The MWC25 matched pre-COVID attendance, drawing 109,000 participants from over 200 countries. Under the theme Converge. Connect. Create., the event featured 1,200 speakers and more than 2,900 exhibitors, making it a key meeting place. 4YFN, the innovation fair, hosted over 1,000 startup exhibitors and more than 900 investors. Separately, Talent Arena—the first edition of the event dedicated to the developer community, organized by MWCapital and co-located at Fira Montjuïc—welcomed over 20,000 attendees.
As expected from the previous edition of MWC, artificial intelligence was omnipresent, while sovereignty, defence, cybersecurity, and the need for regulatory adaptation were at the centre of discussions. Geopolitics played an increasingly important role, with telecom operators emerging as key solution providers for security. The urgency for Europe to act quickly to improve its competitiveness and strengthen telecom operators was a major focus.
After summarising Telefónica’s presence—complete with links to all relevant information in case you missed it amid the rush of MWC25 and want to catch up—an overview of the main policy debates follows.
Telefónica welcomed its visitors with AI and future proof security as main highlights
Under the motto “Leading Change. Inspiring progress”, Telefónica welcomed its visitors to the booth spanning a wide range of cutting-edge technologies for increased resilience and end-to-end service, showcased in our demotours. Three permanent demos were featured [Links include videos with comprehensive explanations]:
- The ‘Open Gateway 5G Drones’ showcased a revolutionary end-to-end drone as service proposal, powered by a high-performance 5G network and enhanced by Open Gateway APIs, edge cloud, AI, and 24/7 remote control centre capabilities.
- The “Quantum-Safe Networks”, is an innovative proposal that anticipates the emerging challenges of quantum technology and provides industries with tools that not only solve current problems, but also generate trust in an interconnected and protected future. Telefónica also announced the establishment of a dedicated Centre of Excellence for quantum technologies.
- The ‘Digital Operations Center‘ showcased the daily work of cybersecurity experts, highlighting the advanced monitoring and operational capabilities Telefónica Tech provides 24/7 from its Digital Operations Centre (DOC). It also demonstrated the dual role artificial intelligence plays in the cybersecurity landscape.
The Agora, central stage of Telefónica’s stand
The Agora once again took the stage with over 25 talks, demos, and roundtables from high-profile speakers. Roundtable videos and presentations are available on-demand. A wide range of topics were featured:
- Open Gateway
- Defence & security roundtables (including with NATO and US government)
- End-to-end drones service
- Quantum technologies, strategy & applications
- 5G, edge cloud, network evolution & use cases
- Satellite connectivity
- AI for network, network for AI, AI use cases & green algorithms
- Empowering SMEs in the AI revolution
- Startups & Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)
- Tech for health: Cateye, 5G blood monitoring & IoT
- Smart Agro 5G: intelligent forecasting system
- Resilient digitalisation in industry
- Cybersecurity Innovation roundtable (Wayra)
For further detail on Telefónica’s presence download the brochure, browse the MWC site or watch the summary video. You can also consult the transformation handbooks created for the occasion.
Adapting regulation: a key theme in a complex technological and geopolitical landscape
It is time for large European telcos to be allowed to consolidate and grow to create technological capacity
The discussions emphasised the need for scale, a rethinking of European regulation, and the growing impact of geopolitical tensions. In his opening keynote, Marc Murtra, Chairman and CEO of Telefónica, highlighted the historic role of the telecoms sector as a driver of technological progress in Europe. He called for Europe to enable consolidation in the telecoms sector, allowing operators to scale up and improve their technological potential and strengthen Europe’s digital autonomy.
A step forward for Europe? At the GSMA Ministerial Roundtable New Digital Economy: Connecting the Dots, Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director-General DG Connect EU Commission, emphasised the need for a new regulatory framework—one that simplifies regulation and fosters a holistic vision for the future.
