King Felipe VI will inaugurate MWC Barcelona 2026, the world’s leading mobile industry event, this Monday

The Diplomat King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will inaugurate the 2026 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this Monday, March 2nd. MWC is the world's largest and most influential mobile and technology industry event for the connectivity ecosystem, and its main themes will include Artificial Intelligence, smart grids, digital sovereignty, and the redefinition of the operating model. The 20th edition of Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world's leading mobile technology event, will be held at the Fira de Barcelona from March 2nd to 5th. However, the event kicked off this Sunday with the official welcome dinner, held at the National Art Museum of Catalonia and presided over by the King. During his speech, the Monarch stated that "Artificial Intelligence demands understanding, adaptation, and responsibility," and therefore, "innovators" have "the responsibility to anticipate risks" and ensure "that technology serves the common good." "This is the only way to ensure that AI elevates us and strengthens our freedom, rather than limiting or replacing us," he added. For his part, Pedro Sánchez warned of the need to defend "freedom, coexistence, and mental health" against "technological oligarchs." “We cannot allow those who design these algorithms to spread certain information to compromise the future of an essential sector like technology, much less allow AI to be used to undermine democratic principles,” he added. Also in attendance were the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, and the Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, Óscar López. Óscar López himself will close Monday’s session with the commemorative event for the twentieth anniversary of the Ministerial Program, which will highlight Spain’s leadership in digital transformation. The event, which will once again take place at the Gran Via venue of Fira de Barcelona, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in Barcelona, having arrived in Spain in 2006. It will bring together global leaders, innovators, and policymakers to explore the next phase of mobile and digital transformation. This edition will focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI), smart infrastructure, 5G/6G, satellite connectivity, and sustainability, and organizers anticipate more than 110,000 attendees. Unlike the previous edition, which featured significant representation from the Spanish government (President Pedro Sánchez; Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu; Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant; and Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, Óscar López), this time only Óscar López will participate. He will close Monday's session with the commemorative event for the 20th anniversary of the Ministerial Programme, highlighting Spain's leadership in digital transformation. The Ministerial Programme, the forum for policymakers and global industry leaders from across the mobile ecosystem and related sectors, will also include the participation of the European Commission's Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera; the OECD Secretary-General, Mathias Cormann; and the German Minister for Digital Transformation, Karsten Wildberger, among others. According to forecasts from the MWC's organizing body, the GSMA, this year's Congress will feature more than 1,700 speakers across 24 stages. It is estimated that this event, since it began in Barcelona in 2006 as the 3GSM World Congress, has generated approximately €6.85 billion and 160,000 temporary jobs. In addition, the event is expected to bring together approximately 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors, and partners, including major technology companies such as Accenture, Adobe, Amazon Web Services, AT&T, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Cohere, Dell, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, EY, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Honor, Huawei, Intel, KPMG, KT, Liberty Global, Meta, Microsoft, Nscale, Nokia, Palo Alto Networks, Qualcomm, Samsung, SAP, Siemens, SKT, Telefónica, Toshiba, Viasat, Vodafone, Xiaomi, and ZTE. The exhibition center will also house more than one hundred pavilions representing countries, regions, and technologies, including, for the first time, pavilions showcasing Africa, China, Palestine, and Seoul.

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