Instead of hastily sharing my thoughts on MWC, I decided it would be more appropriate to share my insights and observations as we mark the one-month anniversary since the conclusion of MWC 2025. This has also provided me with the opportunity to read various articles and listen to several podcasts related to other people’s takeaways from the event. While many analysts have come away saying that there was a noticeable lack of standout highlights, apart from the ubiquitous buzz around AI, I believe that if you dive deeper, it reveals a rich tapestry of insights that extend beyond the telecom industry itself.
One of the most intriguing observations I’ve heard from MWC which once again had record attendance was that more than 50% of attendees identified as working outside the traditional telecom industry and in 4YFN serious investors with deep pockets were walking around the hall. As XONA Partners put it “MWC appears to be transforming into something much broader than its original focus on mobile, becoming a hub for any technology with connectivity at its core. Essentially, everything!”. This transformation aligns seamlessly with the burgeoning landscape of 5G, not as a singular technology but as a comprehensive set of capabilities that demand strategic application to deliver meaningful, targeted services which the industry is having to work out for the first time.
I picked up a comment from Dean Bubley on the Telecoms.com podcast who said that the 5G standardisation process had been about trying to get as many patents in the standard as possible and that in fact only something like 20 to 30% of the standard has to this day been implemented and certain parts of it will never be realised.
The discourse surrounding 5G delves deeper than the surface-level declarations of implementation. Although many industry players have announced their embrace of 5G, the reality is more nuanced, with only a fraction of the standard genuinely integrated into operations. NSA is nothing more than a radio optimisation but of course, that did bring with it an investment round having to upgrade the RAN. The true promise of 5G lies in the implementation of 5G Standalone (5GSA), a frontier that just 57 operators have boldly ventured into, with 88 more preparing to follow suit, totalling 145 operators across 63 countries.
Away from the public networks, the focus is shifting towards supporting private networks. In my role as a judge for the GSMA, reviewing the connected economy category, I was able to see some of the incredible work and implementations in this area. Yet, it’s evident that there’s a divide, perhaps a cultural one, in how different regions are approaching connectivity.
When it comes to 5G, it’s clear we’re living in a parallel universe compared to China, which has taken a significant lead. The scale and ambition of China’s approach to leveraging communication as a foundational utility for society are remarkable. Reportedly, China has deployed over 1.2 million base stations, recognising that ubiquitous connectivity is essential to unlocking the full potential of 5G as a core service for industry, society, and a competitive economy.
While analysts haven’t emphasised this point much, the president of China Mobile Biao He highlighted in his keynote the concept of AI+ as a strategy aimed at integrating AI to drive advancements across industries and benefit society as a whole. This includes supporting fundamental infrastructure for lifestyle, production, governance and science. They are now developing new services in visual internet, low altitude economy and quantum technologies. China’s vision demonstrates a deep understanding of connectivity’s transformative power and its role in shaping the future.
I hope this rubbed off on regulators who were attending the ministerial track where western governments could learn a thing or two. Without ubiquitous connectivity, many proposed efficiencies and autonomous activities risk remaining nothing more than unattainable aspirations.
After attending the initial keynotes, it’s clear to me that the telecom industry is expanding into two areas that were once considered distinct and outside of the telco industry’s traditional scope.
The discussions spotlighted non-terrestrial connectivity, with companies like Starlink leading the charge, and the promising news about T-Mobile and others using satellite connectivity in their mainstream offerings, including direct-to-device communications on the horizon. Please feel free to refer to my post of 2014 related to heavens above.
In keynote 2 there were two speakers who had data centres in their portfolio as additional services for their customers. The data centre market is booming and the interconnectivity between data centres i.e. fibre is high on the agenda to create a fabric to support the insatiable appetite for AI processing. As we navigate the digital age, data centres are becoming vital nodes in the network, driving exponential growth and the interconnectivity that fuels AI processing. In the era of trying to optimise and ideally neutralise humanity’s footprint, this progress comes with an environmental toll, concerning the power and water demands of data centres.
With topline connectivity revenue growth not being a realistic objective, operators should be leveraging the 5G flexible cloud-native architecture to make their networks software-driven and programmable to cost-effectively and profitably address the needs of the customers driving up margins.
It would be remiss of me to only reflect on the licensed spectrum, with 80% of traffic being consumed over wifi and in-building. Once the fibre is connected to the building the connectivity bottleneck moved into the building and there were quite a lot of companies focusing on helping operators and consumers in this area with Wifi 7 beginning to be deployed which brings with it lower latency
We can also not leave out the geopolitical dimension felt at MWC in this post. Many of my European colleagues, when reflecting on the United States are questioning whether we should continue to rely on or adopt American technology in the future. This uncertainty stems from the broader debate about whether the US remains a dependable partner. At the time of writing, we’ve just witnessed what some have referred to as Trump’s “liberation day,” highlighting a growing divergence of interests between the two sides.
From a European standpoint, security has become a central issue, particularly with the recent designation of telecommunications infrastructure as critical infrastructure. This shift has introduced new requirements for operators, who must now provide detailed evidence of their security measures and compliance. These developments underscore the evolving dynamics in transatlantic relations and the growing emphasis on safeguarding strategic assets.
Given my interests, I do not agree with the notion that O-RAN is dead, despite the efforts of certain interest groups to push this narrative. However, I recognise that O-RAN has evolved, leaving behind an important legacy. The widespread acceptance of O-RAN interface definitions ensures they will likely serve as the foundation for future standardisation efforts, regardless of whether future deployments involve single or multi-vendor solutions.
Finishing on a positive note, it was creative and laudable for one of the exhibitors to try and tap into new potential markets like the dogs and cats with the PetPhone smartphone from uCloudlink for monitoring their health and location. I must say from an operator’s perspective, this concept is highly appealing. After all, dogs are loyal, free of complaints, and incapable of calling customer service or posting grievances on social media.
In sum, MWC 2025 was less about headline-grabbing announcements and more about the subtle yet significant shifts in the telecom landscape, the interwoven connections with broader tech ecosystems, and the evolving geopolitical considerations that collectively shape the future of connectivity.
