Barcelona is a city pulsing with colour, creativity and vitality. A city of contrasts, where the old and the new co-exist, gothic cathedrals proof of a rich past, edgy start-ups pushing towards the future. In this thriving European metropolis, where the electrifying rhythms of flamenco capture almost as much attention as Gaudí’s iconic Sagrada Família, thousands of the world’s top tech and telecoms visionaries gather annually for MWC Barcelona, a dynamic week of keynotes, exhibitions, demonstrations and debates. And so, this thriving city plays host to heated conversations, visionary ideas and bold displays of technological brilliance enjoyed by almost 110 000 visitors. iONLINE's team of intrepid connectivity gurus was among this year’s attendee throng.
MWC Barcelona, hosted by the GSMA, has been likened to a barometer for the current state of the telecoms, technology communications and connectivity industry, a reliable predictor of coming trends, and a place to unpack pertinent and pressing topics.
The hottest topics?
- AI and its generative counterpart (GenAI), as well as agentic and multimodal AI.
- Emerging technologies like 6G, extended reality (XR) and quantum computing.
- Converging technologies like AI-integrated devices and scalable network solutions.
- Regulation, innovation and sustainability – and finding their balance.
- The role of 5G in accelerating digital transformation.
It was an illuminating and provocative week, and the iONLINE team came away with fresh insights into how the industry is evolving. From innovation to implementation, the team has distilled this into new trends, notable inventions and novel perspectives.
AI is here to stay
The power and potential of artificial intelligence dominated the event. While previous years focused on possibilities, MWC25 showcased more and more companies actively embedding AI into their devices, networks and solutions, marking a clear shift from conceptual hype to practical implementation.
Discussions explored the best ways to transition from proof of concept to scalable delivery and unpacked varying strategies to drive adoption. There was much buzz about optimised AI workflows, ethical challenges like security and bias, and talent development. The use of responsible AI, supported by transparency and strong governance frameworks, underpinned this all.
Advances in agentic AI (AI systems able to make decisions and execute tasks with minimal human intervention) and multimodal AI (AI that simultaneously processes and integrates multiple types of data to improve understanding and outputs), are definitively shaping the technology. As is the integration of agentic AI and multimodal AI into supporting connected devices.
Watch our MWC25 wrap-up video.
Real-world examples of AI on top
GenAI has the potential to contribute trillions of dollars to the global economy, says the World Economic Forum. Indeed, the business case for AI has never been stronger.
In terms of practical AI implementation, three success stories stood out to us:
- Vodafone revolutionised customer service with intelligent chatbots that resolve customer issues fast and reduce support workloads. Its AI also optimises network performance by predicting traffic and adjusting infrastructure.
- Bell Canada achieved a 25% reduction in customer-reported issues through its AI platform, which predicts network vulnerabilities.
- Bharti Airtel implemented exceptional security measures, with its AI solution processing one trillion records in real-time, flagging millions of spam calls and SMSes daily.
“We saw AI driving real-time decision-making at the edge, and enabling smarter, self-healing networks,” said Dave Farquharson, CEO of iONLINE Connected Networks. “Combine that with secure, global SIM and eSIM connectivity, and you’ve got a whole new playbook for enterprises. What really turned heads was how we’re now pairing AI with zero trust edge devices – something we’ve built directly into iONLINE’s architecture.”
Innovation, regulation and co-operation
The intersection of innovation and regulation also emerged as a central theme, albeit a complex one. It sparked debate around future spectrum allocation, network energy efficiency and finding an equilibrium between innovation and responsible deployment. Threading through this was the critical need for cross-sector and cross-regional co-operation, with regulators and industry experts emphasising the importance of proactive rather than reactive measures.
The GSMA’s Chief Regulatory Officer, John Giusti, highlighted the delicate balance required in tech and telecoms regulations. With technology evolving as quickly as it is, forward-thinking policies that encourage innovation, drive investment and help to close the digital divide are sorely needed, Giusti said. For this to happen, businesses and governments need to collaborate to create flexible approaches that keep pace with the digital world’s rapid rate of change.
Nowhere is the need for regulation more evident than in the fight against fraud, and there was a resounding call for a unified approach – one that brings together governments, industries and law enforcement agencies at national, regional and global levels.
Emerging and converging connected tech – and other disruptors
Detailed conversations took place around the interplay of critical technologies and innovation, while various interactive exhibits showed how AI, 5G and 6G, edge computing and quantum tech are converging to shake things up.
Delegates devoured, wide-eyed, quantum computing’s complex code cracking demonstration, along with 6G’s ability to address the bandwidth demands of autonomous systems like self-driving cars and smart cities, painting a picture of a hyper-connected future not far off.
Agentic and multimodal AI proved great examples of convergence in action, enabling augmented experiences on connected devices. Extended reality (XR) has muscled its way between virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), creating new experiences through wearables and immersive interfaces. Imagine AI-powered smart glasses that display foreign language translations in their field of vision, and AR displays that blend digital info with real-world views. (Tt certainly blew our minds!)
In the med-tech space, the ideas on display were equally impressive. Healthcare start-ups were excited to showcase their connected solutions, marking a clear shift towards AI-enabled remote monitoring and diagnosis, promising to radically transform patient care and medical practice.
Opportunity is everywhere
Digital inclusion spoke to the need for a keener focus on universal access to high-speed networks to close gaps – particularly in traditionally underserved regions. With 3.1 billion people covered by mobile networks but not using mobile internet, closing this usage gap could unlock US$3.5 trillion in economic opportunity. Africa, for one, has enormous potential. While network coverage has improved dramatically, usage remains at around 30%. Experts project an encouraging future, with an estimated 250 million more Africans expected to join the continent's networks in the next five years.
“I’m more optimistic than ever about where the industry is going. We’re moving into a world where connectivity is a smart, secure enabler for a multitude of use cases,” said Farquharson. “This year, what stood out was how many businesses – from start-ups to established telcos – are looking for embedded, intelligent mobile connectivity baked right into their edge solutions.”
The sheer size of the world’s telecoms industry is its greatest advantage, and we need to harness this scale to unlock new opportunities. We need to look beyond, focusing on platforms that deliver not just connectivity but also integrated services for consumers, enterprises and wholesale markets.
Beyond connectivity
Perhaps the most striking revelation from those iONLINE spoke to at MWC25 was this: reliable, resilient and secure connectivity continues to elude businesses worldwide.
“The conversations I had kept coming back to two big themes: the explosion of AI use cases and secure enterprise connectivity,” said Farquharson. “Businesses need to be thinking not just about bandwidth, but about trust, resilience and automation. If you’re not building with AI and secure architecture at the edge, you’re already behind. iONLINE is positioned right at that intersection – delivering enterprise-grade mobile connectivity with zero trust baked in.”
As a global enterprise IOT connectivity provider, iONLINE can help transform challenges into opportunities. Learn more at https://www.ionlinesp.com.
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iONLINE Connected Networks
iONLINE Connected Networks is a leading connectivity provider that delivers cutting-edge technology solutions to businesses around the world. iONLINE's flagship product is its multi-network-resilient global IoT connectivity solution, an intelligent network switching SIM (eUICC) called FlexiSIM™, which connects in 220 countries and territories on over 700 carriers.
With offices in the USA, the UK, South Africa, and Australia, iONLINE is dedicated to providing exceptional customer service and ensuring that its clients remain connected in a constantly changing world. iONLINE is also committed to promoting positive change for both society and the environment, reflecting its dedication to corporate social responsibility.