MWC26 Doha brings together industry leaders, policymakers and regulators to exhibit, discuss, connect and do business.
A record-breaking number of 36 Ministers and 34 Heads of National Regulatory Authorities participated in the GSMA’s Ministerial Programme.
10 November 2026 – Over 10,000 participants from around the world gathered in Qatar at MWC26 Doha, a truly spectacular showcase of the Middle East and North Africa’s digital growth ambitions. Over three days of keynote sessions, conferences and summits, hosted in partnership with the State of Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), participants discussed how smart solutions, cutting-edge infrastructure and robust digital strategies are helping transform the role of the MENA region in the global connectivity landscape.
In a true first, MWC26 Doha was held in conjunction with the opening days of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-26), the main governing body for the ITU, the United Nations agency for digital technologies. The event occurs every four years and is the most senior decision-making body for the agency, helping define its strategic and financial planning, elect leadership and determine its overall direction. The combination of the two events brought together industry leaders, policymakers and innovators to discuss the key digital issues.
Sianne Ryder, CEO, Events and Industry Services, GSMA Ltd said: “This week at MWC26 Doha, policymakers and regulators sat side by side with industry leaders and innovators to debate, connect and shape MENA’s digital future. Co-locating with the opening days of ITU PP-26 created something unique: a place where those setting the global digital agenda could engage directly with the operators, technology companies and investors bringing it to life. The result was sharper conversations, stronger connections and a clearer path from policy to progress. We look forward to seeing the partnerships forged in Doha deliver impact across the region and beyond. Thank you to everyone who joined us – and especially to our hosts at MCIT.” ‘I am excited to see the partnerships formed throughout the event translate into impactful outcomes across the region. Thank you to everyone who attended and our hosts at MCIT.’
MWC26 Doha highlights:
Over 10,000 attendees from 100 countries and territories
14% C-suite attendants 37% director level and above
62% from non-core mobile industries
The GSMA’s Ministerial Programme brought together 86 delegations, with 36 Ministers and 34 Heads of National Regulatory Authorities attending. Attendees represented 74 countries and 12 intergovernmental bodies
195 speakers from keynote sessions, summits and partner programmes.
~100 exhibitors, sponsors and partners on the showfloor
42 partnerships and announcements made in the Announcement Lounge
220+ media, content creators and analysts onsite
MENA’s digital transformation on display
Participants saw how intelligent mobile solutions are being used to help emergency services, with Ooredoo Qatar, Ericsson, Eonetics, Hikvision and GSMA Fusion showcasing. The 5G Connectivity for Emergency Response demo showcased how Eonetics’ tethered drone in Melbourne, Australia connected to the GSMA Pavilion in Doha over 12,000km away.
The GSMA launched the AI for Impact (AI4I) MENA Initiative. The initiative aims to connect mobile operators, government bodies, international agencies, academic institutions and private sector partners to develop and implement AI-enabled services in the region. This will be supported by strategic partnerships and upskilling.
The GSMA also entered into agreements and announced partnerships with Khalifa University and AMD to provide radio frequency foundation models to telecom operators, with the ITU to boost trusted open AI in telecoms, with Axonect to support small businesses using operator led digital marketplaces, a five-year agreement with Applab, an agreement with H.E. Minister of Digital Transition and Technology Innovation of Côte d’Ivoire to increase smartphone affordability, and a partnership with GSMA Foundry and apoQlar to bring spatial computing to connected healthcare.
Participants heard from leading speakers including Accenture, Dell Technologies, Ericsson, Google, Huawei, ITU, Mastercard, Microsoft, Nokia Solutions and Networks, Ooredoo, PwC Middle East, SandboxAQ, ServiceNow, VEON, Vodafone Qatar. Exhibitors and sponsors included Accenture, AGIBOT, Cisco, Deloitte, Ericsson, Es’hailSat, Google, HPE, Huawei, Internal Security Force Qatar, Microsoft, Oliver Wyman, Ooredoo, PwC, Qatar University, Scale, strategy&, Veon and Vodafone.
Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA said: “MWC26 Doha remains a central part of our work to bring the mobile ecosystem together around the issues that matter most to its growth, from the global standards that keep networks working across borders to connecting the millions of people who remain offline. With connectivity and digital policy now vital to economic and social progress, this year’s event and our collaboration with Qatar brought regional priorities onto the global stage. The ambition and partnership we have seen in Doha have established a strong foundation, and we will continue to build on them so that digital progress reaches every community across MENA.” We have seen incredible ambition and great partnerships in Doha and we will continue to build on these to ensure digital progress reaches every community across the MENA region.
Keynote sessions and highlights can be viewed on demand on the MWC Doha website. For the latest news, updates, B-roll and official imagery please visit the MWC26 Doha Press Zone.
MWC26 Doha concludes the 2026 GSMA event series. We are now turning our attention to MWC27 Barcelona on 1-4 March 2027. Registration is now open. We look forward to welcoming the region’s connectivity ecosystem back to Doha from 15-17 November2027.
About GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation that unites the mobile industry to realise the potential of connectivity to generate positive change. Our vision is to unleash the full power of connectivity to make the world a better place. We represent mobile operators and organisations within the mobile industry and adjacent industries to deliver for our members. Across three pillars, Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions and Outreach, we advance policy, solve society’s biggest challenges, provide the underlying technology for mobile to work, and provide the world’s largest platform to unite the mobile industry at our MWC and M360 series of events. Find out more here: GSMA.com