Policy discussions were also featured in the global roundtables. In Keynote3, Balancing Innovation and Regulation: Global Perspectives on Telecoms Policy, John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer at GSMA, emphasized that this is a pivotal moment for striking the right regulatory balance. He highlighted the importance of forward-looking regulation amid rapid technological change, stressing that collaboration between policymakers and industry—along with regulatory flexibility—is essential.
Henna Virkkunen, EVP for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy at the EU Commission highlighted the €200 billion investment needed to drive Europe’s economic growth in digital infrastructure. She emphasized that AI is reshaping economies and regulation must be rethought and simplified while ensuring a level playing field across the entire ecosystem. Given the current geopolitical context, she underscored that security remains the top priority.
Brendan Carr, Chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission, emphasized that “scale is king” and that “to compete in the network world, we must create the right incentives for carriers to grow to a size that allows them to compete effectively at scale.” He stressed the need for a regulatory environment that provides certainty for spectrum and enables “permissionless innovation.” On AI, he reaffirmed the US’s commitment to maintaining leadership. And on free speech and a level playing field, he cautioned that if Europe moves toward “protectionist regulation that unfairly targets US technology companies” they will speak up.
Driving Europe’s digital future: a policy debate turned towards action
In a turbulent year for the European telecom sector—marked by significant technological and geopolitical challenges, as well as a complex and intricate regulatory landscape—GSMA convened the CEOs of the Europe’s four leading operators—Telefónica, Vodafone, Orange, and Deutsche Telekom—for the debate “Driving Europe’s Digital Future”.
Marc Mutra, Chairman and CEO of Telefónica, emphasized that it is not too late for Europe, stating: “In life and in business, calamities are inevitable, but decadence is not.” He highlighted that while Europe has the necessary capabilities and assets, it operates in a fragmented market, and that is “like playing football with one hand tied behind our back.” To move forward, he stressed the need for a shift in approach to technology, urging Europe—in particular policymakers—to take risks, embrace change, enable operators to invest and consolidate, and foster technology creation.
Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone, emphasized that while the primary role of operators is to provide connectivity, their responsibilities extend far beyond. She highlighted the significant annual investments of over €20 billion by the four major operators, underscoring their critical role in security. “We have more security specialists across our companies than you can find in NATO headquarters” she noted. In the global race, Europe is falling behind—and that matters not only due to the critical role of connectivity but also because of the growing risk of digital technological dependencies. She asked to work on two fronts “flex our innovation muscle” and “be able to scale that innovation with the right environment for investments”, citing the UK merger as an example. “It’s time to move from groundhog day to a European digital renaissance” she concluded.
Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange, emphasized that the AI race is just beginning. She highlighted the pivotal role of telecom operators, positioned between the cloud and the edge, and their place within the broader ecosystem of partners. “It’s all about investment” she insisted, adding, “and investors punish us when we invest more in Europe“. Scale brings capacity, innovation, lower costs, and better prices, and it creates a “virtual circle”. “Let’s revisit today the way we structure the market, making investment ‘bad’” she urged.
Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, emphasized that “the US ecosystem is the winning ecosystem in every regard” noting that 65% of its revenues come from the US market. He highlighted the clear benefits following the merger and consolidation into three players: 98% 5G coverage, a 12% reduction in prices, a market size that doubled, a valuation that tripled, and increased investment across the entire ecosystem. He pointed out that spectrum is not rented out, and that regulations and red tape were removed years ago. “Investors love it,” he said, adding, “and if investors love the business, it’s good for citizens as well.” He called for a reform of competition policies, the creation of a European single market, and a reduction of regulatory burdens—citing that Deutsche Telekom interacts with 270 regulators. He also stressed the need to eliminate uncertainties around innovation, questioning, “Are we allowed to do network slicing? Is it a violation of net neutrality?” Finally, according to Höttges fairness is essential, alongside contributions from over-the-top players to the investment needed for increased capacity.
In summary, MWC25 saw policy discussions shift from diagnosis to calls for action within an increasingly complex geopolitical and technological landscape.
See you at the next MWC in Barcelona!
