Best of LinkedIn: Mobile World Congress 2026

00:00:00: provided by Thomas Allgaier and Frenis based on the most relevant posts on LinkedIn about Mobile World Congress, twenty-twenty six.

00:00:07: Frenes is a B to D market research company working with enterprises to optimize their campaigns with account an executive insight far beyond AI.

00:00:17: And welcome to this special deep dive.

00:00:19: we are so excited.

00:00:20: have you at us?

00:00:21: Yeah We're unpacking some really massive signals coming out of mobile world congress twenty twenty six in Barcelona

00:00:28: Right, but we are looking at all this new whole massive stack of industry shifting updates specifically through the lens of strategic B to be marketing.

00:00:35: Exactly like if you were a btb marketer trying To map out your go-to-market strategies for the rest Of year.

00:00:41: or maybe you're looking At your messaging and wondering why certain account based plays Are just falling flat

00:00:46: right now?

00:00:47: The ground truth coming Out of mwc is critical For you here.

00:00:50: the overarching theme We saw across the board as This really tectonic shift in buyer psychology

00:00:56: of the experimentation era.

00:00:58: Yeah, we are squarely in The Execution

00:01:00: Era.

00:01:01: it's a very palpable shift in tone

00:01:03: completely I mean if you look at the chatter from executives on the ground and We've actually curated the most impactful LinkedIn posts From those leaders to build this deep dive It is just so clear that the patience for flashy theoretical concepts has evaporated.

00:01:18: yeah buyers want hardened deployable business value today.

00:01:22: Right, so we've organized these insights into a few core realities that are reshaping the market and We're going to start with the big one The evolution of AI and automation?

00:01:32: The conversation around AI at MWC has fundamentally changed.

00:01:36: I mean think about a year or two ago.

00:01:37: everyone was obsessed With the art of the possible

00:01:39: exactly.

00:01:40: it was all About what AI could do in a perfect sandbox.

00:01:43: now Nobody is talking about

00:01:46: No, the entire dialogue is just about how it generates revenue or how it cuts hard costs.

00:01:50: Yeah Evan Kirstle really nailed this dynamic in his breakdown of the event.

00:01:55: he noted that the telecom and tech sectors have decisively shifted from AI pilots to AI P&L.

00:02:01: P&

00:02:01: L profit-and loss

00:02:02: right?

00:02:03: And for anyone listening who sits slightly outside The Finance Department when we talk about p&l & EBITDA impact We are talking about actual measurable core Profitability.

00:02:15: Operators

00:02:16: and media companies are simply refusing to buy experiments anymore,

00:02:19: which is such a massive wake-up call for marketing teams.

00:02:22: You can't just slap AI powered on the landing page and expect the leads to roll in

00:02:25: without even faces over

00:02:27: it.

00:02:27: really is.

00:02:28: Craig Gibson actually shared A highly practical perspective On this that I think should be required reading For any product marketing manager?

00:02:35: Oh yeah i saw That post.

00:02:36: Yeah he laid out a hard rule his team's using for AI adoption.

00:02:40: He said, if a new AI tool supposedly cuts costs but in reality it creates rework.

00:02:46: Or

00:02:46: requires the human to step-in and fix things?

00:02:48: Exactly!

00:02:48: If that happens they just don't ship it period.

00:02:51: His phrasing was fantastic...

00:02:59: It

00:03:00: is such brilliant way to describe the illusion of progress because rework

00:03:07: Yeah, if your AI handles customer service but the customer has to call back anyway to get a real answer you haven't saved money.

00:03:14: You've just frustrated a client and paid for the software to do it!

00:03:17: And that frustration is exactly what Art Rottenberg was getting at?

00:03:21: he added a very necessary layer of skepticism to the MWC feed.

00:03:26: He pointed out that A lot of B-to-B AI applications are still chronically overpromising and underdelivering, especially when you step into mission critical environments.

00:03:35: Right!

00:03:36: He brought up the continuing problem of hallucination

00:03:38: Which is basically when the AI model invents effect but presents it with absolute confidence.

00:03:44: Yeah And in high stakes arena Being almost right isn't a stepping stone to success.

00:03:50: It is a massive corporate

00:03:52: liability.".

00:03:52: So if you are listening this and mapping out your Q-three campaigns, the mandate is clear—you have to aggressively strip the fluff from your AI messaging.

00:04:01: Your buyers are fatigued by vague promises?

00:04:03: If your marketing collateral sounds like a sci-fi pitch about revolutionizing workflows it's going straight into trash!

00:04:09: You

00:04:09: need to pivot to strict operational reliability.

00:04:13: Show them the exact workflow, show them proven ROI.

00:04:16: And most importantly show how you are mitigating risk of hallucination or rework.

00:04:22: Risk mitigation is actually a perfect bridge to next major conversation dominating MWC this year.

