The Mobile World Congress (MWC) has been held this year the twentieth edition at the Gran Via of Fira de Barcelona. From March 2 to March 5, this technological event took place and in four days full of artificial intelligence, innovation and debates about the future of the sector, it received 105,000 attendees from 207 countries and territories. This figure is slightly lower than the previous year (109,000), as reported this Thursday by the global association of telecommunications companies GSMA.
The MWC has had more than 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors and partners; and it has also exceeded 1,700 speakers, among which 35% have been women.
“Twenty years in Barcelona and the MWC continues to surprise and exceed expectations. From the beginning, the GSMA and the entities of the host city shared a common vision: to build something that was important for the world,” celebrated the CEO of the GSMA, John Hoffman.
The GSMA ministerial program brought together 188 delegations, 45 intergovernmental organizations, 54 ministers and 118 heads of regulatory authorities. 58% of attendees represented industries in the mobile ecosystem at this congress; and almost half of the visitors have been at a managerial level and above. In addition, Almost 2,600 journalists and industry analysts from all over the world attended this fair.
In the eyes of the employers, 4YFN is “the startup event of the world’s largest fair for the mobile industry.” It hosted more than 1,000 exhibiting startups, more than 300 speakers and hundreds of investors with collective funds totaling $70 billion.
MWC 2026 Barcelona opens the GSMA global calendar of events, which this year will spread across four continents. After Barcelona, the agenda continues with MWC Kigali from June 16 to 18, reaffirmed as the most relevant connectivity meeting in Africaand with MWC Shanghai from June 24 to 26, which brings together leaders and policymakers from the Asian mobile ecosystem. Later, MWC Doha will return to Qatar from November 8-11.
In parallel, the M360 regional series adds several key appointments. M360 Latam will take place in Mexico City on May 13-14, followed by the debut of M360 Eurasia in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on May 20-21. The ASEAN region will also have its meeting with M360 Kuala Lumpur, scheduled for September 9-10.
The Talent Arena closes its doors with more than 25,000 attendees
The Talent Arena, the congress organized by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and located together with the MWC at Fira Montjuïc, It closed yesterday with a participation of more than 25,000 unique attendees, 25% more than last year.
The event has brought together visitors from 141 countries, with 27% international audiences, and more than 2,400 companies. Overall, 55% of attendees were senior professionals.
“This second edition of Talent Arena consolidates the commitment to digital talent as a driver of competitiveness and reinforces the positioning of Barcelona as an international capital of technological talent,” said the CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, Francesc Fajula.