Every year, Mobile World Congress (MWC) brings together the global telco and technology ecosystem in Barcelona to showcase the innovations shaping the future of connectivity. From network operators and device manufacturers to software providers and startups, the event has long been a barometer for where the industry is heading. 

MWC 2026 once again confirmed that the telco sector is entering a new phase. While 5G deployment continues worldwide, the conversation is rapidly evolving toward AI-driven networks, intelligent devices, and the early foundations of 6G. Connectivity is no longer just about faster speeds or broader coverage; it’s about building smarter, programmable platforms capable of powering entirely new digital experiences. 

This year’s event highlighted a clear shift: telecommunications is increasingly becoming the backbone of a much larger digital ecosystem, supporting everything from smart cities and robotics to immersive media and autonomous mobility. 

Here are five key takeaways from MWC 2026. 

1. AI is everywhere

If there was one unmistakable theme across the exhibition halls and conference stages, it was Artificial Intelligence. 

Vendors across the industry showcased AI-powered solutions designed to optimize networks, improve device experiences and automate operations. From AI-native network architectures to intelligent assistants embedded directly into devices and platforms, the focus is shifting toward systems capable of anticipating user needs rather than simply responding to them. 

For telcos, this evolution could significantly transform how networks are managed. Predictive maintenance, automated optimization and real-time traffic orchestration promise to make networks more efficient while improving the quality of experience for users. 

AI is no longer just a feature. It’s quickly becoming a foundational layer of the telco’s ecosystem. 

2. The road to 6G is already taking shape

While 5G is still expanding globally, the industry is already looking ahead to the next generation of connectivity. 

Several companies presented early 6G concepts and research initiatives, outlining visions for networks capable of supporting ultra-low latency, massive device density and entirely new digital services. Many of these early frameworks place AI at the core of network design, enabling systems that can dynamically adapt to traffic demands and service requirements. 

Although commercial 6G networks are still years away, the discussions at MWC made it clear that the foundations are already being laid, with collaborations between telco vendors, operators and research institutions accelerating development. 

Telecommunications operators are at a pivotal crossroads. On one hand, demand for digital services, ultra-fast connectivity, real-time video and entertainment experiences is growing faster than ever. On the other hand, the backbone of many service providers remains built on decades-old legacy systems, monolithic, hardware-dependent stacks and siloed OSS/BSS platforms that were never designed for rapid evolution or integration with modern cloud-native services.  

According to industry research, 75% of telecom executives identify the burden of legacy IT as a major impediment to innovation and competitiveness, making even small product changes slow and expensive. Other studies show that telcos have migrated, on average, only about a quarter of their total applications to cloud environments, reflecting the scale and complexity of the task.  

In this environment, legacy migration is not a fringe issue. It is core to a telco’s ability to innovate, reduce cost, improve customer experience and deliver value-added services quickly. 

Yet, most migration efforts fail to deliver on time and on budget. The question for today’s telecom leaders is no longer whether to modernize, but how to migrate without jeopardizing service continuity, speed to market, or operational stability. 

Key migration challenges telcos face 

Migrating legacy solutions is one of the most complex strategic transformations an operator can undertake, with risks and pain points that span technology, people, and process. 

Here are some of the toughest challenges telcos face: 

1. Monolithic Legacy Architecture and Complexity
   Many legacy systems are deeply intertwined, compelling telcos to unravel years, if not decades, of custom integrations, vendor lock-ins and tightly coupled dependencies. This makes transformation a high-stakes puzzle that often discovers hidden risks only during execution.  

2. Data Migration Risks
   Migrating massive volumes of customer, usage and billing data from old platforms to new ones carries real risk: mapping, corruption and inconsistency can occur if data formats are incompatible or semantic meaning is lost in translation.  

3. Integration Challenges
   Connecting modern microservices with legacy systems, third-party platforms and proprietary vendor software is non-trivial. A significant portion of telcos cite integration issues as a primary barrier to a successful digital future.  

