{"id":25592,"date":"2026-03-02T12:22:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T12:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/?p=25592"},"modified":"2026-03-02T13:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T13:22:11","slug":"mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"MWC26 Barcelona\u00a0opens with\u00a0call to\u00a0complete 5G,\u00a0rise to AI\u00a0challenges,\u00a0and\u00a0strengthen\u00a0digital\u00a0safety\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>T<em>he industry gathers in Barcelona for&nbsp;a week of keynotes, summits, and conferences to confront the world\u2019s next phase of digital growth<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2 March 2026,&nbsp;MWC26&nbsp;Barcelona:<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mwcbarcelona.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>MWC26 Barcelona<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;opened its doors today, bringing together&nbsp;exhibitors, thought leaders, startups, and policymakers&nbsp;from across business&nbsp;and&nbsp;government&nbsp;under one roof&nbsp;for the&nbsp;world&#8217;s largest and most influential connectivity event.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MWC26 takes place at a defining moment for the global&nbsp;connectivity industry, as advanced 5G, AI, and rising digital threats reshape economies,&nbsp;industries&nbsp;and societies at pace. In his&nbsp;opening <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mwcbarcelona.com\/articles\/leading-the-future-intelligent-inclusive-unstoppable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">keynote<\/a>,&nbsp;GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath set out three urgent priorities for the years ahead:&nbsp;investment in standalone networks,&nbsp;expanding&nbsp;access&nbsp;to open&nbsp;and inclusive AI, and coordinated action across industries and governments to build a safer digital future for all.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA, said:&nbsp;<em>\u201cLast year, mobile connected 5.8 billion people and contributed $7.6 trillion to the global economy. However, if we want to unlock the full promise of 5G, harness AI responsibly, and protect people from escalating digital threats, we must act with urgency. As the industry that connects the world, we have a real responsibility to champion open collaboration across borders to secure networks, close digital gaps, and strengthen trust in the digital economy.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The GSMA Mobile Economy 2026 Report<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Launched&nbsp;today&nbsp;at MWC26,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/solutions-and-impact\/connectivity-for-good\/mobile-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Mobile Economy 2026<\/em>&nbsp;report<\/a>&nbsp;shows how the industry is shifting from a connectivity-centric model to one powered by advanced digital platforms, 5G standalone, AI and open APIs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Mobile technologies and services generated $7.6 trillion of economic value in 2025, equivalent to 6.4% of global GDP, and are projected to reach $11.3 trillion, or 8.4% of GDP, by 2030.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Despite 96% of the global population living within mobile broadband coverage, over three billion people&nbsp;remain&nbsp;unconnected, with the usage gap almost 10x larger than the coverage gap.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>The mobile ecosystem supported 50 million jobs worldwide in 2025 and contributed more than $800 billion in public revenues through taxation.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>By 2030, 57% of all mobile connections will run on 5G, while legacy 2G and 3G will account for just 1% and 5% of&nbsp;connections&nbsp;respectively.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Operator revenues are projected to grow from $1.19 trillion in 2025 to $1.36 trillion by 2030, supported by $1.2 trillion in capital expenditure over the period.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;report&nbsp;also&nbsp;projects that the global cost of cybercrime, including fraud, will rise from $9.22 trillion in 2024 to $15.63 trillion by 2029. As networks become more software-defined&nbsp;and AI-enabled, more than 90% of operators already rate the threat environment as high or&nbsp;very high. The scale of the risk demands a unified, urgent response.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MWC26 keynotes will be live streamed on the\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mwcbarcelona.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MWC26 website<\/a>\u202fand app, as well as by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/events\/mwc26-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mobile World Live.<\/a>&nbsp;All this content, plus select conference sessions, will also be available on demand via the MWC website. MWC26 continues through&nbsp;to&nbsp;5 March 2026. Get the latest news and information live from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mwcbarcelona.com\/news\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MWC26 Press Zone<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>-ENDS-&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About GSMA<\/strong>\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive.&nbsp;Representing&nbsp;mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today\u2019s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world\u2019s largest platform to&nbsp;convene&nbsp;the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events. We invite you to find out more at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gsma.com<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Media Contacts<\/strong>\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GSMA Press Office&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:pressoffice@gsma.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pressoffice@gsma.com<\/a>&nbsp;\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The industry gathers in Barcelona for&nbsp;a week of keynotes, summits, and conferences to confront the world\u2019s next phase of digital growth&nbsp; 2 March 2026,&nbsp;MWC26&nbsp;Barcelona:&nbsp;MWC26 Barcelona&nbsp;opened its doors today, bringing together&nbsp;exhibitors, thought leaders, startups, and policymakers&nbsp;from across business&nbsp;and&nbsp;government&nbsp;under one roof&nbsp;for the&nbsp;world&#8217;s largest and most influential connectivity event.