00:04:28: Let's get into it

00:04:29: Because once your AI works and won't hallucinate their.

00:04:33: very next question

00:04:34: What do we have with our data?

00:04:35: Exactly Which brings us to operationalization of trust Specifically around sovereign cloud and digital trust.

00:04:43: This used to be the domain of The Legal Department, right?

00:04:45: You'd sign a contract And there would some appendix about data compliance.

00:04:49: Now Trust is actual product.

00:04:51: It's headline!

00:04:52: It was foundation for enterprise sale.

00:04:54: We saw massive announcement that really crystallizes this.

00:04:58: Marcus Earle and Jill Hasler Highlighted T-Systems as becoming a Sovereign Partner Cloud Provider For ServesNow in Germany.

00:05:08: Let's unpack why that matters for a B to B marketer.

00:05:11: ServiceNow is a massive AI and workflow platform, but if you are highly regulated industry like German financial institution or healthcare provider...

00:05:22: proprietary data into a public borderless cloud and hope for the best.

00:05:26: Right, by partnering with T-Systems ServiceNow can now offer their platform on a completely secure localized cloud with end to end accountability anchored by Deutsche Telekom.

00:05:36: It's an incredible competitive mode.

00:05:38: it really is.

00:05:39: And what's fascinating?

00:05:40: Is how the broader narrative around regulation is flipping.

00:05:43: For years The tech industry treated European data regulations as a hurdle

00:05:47: but Dave McCann shared A Really compelling perspective during the Congress.

00:05:51: He argued that European enterprises can actually turn regulatory compliance, specifically frameworks like the EU AI Act into a distinct market advantage.

00:06:01: I found his take so refreshing.

00:06:02: instead of playing defense play offense

00:06:04: Exactly!

00:06:04: McCann was suggesting.

00:06:06: if you combine a company's rich proprietary enterprise data with smaller highly customized AI models You keep your IP safely in-house.

00:06:14: You end up building a level of structural trust that a competitor relying on massive opaque public models just cannot easily copy.

00:06:23: Compliance isn't a burden in that framing, it is a competitive weapon

00:06:27: and that ambition is scaling across the continent.

00:06:30: Sebus Muriel added some vital context from MWC regarding the URO-III C project.

00:06:36: Oh

00:06:36: right!

00:06:36: The seventy five million euro initiative

00:06:39: Yeah pan European Initiative to build a federated sovereign telco edge cloud ecosystem.

00:06:45: That is a lot of hyphenated buzzwords, huh

00:06:47: true but what it essentially means Is that the infrastructure?

00:06:50: The future is being built with sovereignty and digital trust baked right into the foundation.

00:06:55: It is secure by design not patched my design.

00:06:58: so bringing this back to you the listener Look at your current messaging hierarchy.

00:07:02: where does data governance live on your website?

00:07:05: Is it buried on page twelve of a white paper?

00:07:07: Because in twenty-twenty six you need to elevate regulatory adherence.

00:07:14: If

00:07:16: you can walk into a pitch and immediately prove to a procurement officer that your solution fundamentally de-risks their operation, the conversation completely changes.

00:07:26: You aren't selling software anymore—you're selling institutional safety!

00:07:30: I would argue that shift moving from selling a technical spec to selling a broader business outcome is the defining characteristic of modern enterprise marketing.

00:07:39: Absolutely

00:07:40: And it is incredibly apparent when you look at how the hyperscalers are talking about infrastructure investment.

00:07:46: This was another dominant theme on The Feeds out of Barcelona,

00:08:01: A perfect illustration of this came from David Zapolsky and Livia Ramos de Oliveira.

00:08:07: Oh, the Amazon news?

00:08:08: Yeah

00:08:09: they share the staggering news that Amazon is investing thirty-three point seven billion euros in Aragon Spain.

00:08:15: Wow!

00:08:17: To massively expand their data center an AI infrastructure.

00:08:20: Just pause on number for a second.

00:08:21: Thirty three point seven billion euros.

00:08:25: It's massive!

00:08:26: it is the largest single technology investment in history of a country.

00:08:29: but, The most insightful takeaway for anyone in strategic communications isn't... ...the monetary figure?

00:08:36: Is how Amazon is framing that figure?

00:08:38: Exactly they aren't out there writing press releases about compute power latency reductions or server density.

00:08:44: Not

00:08:44: at all.

00:08:45: They're selling a holistic economic ecosystem.

00:08:48: The messaging they pushed out highlights that this investment supports twenty-nine thousand nine hundred full time equivalent jobs annually.

00:08:55: it emphasizes an estimated thirty one point seven billion euro contribution to Spain's GDP over the next decade,

00:09:02: they are talking about sustainability too specifically more than a hundred local solar and wind energy projects to power.

00:09:09: the entire operation

00:09:10: even highlighted local community initiatives like a robotics training program designed for seven thousand four hundred students across forty five regional schools.

