MWC26 Barcelona: Operators shift from selling connectivity to selling experience
The global mobile industry may be the “nervous system” of the digital world but its perennial moan to regulators, governments, and policy makers is that network operators are never sufficiently valued. At Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, industry leaders are now exploring greater connectivity by linking cell phones with satellite systems and by hoping to finally earn revenue from 5G.
In the opening keynote, Vivek Badrinath, Director General of mobile industry lobby group GSMA, said, “Over the last 20 years the mobile industry has seen incredible growth. We have become the essential nervous system of the digital world. To maintain this trajectory we must complete the 5G rollout.”
5G, he added, is the modernisation of society itself. “In a future where cities think for themselves, where factories run autonomously, where robots are part of daily life investing in 5G Standalone is essential. Countries that hesitate will fall behind.”
GSMA Director General Vivek Badinath (left) in conversation with AT&T Chairman & CEO John Stankey (right) during Stankey's MWC26 keynote
Despite what some see as the remarkable technological progress with 5G, the challenge of turning that innovation into sustainable revenue is becoming increasingly urgent.
A 5G tipping point?
“We're at the tipping point for 5G in the U.S.,” said John Stankey, Chairman and CEO, AT&T in a keynote. “One of the things that’s often brushed over is what 5G did in the consumer space to make more effective use of spectral efficiency and [therefore] opening up new markets. For just simple things like fixed broadband that has driven an awful lot of innovation for consumer and business customers.
He said 5G Standalone had started to emerge and become more prevalent. “We're seeing hybrid public and private networks (where the private network is sliced for exclusivity).
“Whether it be film studio lots or at a sporting venue where they are able to connect video cameras and actively get on a network and move data without restraint. I think we're over the hump on those types of things now, and so innovation can start taking people to greater levels.”
Stankey views the telco industry and AT&T’s business as being fixed and mobile. “From a customer's perspective, there's only one internet,” he said. “They don't want to buy it multiple times. They'd like one relationship to get on the internet and if you're going to meet that expectation with a customer, you've got to be really good at running multiple access technologies off that fiber infrastructure. I think that's the next play, at least in the United States.”
Mobility, fixed wireless, and 5G monetisation
Mobile operators are beginning to move from selling basic connectivity to offering performance-based services, but the transition is still in its early stages, according to executives speaking during a policy and technology session hosted by the GSMA.
Ericsson’s November 2025 Mobility Report has evidence that the shift is already underway with around 65 differentiated connectivity services in the market.
Despite this, Verizon’s Will Johnson (SVP & Deputy GC of Regulatory Affairs & International Public Policy), said that fixed wireless access (FWA) remains the most proven 5G monetisation model to date.
“A few years ago, this business didn’t exist for us. Now we have about 5.7 million customers, and it’s a multi-billion-dollar revenue stream every year,” Johnson said. “It’s not just about adding new customers — it also helps with convergence. Customers who take both mobile and home broadband are more satisfied and less likely to churn.”
The introduction of standalone 5G cores and network slicing is also changing how fixed wireless can be used. “In the past, businesses often saw fixed wireless as a backup connection,” he said. “With slicing and service-level agreements, it can now be a primary service, even for enterprises.”
Verizon SVP Will Johnson discussing FWA and 5G monetisation at WMC26
Mani Manimohan, Head of Digital Infrastructure Policy and Regulation at the GSMA, noted, “There is already talk about 6G, but we still need to make 5G work. The shift from selling connectivity to selling experience has started, but it will take time. The real challenge now is proving that differentiated connectivity can create lasting value for operators, businesses and consumers.”
Space: the next mobile frontier
Despite the growth of terrestrial networks, nearly one-third of the world’s population remains unconnected or underserved.
Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, speaking at MWC2026, said: “Satellite connectivity is no longer a niche capability. It is becoming a core layer of global communications infrastructure.”
The company’s satellite communications division, Starlink, began by delivering broadband to homes and businesses and is now expanding to direct mobile connectivity. The goal Shotwell said, was to make global communication available everywhere, on any device.
“Connectivity is not only about entertainment,” she said. “Access to reliable internet enables banking, education, healthcare, emergency response, and economic development, particularly in remote or disaster-affected regions.”
MWC26 Starlink keynote with Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX and Michael Nicolls, SVP of Starlink
Since the first launches in 2020 the company now operates thousands of satellites in low-Earth-orbit (LEO) capable of delivering broadband connectivity almost anywhere on the planet.
Starlink Mobile, the company’s direct-to-cell satellite service, launched 18 months ago. Itr allows unmodified smartphones to connect directly to satellites when terrestrial coverage is unavailable.
“When we started the direct-to-cell program, about 20% of land area in the United States and about 90% of Earth’s surface had no terrestrial mobile coverage,” explained Michael Nicolls, SVP of Starlink. “Starlink Mobile fills those gaps. The first generation of the global constellation includes about 150 satellites, and we are now operating across five continents. By geographic coverage, we are the largest 4G provider in the world. We have 10 million active users every month and expect that number to exceed 25 million by the end of 2026.”
Starlink Mobile works by linking through lasers to the broader Starlink constellation. The satellites fly at about 350 km above the earth, to optimize the link between the satellite and the user device.
While the current system supports text messaging, basic data services, voice, and video calls, the next phase of the program, due to go live in mid-2027, is designed to deliver “true broadband performance” directly to smartphones.
“The new satellites will include larger phased-array antennas, higher bandwidth, and advanced 5G non-terrestrial network standards,” said Nicolls. “In optimal conditions, the system is expected to deliver speeds comparable to terrestrial mobile broadband, potentially exceeding 100 Mbps.”
To deploy the constellation at scale, SpaceX will use Starship, its reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle. Once launches begin, global coverage could be established within months, he said, with additional satellites added to increase capacity over time. The constellation will also extend coverage to polar regions, one of the least connected parts of the world.
“The long-term vision is a hybrid network combining terrestrial infrastructure with satellite systems,” said Shotwell. “Terrestrial networks will remain essential for high-density urban coverage, but satellites can provide reach, resilience, and flexibility. They can connect remote regions, restore service during disasters, and supply additional capacity during major events or network congestion.”
Extending mobile coverage
Starlink was not the only company talking about filling in the gaps in the mobile network. Vodafone Group struck a deal with Amazon’s LEO constellation to extend 4G and 5G coverage in remote parts of Europe and Africa. Vodafone also joined with AST SpaceMobile’s joint venture Satellite Connectivity Europe to launch an open access direct-to-device satellite broadband provider for European operators. Orange and Telefónica have also joined the initiative.
“There is a new frontier in the sky,” said Margherita Della Valle, CEO, Vodafone Group, who was joined on stage by former ISS astronaut Tim Peake.
She urged for international regulations to guarantee safety and security in space. “It is hard making anything in space work. The real issue though is that our new frontier is stuck in a wild west state. With new tensions across power blocks we do not know how to deal with the sky which is a vast expanse across borders. If we want to make the most of what technology has to offer we need to join forces across operators, manufacturers and regulators.”