The numbers that count from 2026

The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened

188

delegations
45

intergovernmental organisations
54

ministers
118

heads of regulatory authorities

Four panellists seated on stage during a discussion at MWC Barcelona, with a woman speaking while the other speakers listen.

Ministerial Programme 2027

The GSMA Ministerial Programme returns to MWC Barcelona from 1-3 March 2027, bringing together ministers, regulators, intergovernmental organisations and industry leaders to define the future of digital policy and connectivity. For more than two decades, it has provided a unique platform for public and private sector leaders to exchange perspectives, strengthen partnerships and advance digital transformation worldwide.

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Highlights from 2026

Europe’s first direct satellite-to-smartphone service

Deutsche Telekom and Starlink announced delivering Europe’s first satellite-to-mobile direct-to-device service using Starlink’s V2 constellation and MSS spectrum. Launch planned for early 2028 across 10 European markets, covering 140 million+ subscribers.

Europe signs on to Vodafone Satellite Connect

Vodafone’s new open access company, Satellite Connect Europe, in partnership with AST SpaceMobile, will allow European operators to access satellite operations based in Europe. Operators including Orange and Telefónica, representing 10 European markets, signed on at MWC26.

€100 million for space-mobile convergence

GSMA Foundry and the European Space Agency announced up to €100 million in new funding for projects to accelerate the convergence of space and mobile industries, including live NTN satellite demonstrations at MWC26 showing how Europe will explore the moon in the coming decade.

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OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation established

A public-private partnership establishing a global hub for developing a foundational, open-source software stack for 5G and 6G Radio Access Networks.

AWS invests in Spain

Amazon Web Services announced a vast expansion of infrastructure investment in Spain to a total of $33 billion, plus seven new solar facilities and an advanced manufacturing plant in Aragon, forming the centre of Amazon’s European server and rack manufacturing.

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Who will build Syria's next-generation mobile network?

During MWC, Syria opened the international bidding process for a 20-year mobile network license. The selected operator will assume responsibility for an existing mobile network operation and will drive the nationwide expansion and advancement of mobile services.

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The GSMA Mobile Economy Report

Despite 96% of the global population living within mobile broadband coverage, over three billion people remain unconnected. The usage gap — driven by cost, digital literacy and device access — is almost 10 times larger than the coverage gap.

3 billion+ people remain unconnected globally
96% of the world lives within mobile broadband coverage
Usage gap is almost 10× larger than the coverage gap

Read the full report

Connectivity saves lives

Gwynne Shotwell made the human case for universal connectivity, emphasising that for the people who remain offline, getting connected opens access to banking, healthcare, education and emergency services.

Watch the full keynote

The escalating global scam epidemic

Protecting the world from the global scam epidemic was named by Vivek Badrinath as one of three mountains the industry must climb. The GSMA’s Mobile Economy 2026 report projects the global cost of cybercrime will rise from $9.22 trillion in 2024 to $15.63 trillion by 2029, with more than 90% of operators rating the threat environment as high or very high.

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United Against Scams at SEC CON

With $2.7 billion lost through impersonation fraud in the US alone in 2024, SEC CON’s experts debated whether humans are the weakest link in scam vulnerability, how a non-blame culture might encourage increased reporting, and whether enough responsibility falls on vendors.

Do we walk the talk?

An unflinching session on inclusion and workplace culture. Discussing The GSMA Voice Report, panellists called for leaders to build a business case for making culture the top organisational focus.

Learn more about the report

EQUALS in Tech Awards

The EQUALS in Tech Awards celebrate organisations advancing gender equality in tech. Travelling to MWC from Palestine, Nadiah Sabaneh of FINOMENA took home the Leadership in Tech award — a goal 20 years in the making.

The GSMA launches Open Telco AI

Fewer than 20 of the world’s 7,000 languages have high-resource AI models trained on them, meaning billions are locked out of AI’s benefits. Enter Open Telco AI — a global industry initiative designed to accelerate telco-grade AI through open collaboration across operators, vendors, AI developers and academic institutions.

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Global change at MWC Barcelona

The numbers that count from 2026

The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened

delegations

intergovernmental organisations

ministers

heads of regulatory authorities

Ministerial Programme 2027

Highlights from 2026

Europe’s first direct satellite-to-smartphone service

Europe signs on to Vodafone Satellite Connect

€100 million for space-mobile convergence

OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation established

AWS invests in Spain

Who will build Syria's next-generation mobile network?

The GSMA Mobile Economy Report

Connectivity saves lives

The escalating global scam epidemic

United Against Scams at SEC CON

Do we walk the talk?

EQUALS in Tech Awards

The GSMA launches Open Telco AI

Get involved in MWC27

Become a speaker

Become an exhibitor or sponsor

Register your interest in attending

There’s more to experience at MWC

Thought leadership

Latest technology

Smarter networking

MWC Barcelona

Sponsors & Partners

GSMA

GSMA Events

Legal