&nbsp;&nbsp; MWC26 takes place at a defining moment for the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":25599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"algolia_discover_type":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.0 (Yoast SEO v22.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>MWC26 Barcelona\u00a0opens with\u00a0call to\u00a0complete 5G,\u00a0rise to AI\u00a0challenges,\u00a0and\u00a0strengthen\u00a0digital\u00a0safety\u00a0 - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MWC26 Barcelona\u00a0opens with\u00a0call to\u00a0complete 5G,\u00a0rise to AI\u00a0challenges,\u00a0and\u00a0strengthen\u00a0digital\u00a0safety\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The industry gathers in Barcelona for&nbsp;a week of keynotes, summits, and conferences to confront the world\u2019s next phase of digital growth&nbsp; 2 March 2026,&nbsp;MWC26&nbsp;Barcelona:&nbsp;MWC26 Barcelona&nbsp;opened its doors today, bringing together&nbsp;exhibitors, thought leaders, startups, and policymakers&nbsp;from across business&nbsp;and&nbsp;government&nbsp;under one roof&nbsp;for the&nbsp;world&#8217;s largest and most influential connectivity event.&nbsp;&nbsp; MWC26 takes place at a defining moment for the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gsma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-02T12:22:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-02T13:22:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Vivek_Badrinath_on_stage_at_MWC26_Barcelona.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ssharma@gsma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GSMA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GSMA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ssharma@gsma.com\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"MWC26 Barcelona\u00a0opens with\u00a0call to\u00a0complete 5G,\u00a0rise to AI\u00a0challenges,\u00a0and\u00a0strengthen\u00a0digital\u00a0safety\u00a0 - Newsroom","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"MWC26 Barcelona\u00a0opens with\u00a0call to\u00a0complete 5G,\u00a0rise to AI\u00a0challenges,\u00a0and\u00a0strengthen\u00a0digital\u00a0safety\u00a0","og_description":"The industry gathers in Barcelona for&nbsp;a week of keynotes, summits, and conferences to confront the world\u2019s next phase of digital growth&nbsp; 2 March 2026,&nbsp;MWC26&nbsp;Barcelona:&nbsp;MWC26 Barcelona&nbsp;opened its doors today, bringing together&nbsp;exhibitors, thought leaders, startups, and policymakers&nbsp;from across business&nbsp;and&nbsp;government&nbsp;under one roof&nbsp;for the&nbsp;world&#8217;s largest and most influential connectivity event.&nbsp;&nbsp; MWC26 takes place at a defining moment for the [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/","og_site_name":"Newsroom","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gsma\/","article_published_time":"2026-03-02T12:22:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-02T13:22:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Vivek_Badrinath_on_stage_at_MWC26_Barcelona.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"ssharma@gsma.com","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@GSMA","twitter_site":"@GSMA","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ssharma@gsma.com","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/"},"author":{"name":"ssharma@gsma.com","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/e724eba4846a50206db8ca64bace5ceb"},"headline":"MWC26 Barcelona\u00a0opens with\u00a0call to\u00a0complete 5G,\u00a0rise to AI\u00a0challenges,\u00a0and\u00a0strengthen\u00a0digital\u00a0safety\u00a0","datePublished":"2026-03-02T12:22:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-02T13:22:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/"},"wordCount":680,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Vivek_Badrinath_on_stage_at_MWC26_Barcelona.png","articleSection":["Press Release"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/","name":"MWC26 Barcelona\u00a0opens with\u00a0call to\u00a0complete 5G,\u00a0rise to AI\u00a0challenges,\u00a0and\u00a0strengthen\u00a0digital\u00a0safety\u00a0 - Newsroom","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Vivek_Badrinath_on_stage_at_MWC26_Barcelona.png","datePublished":"2026-03-02T12:22:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-02T13:22:11+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Vivek_Badrinath_on_stage_at_MWC26_Barcelona.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Vivek_Badrinath_on_stage_at_MWC26_Barcelona.png","width":600,"height":400,"caption":"A speaker stands on stage in front of large screens displaying \"MWC26\" at a tech event."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/mwc26-barcelona-opens-with-call-to-complete-5g-rise-to-ai-challenges-and-strengthen-digital-safety\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"MWC26 Barcelona\u00a0opens with\u00a0call to\u00a0complete 5G,\u00a0rise to AI\u00a0challenges,\u00a0and\u00a0strengthen\u00a0digital\u00a0safety\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/","name":"Newsroom","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#organization","name":"GSMA","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/GSMA_logo_colour_web.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/GSMA_logo_colour_web.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"GSMA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gsma\/","https:\/\/x.com\/GSMA","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gsmaonline\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/12380","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/GSMAOnline"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/e724eba4846a50206db8ca64bace5ceb","name":"ssharma@gsma.com"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Vivek_Badrinath_on_stage_at_MWC26_Barcelona.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Vivek_Badrinath_on_stage_at_MWC26_Barcelona.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25592"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25592"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25598,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25592\/revisions\/25598"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25592"},{"taxonomy":"algolia_discover_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/algolia_discover_type?post=25592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}