Hyperconnectivity driven by huge numbers of sensors, the expansion of AI into applications and devices, and the role of telecoms in national security was center stage in Barcelona today as Ericsson President and CEO, Börje Ekholm, got the company’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 program underway.
Ekholm said these three “fundamental forces” shaped this year’s Ericsson MWC event theme – Enter New Horizons – and are central to company demos, seminars, panel and round-table discussions, and customer meetings at the Fira Gran Via venue this week.
He said the AI surge and growth in the number of connected devices will drive high-performance connectivity demand as “everything will be connected.”
Ekholm said he was excited about the new era, which he said will also put demands on Ericsson.
Momentum in differentiated connectivity use cases – such as premium fixed wireless access, network slicing, and Network APIs – will also be in focus in Ericsson’s pavilion.
Ericsson’s event space will feature collaborations with more than 120 partners across the industry – comprising more than half of what Ericsson is showing in Barcelona this year.
Ekholm said this was evidence of how the new ecosystem is scaling.
Ekholm referenced the Network APIs-focused joint venture Aduna as an important example of bringing the industry together to form ecosystems to utilize the digital stack.
Ekholm said 5G Standalone would also influence the third ‘fundamental force.’
Ekholm was joined by special guests during the webcast: AT&T CEO, John Stankey, and Singtel CEO, Yuen Kuan Moon.
Stankey and Ekholm discussed the companies’ December 2023 deal aimed at helping the U.S. communications service provider to move to cloud-based architecture and pursue new revenue streams.
Stankey highlighted momentum in fixed wireless access and network slice uptake as being notable and agreed with Ekholm that 5G Standalone is central to the cloud-based and service-based architecture needed for new physical AI services and applications.
Stankey and Ekholm also addressed the importance of collaborating on network security, before discussing the fact that both AT&T and Ericsson celebrate 150-year anniversaries in 2026. While celebrating the landmark they also stressed the need to constantly innovate and think about what is coming next.
Ekholm and Yuen Kuan Moon also discussed the advantages of having 5G Standalone connectivity.
He also highlighted dedicated network slices as new revenue generation opportunities across security, factories, airports and seaports, saying offering applications and gaming network slices was also in focus.
Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2026 runs until March 5. Find out ore about Ericsson’s MWC activities vis this link.
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Börje Ekholm opens Ericsson’s MWC 2026
Hyperconnectivity driven by huge numbers of sensors, the expansion of AI into applications and devices, and the role of telecoms in national security was center stage in Barcelona today as Ericsson President and CEO, Börje Ekholm, got the company’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 program underway.
Ekholm said these three “fundamental forces” shaped this year’s Ericsson MWC event theme – Enter New Horizons – and are central to company demos, seminars, panel and round-table discussions, and customer meetings at the Fira Gran Via venue this week.
He said the AI surge and growth in the number of connected devices will drive high-performance connectivity demand as “everything will be connected.”
Ekholm said he was excited about the new era, which he said will also put demands on Ericsson.
Momentum in differentiated connectivity use cases – such as premium fixed wireless access, network slicing, and Network APIs – will also be in focus in Ericsson’s pavilion.
Ericsson’s event space will feature collaborations with more than 120 partners across the industry – comprising more than half of what Ericsson is showing in Barcelona this year.
Ekholm said this was evidence of how the new ecosystem is scaling.
Ekholm referenced the Network APIs-focused joint venture Aduna as an important example of bringing the industry together to form ecosystems to utilize the digital stack.
Ekholm said 5G Standalone would also influence the third ‘fundamental force.’
Ekholm was joined by special guests during the webcast: AT&T CEO, John Stankey, and Singtel CEO, Yuen Kuan Moon.
Stankey and Ekholm discussed the companies’ December 2023 deal aimed at helping the U.S. communications service provider to move to cloud-based architecture and pursue new revenue streams.
Stankey highlighted momentum in fixed wireless access and network slice uptake as being notable and agreed with Ekholm that 5G Standalone is central to the cloud-based and service-based architecture needed for new physical AI services and applications.
Stankey and Ekholm also addressed the importance of collaborating on network security, before discussing the fact that both AT&T and Ericsson celebrate 150-year anniversaries in 2026. While celebrating the landmark they also stressed the need to constantly innovate and think about what is coming next.
Ekholm and Yuen Kuan Moon also discussed the advantages of having 5G Standalone connectivity.
He also highlighted dedicated network slices as new revenue generation opportunities across security, factories, airports and seaports, saying offering applications and gaming network slices was also in focus.
Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2026 runs until March 5. Find out ore about Ericsson’s MWC activities vis this link.
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This entry was posted on March 2, 2026 at 8:24 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Ericsson. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.