Global Telecom, Space and AI Firms Gather in Force, Showcasing Game-Changing Technologies at a Glance [MWC 2026]

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\r\rBarcelona, Spain – The Financial News, Jang Min-kwon –Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, the world’s largest mobile communications exhibition, opened on the 2nd (local time) for a four-day run. This year’s theme is "The IQ Era." A wide range of robots and communications technologies that embed more sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) functions and can be used in everyday life were unveiled.■ Three Korean mobile carriers, Samsung, LG and 182 domestic companies join the showFira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain, the venue of MWC 2026 that the reporter visited, served as a showcase of innovation where visitors could experience both the present and future of AI, which has evolved into a true "game changer." Around 2,900 companies from some 205 countries exhibited cutting-edge technologies and products in fields such as robots, semiconductors, IT devices and telecommunications, highlighting their technological prowess. From Korea, 182 companies took part, the fourth-largest number among participating countries, including SK Telecom, KT, LG Uplus, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, LG Electronics and various venture firms and startups. In Halls 3 and 4, the main exhibition halls of MWC 2026, an invisible battle for attention unfolded between Korean and Chinese companies.
Samsung Electronics chose Galaxy AI, installed in its recently unveiled Samsung Galaxy S26 series, as the core theme of its booth. In particular, the new Privacy Display feature, introduced for the first time on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra as a privacy protection technology, drew long lines of visitors eager to try it out. Roh Tae-moon, head of the Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics, personally walked Jeong Jae-heon, CEO of SK Telecom, Hong Beom-sik, CEO of LG Uplus, Jun Shinba, vice president of SoftBank Group, and others through the company’s latest technologies during their visit to the Samsung booth.
Korea’s three major mobile carriers presented their vision for monetizing AI by showcasing AI-based technologies and services. SK Telecom exhibited 27 items, including the AI Data Center Infrastructure Manager, an intelligent platform that integrates and monitors diverse data in an AI data center in real time, and Petasus AI Cloud, a high-performance, high-efficiency cloud platform. KT unveiled its K RaaS robot platform, a robots-as-a-service platform. Under the theme of "human-centered AI," LG Uplus introduced offerings such as Ixio Pro, an active AI agent that goes beyond a passive assistant role to proactively suggest what customers need.■ Chinese players such as Xiaomi and Lenovo turn out in force to flaunt their technologyChinese mobile carriers, smartphone makers and robotics companies also set up massive booths at the MWC exhibition hall to show off their capabilities. Honor, which chose a spot directly opposite the Samsung Electronics booth, drew attention with innovative devices such as the HONOR Robot Phone, a smartphone equipped with a robotic arm, and a dancing humanoid robot. When a visitor pressed a button on the HONOR Robot Phone, a square gimbal camera mounted on the robotic arm popped out from the upper rear of the device and began filming the crowd. China Mobile created a "robot restaurant"-themed booth, featuring serving robots that deliver dim sum and other dishes. Lenovo showcased a prototype of its Workmate Robot. After a visitor signed a poster projected by the stand-type robot using a pen, a Lenovo representative spoke into a microphone to the robot, saying, "It’s done." The robot recognized the command, sent the data to a laptop, and about 30 seconds later a printed poster appeared with the freshly written signature. Xiaomi presented the real-life version of its futuristic electric concept car, the Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo, for the first time. Japanese telecom operators also highlighted AI and robotics technologies alongside their communications solutions. KDDI displayed a guide robot and an autonomous vehicle from TIER IV, among other exhibits.
The keynote speech lineup at MWC 2026 brought together top executives from leading telecom, space and AI companies. Speakers included Gwynne Shotwell, chief operating officer and the second-in-command at Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), the space company led by Elon Musk, as well as Tim Peake, the United Kingdom’s first astronaut, and Michael Nichols, vice president at Starlink. From Korea, Hong Beom-sik, CEO of LG Uplus, was the only corporate leader invited to deliver a keynote speech.
mkchang@fnnews.com Reporter Jang Min-kwon Reporter