4. Scalability and Agility Constraints
   Legacy systems are inherently rigid, making it nearly impossible to deliver features rapidly or respond to market demands with agility. This leads to slow time to market and increased operational cost.  

5. Skills and Cultural Barriers
   Even when the business case is clear, many teams struggle due to lack of cloud-native expertise, entrenched siloed teams and outdated operational processes. Telcos often find that organizational adaptation is as big a challenge as technology itself.  

6. Security and Compliance Concerns
   Legacy platforms often lack modern security frameworks, making them harder to patch and regulate, particularly under strict regional data rules, a critical consideration for operators handling sensitive customer data.  

Together, these make legacy migration both urgent and technically daunting. And yet, the industry cannot wait. Customers, competitors and adjacent digital players are moving at unprecedented speed. 

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) has shifted from future deadline to current legal reality. As of June 28, 2025, accessibility requirements — including subtitles for audiovisual content — are legally enforceable across the European Union. For broadcasters and OTT platforms in France, Germany, Italy, Austria, the Nordics and beyond, non-compliance is no longer a theoretical risk: regulators are now empowered to issue significant fines, sanctions, and corrective orders if media services fail to meet accessibility standards.  

This is a crunch moment for broadcasters: content owners must implement reliable subtitling workflows urgently to avoid legal trouble and costly penalties. At the same time, they can seize new opportunities to serve broader audiences better and stand out in an increasingly competitive media landscape.
 

EAA Enforcement: Fines and legal risks broadcasters can’t ignore 

The EAA harmonizes accessibility obligations across EU member states and obliges organizations providing digital media services, including television, streaming, and OTT platforms, to make content perceivable and accessible. Subtitles are central to this mandate.  

Penalties for non-compliance differ by country, but many of the largest media markets in the EU have already put strong enforcement measures on the books: 

France 

• Fines can range from €5,000 up to €250,000. 

• National authorities like ARCOM and consumer protection bodies can demand corrective actions and public disclosures of non-compliance.  

Germany 

• Penalties may reach up to €500,000, with market surveillance authorities able to require withdrawal of non-compliant services or restrict availability until issues are fixed.  

Italy 

• Fines can be €5,000–€40,000 per infraction, or even up to 5% of annual turnover for larger entities.  

Austria 

• National fines in excess of €200,000 are possible, and repeated violations can increase exposure further.  

Nordics (e.g., Sweden, Finland) 

• Penalties often range up to €150,000–€200,000, with mandatory audits and corrective mandates for non-compliance.  

These figures illustrate why subtitling isn’t just “best practice”, but a business-critical compliance task. In several jurisdictions, regulators can even suspend services or require ongoing compliance reporting for unresolved accessibility gaps. 

Smart homes promise simplicity, automation and seamless experiences. Yet behind the scenes, the reality is far more complex. Today’s connected homes rely on a growing mix of devices, protocols, and ecosystems, all evolving at different speeds and often struggling to work together. For technology providers, telcos, and platform builders, this fragmentation creates both huge opportunity and real operational challenges.

Over the past few years, the Home IoT landscape has reached a turning point. Established protocols like Zigbee, Z-Wave and Wi-Fi continue to coexist with newer technologies such as Thread, while industry giants push for greater standardization with initiatives like Matter. At the same time, smart TVs, set-top boxes and entertainment hubs are quietly becoming central control points for the connected home, blurring the lines between media, connectivity and IoT.

To make sense of this fast-moving ecosystem, we’ve turned our in-depth article on Home IoT technologies and protocols into a dedicated whitepaper, designed to go deeper, connect the dots and offer a clearer strategic view of where the market is heading.

Inside the whitepaper, you’ll explore:

• The current state of Home IoT protocols and how they differ in terms of performance, reliability, and use cases;
• Why Matter is a potential game-changer, and what it realistically solves (and doesn’t);
• The evolving role of hubs and platforms in enabling interoperability;
• Key trends shaping the future of smart homes, from edge intelligence to media-centric control points.

If you’re looking to understand how Home IoT is evolving — and what that means for future services, platforms, and user experiences — this whitepaper offers a clear, structured perspective.