing experts together to explore what’s now possible as the industry moves toward more immediate, interactive and data‑rich experiences.
Interview 2: Bango – Rethinking Sports Subscriptions Through Bundling and AI‑Driven Discovery
Giles Tongue, VP Marketing, Bango
With fans facing rising subscription costs and scattered content platforms, the sports market is undergoing a major shift in how access is packaged, priced and delivered. In this interview, Giles Tongue explains the emerging models identified in Bango’s new report, “The Future of Bundling Waits for No One”.
Giles outlines the rise of dynamic, behaviour‑based payment models, where actions such as watching content, sharing data or completing engagement tasks can unlock additional features or reduce subscription costs. He notes that sports fans are particularly impacted by subscription fatigue, making new bundling approaches increasingly important.
He also highlights the launch of Premier League Plus, which uses both direct‑to‑consumer access and telco partnerships to reach audiences more effectively. This hybrid approach, he explains, is becoming a blueprint for future sports services.
Looking ahead, Tongue describes how AI‑powered agentic discovery is changing the way fans find and access live sport. Instead of searching across multiple platforms, users may soon request a match and have the system automatically handle the access, billing and authentication in the background.
About the Sports and Entertainment Summit at MWC26 Barcelona
The 2026 summit brought together leaders from across the global ecosystem to explore:
- AI‑powered personalisation and immersive viewing
- Advanced connectivity for real‑time media production
- Next‑generation venue operations and multi‑angle experiences
- New digital services, super apps and content models
- How telcos can deepen engagement and unlock new value in sport
A total of 22 speakers participated, representing organisations that are shaping the future of sports and entertainment technology.
