MWC 2026: AI-Native Networks and the Architectural Shift From Automation to Autonomy
From Connectivity to Intelligence: What MWC 2026 Reveals About the Telecom–AI Convergence For years, the Mobile World Congress was shorthand for handset launches and incremental network upgrades. In 2026, that narrative is structurally obsolete. The dominant signal emerging from Barcelona is not about devices, nor even about 6G speculation. It is about a deeper architectural shift: the transition toward AI-Native Networks. Under the official framing of the “IQ Era,” intelligence is no longer presented as a service layer sitting on top of connectivity. It is embedded into connectivity itself. Networks are no longer static conduits configured through deterministic rules. They are evolving into adaptive, learning systems that participate in computation, decision-making, and optimization in real time. This is not marketing language. It is a teleological shift in telecommunications and data infrastructure. The objective of the network is no longer merely to transmit packets efficientl...