MWC26 Doha brought together more than 10,000 attendees from 100 countries and territories for three days of discussions on artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and connectivity across the MENA region.
Held in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the event gathered policymakers, regulators, technology companies, investors and industry leaders. It also ran alongside the opening days of the International Telecommunication Union’s Plenipotentiary Conference, marking the first time the two events were held concurrently.
According to the GSMA, the conference included 86 ministerial delegations, 195 speakers, around 100 exhibitors, sponsors and partners, and 42 partnership announcements.
The GSMA launched its AI for Impact MENA Initiative, which will bring together mobile operators, governments, academic institutions, international organisations and private-sector companies to develop and scale AI-powered services. The initiative will focus on responsible AI adoption, partnerships and skills development.
A GSMA Pavilion demonstration involving Ooredoo Qatar, Ericsson, Eonetics and Hikvision showed how 5G could support emergency response operations. The demonstration connected a tethered drone in Melbourne with the pavilion in Doha.
Other announcements included collaborations with Khalifa University and AMD on radio frequency foundation models, and with the ITU on trusted, open AI for telecommunications.
Source: Fast Company Middle East
