MWC 2025, What's in Store?

Next week in Barcelona is the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025, one of the most anticipated events in the world of technology and telecommunications. This event is where 100,000+ global leaders and professional in mobile, IoT, 5G, AI, satellite and innovation come together to unveil technologies, ideas, and collaborations that will shape the future of connectivity and communication.

What’s in Store for Telecom Operators and Consumers Alike?

For me, MWC 2025 presents an opportunity to interact with our customers, partners, and peers. As well as dive into the heart of the next-generation networks and applications that will drive not just how we connect, but how we live, work. Here is a sneak peek at the key themes and trends that will likely define MWC 2025.

1. Consumer-Centric Innovations: Improving the Way We Live

Can MWC focus on consumer experience in ways that are more immersive and interactive than ever before. Expect to see discussions about:

• The latest in foldable phones, smart glasses, and other wearables, the boundaries between physical and digital worlds are blurring. The Nothing Phone 3a and rumored 3a Pro will come with the latest Android 15, and could run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips.
• Catalonia.Health will showcase wearables, sensors, virtual reality (VR), and brain-machine interfaces. Telefonica will demo 2 initiatives (CatEye and 5G Intelligent Blood Monitoring) leveraging latest technologies at the service of both patients and healthcare professionals.
• Forward-looking. From XPANCEO, a company developing the next generation of computing via an invisible and weightless smart contact lens that is as natural to the wearer as their own vision (2026+). Up to 4YFN (Four Years From Now), a leading force within the startup ecosystem.

2. AI, Automation, and Telecom: Transforming Operations

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are set to be the backbone of future telecom networks. A 2024 study by Nvidia found nearly 90% of telecom companies use AI, with 48% in the piloting phase and 41% were actively deploying AI. Most telecom service providers (53%) agree or strongly agree that adopting AI would provide a competitive advantage to

• Improve customer experience thanks to enhanced self-service with AI-driven search and increased agent productivity with AI-powered case.
• Predict network failures and proactively address them, ensuring reliable, always-on connectivity.
• Enable hyper-personalized services, where AI can offer tailored solutions.

?

3. Ubiquitous Connectivity

Undersea fiber optic cables transport 98% of global digital data. In the quest for optimal global connectivity, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites are becoming an important infrastructure component for?bridging the digital divide, processing real-time data applications, and strengthening economic resilience across industries, including telecoms.

• Leading the race in LEO satellite placement are?Starlink and OneWeb. In the pipeline is also?Amazon’s Kuiper, preparing for a full-scale deployment of its satellite constellation, and planning to begin offering service to customers later this year.
• There are challenges too… it is a competitive and difficult market to be profitable in. Another prominent problem is the accumulation of?space debris?due to inactive or defunct satellites left in orbit. Additionally, LEO satellites have a shorter life span than their GEO equivalent, with a typical lifespan of 7-10 years. And last the radio spectrum and orbits around the Earth are finite resources and warrant international cooperation among governments and globally accepted regulation.?
• Augmented toolbox. LEO constellations are not a replacement for fibre networks yet complement. Nor are designed to compete with existing terrestrial cellular networks, yet integrating satellites with?mobile infrastructure?will improve (a) the quality of experience of high-capacity applications and (b) the resilience of each network.

?

4. Sustainability & Green Telecom

Sustainability is no longer just an add-on but a central part of the telecom industry’s evolution. We/Sure are also taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact, and documenting the journey in our Green Connection report. At MWC 2025, I’m looking forward to hearing about:

• Telecom’s role in smart cities: building more sustainable, data-driven urban spaces where technology helps optimize energy usage, transportation, and resource management as well as increase safety. IOT Factory will showcase its software platform for smart building, with more than 750 types of IOT devices (LORAWAN, NB-IOT, LTE) supported, to offer energy efficiency, indoor air quality, occupancy management and water metering.
• How 5G networks can be more energy-efficient and reduce carbon footprints through better infrastructure design and energy management solutions.

?

In summary, I’m particularly excited to find out the practical implications of these innovations and how we/Sure as telecom operator can leverage them to:

• Enhance connectivity at large and make our life more convenient, efficient, and sustainable.
• Drive sustainable and innovative solutions that not only push technological boundaries but also have a positive impact on our communities (especially with AI in mind).
• Create new business models, unlocking growth potential in industries and services new to Sure.

?

?