MWC26 Doha opens with call for global connectivity standards
MWC26 Doha opened in Qatar with industry leaders calling for stronger global connectivity standards and action to reduce the digital divide across the Middle East and North Africa. The three-day event brings together operators, technology leaders, policymakers and innovators to discuss the region’s connectivity future.
- MWC26 Doha opened at the DECC on November 8, 2026.
- The event will run for three days in partnership with Qatar’s MCIT.
- The mobile economy is expected to add $470 billion to MENA by 2030.
- Organizers are calling for global standards and wider connectivity access.
- AI agents are increasing demand for resilient networks and advanced computing.
Three days focused on connectivity
The event opened on November 8, 2026, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, or DECC. It is organized in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, known as MCIT.
The opening brought together the connectivity ecosystem to discuss the next phase of growth for the mobile economy. According to the announcement, that economy is expected to add $470 billion to the Middle East and North Africa by 2030.
The opening ceremony was attended by Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense. Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Qatar’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, delivered the welcome address.
AI is increasing demand for networks and computing
Al Mannai said the region’s telecommunications infrastructure needs are undergoing a fundamental transformation. The announcement said he linked that shift to the progress of artificial intelligence toward carrying out tasks through intelligent agents.
That development is increasing the need for more resilient networks and advanced computing capabilities, according to the minister’s opening remarks. He also pointed to global challenges that make it important to diversify connectivity routes and maintain service continuity.
The focus places network resilience alongside artificial intelligence infrastructure as a central issue for the region’s technology and telecommunications discussions at MWC26 Doha.
GSMA and ITU promote interoperability and inclusion
GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath and International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin took part in an informal discussion during the opening. Badrinath outlined priorities for the region’s connected future, including continued support for global standards.
According to the announcement, those standards are intended to ensure interoperability for networks and services across markets. The GSMA also called for renewed efforts to extend connectivity to people who remain disconnected in the Middle East and North Africa.
Badrinath said progress should benefit everyone and identified two requirements: global standards that allow networks, services and devices to work across borders, and a coordinated effort to connect people who remain offline.
A joint setting for standards discussions
MWC26 Doha is being held jointly with the ITU’s PP-26. The GSMA said the combined presence would strengthen dialogue between policymakers, innovators and business leaders involved in setting standards and deploying networks.
The announcement said the event will run for three days while the ITU plenipotentiary continues its work. For users and the regional market, the stated priorities point to a focus on cross-border interoperability, more resilient connectivity and broader access, while the event’s participants work on the standards and infrastructure needed to support those goals.