00:09:18: It is a master class in enterprise level storytelling.

00:09:21: they took a massive inherently disruptive technical rollout and successfully framed as an engine for national prosperity,

00:09:28: And the B-to-B marketing takeaway here is so clear when you are marketing mega deals enterprise transformations or heavy infrastructure You cannot just market the technology.

00:09:39: The technology is merely the enabler!

00:09:42: If your entire campaign focuses on the technical superiority of your solution, you are entirely missing the conversation that the C-suite and Board of Directors actually have….

00:09:51: They're looking at a triple bottom line – profit people in the planet.

00:09:56: Right.

00:09:57: Procurement teams want to know what their solutions mean for corporate social responsibility goals?

00:10:01: They wanna know how they impact carbon footprint.

00:10:04: and how it affects their standing in the local community.

00:10:06: It requires a much wider, more empathetic lens from the marketing department... ...it

00:10:10: also requires an understanding that no single company can deliver on all those promises alone which naturally feeds into the final major trend we tracked at MWC twenty-twenty six.

00:10:21: Platformization and open ecosystem?

00:10:23: Yeah!

00:10:23: If there is one thing that has become glaringly obvious….

00:10:26: …It's death of isolated product innovation.

00:10:29: The walled garden approach is becoming obsolete.

00:10:32: The

00:10:33: new growth model relies entirely on ecosystem collaboration.

00:10:37: No one has the resources, the reach or the specialized expertise to do it all natively.

00:10:43: Aliette Mousnier-Lompre shared a great insight in this reality.

00:10:46: She discussed Orange Business's strategic move into entering a three hundred and sixty degree partnership with Tech Mahindra.

00:10:53: Think about mechanics of a three thousand and sixty degrees partnership from go-to market perspective.

00:10:58: This isn't just casual referral agreement.

00:11:00: It is an alliance explicitly designed to augment their international reach, scale their backbone platforms and boost overall competitiveness.

00:11:09: They recognize that achieving their long-term ambitions required a deeply integrated partner.

00:11:14: sharing the load.

00:11:15: it means joint webinars unified messaging and co branded collateral.

00:11:19: That tells us single cohesive story To The Market.

00:11:22: we're

00:11:22: seeing that exact same collaborative mindset shaping the literal future of how We connect to the Internet.

00:11:27: Durga Malati posted about the new SixG Coalition that was heavily featured at The Congress.

00:11:31: This

00:11:32: is a coalition bringing together over fifty global partners spanning device manufacturers, network operators and cloud infrastructure giants

00:11:40: all to build AI native six G systems by twenty-twenty nine.

00:11:44: Fifty partners trying to align in marketing technical standards of fifty massive corporations sounds like logistical nightmare.

00:11:51: yeah

00:11:51: but it proves point.

00:11:53: achieving true global scale requires aligned standard and shared execution.

00:11:57: You simply cannot build the future of wireless in a silo, The market won't adopt it.

00:12:02: Buyers hate silos And these new alliances are breaking down traditional industry boundaries.

00:12:09: Pudo Wysilewski highlighted a fascinating partnership where Deutsche Telekom is teaming up with Starlink.

00:12:15: Right,

00:12:15: using satellite to mobile connectivity essentially eliminate mobile white spots across Europe by twenty-twenty eight.

00:12:21: Those

00:12:22: areas would zero cellular reception.

00:12:24: you have massive terrestrial network provider and low earth orbit satellite company integrating seamlessly solve the problem.

00:12:30: neither could solved perfectly on their own.

00:12:32: It's brilliant value proposition.

00:12:34: so look at your marketing strategy right now.

00:12:36: BDB buyers are desperately looking for integrated solutions.

00:12:40: They are actively avoiding adding yet another isolated tool that creates a new data silo in their tech

00:12:45: stack.

00:12:46: Does your marketing heavily highlight interoperability?

00:12:49: It's a crucial question, you need to loudly communicate your strategic alliances.

00:12:54: Your marketing should show exactly how your product plays nicely within the broader tech ecosystem The buyer already relies on.

00:13:01: Your value proposition becomes exponentially higher the moment you can prove that buying your solution actually makes their existing investments better.

00:13:09: The market is demanding bridges, so if your messaging is entirely focused on your own island…you're gonna be left behind!

00:13:17: That's reality of twenty-twenty six – execution, trust, ecosystem storytelling and absolute interoperability.

00:13:25: Now as we begin to wrap up this deep dive I want leave with one final slightly provocative thought.

00:13:31: We've talked a lot about AI shifting to practical execution, but there was a quiet undercurrent at MWC regarding agentic AI.

00:13:39: Oh this is where things get truly disruptive?

00:13:41: Yeah

00:13:42: we are moving from AI that passively assists the human worker To AI agents who actually act on our behalf.

00:13:48: The

00:13:48: software doesn't just draft an email But executes a multi-step workflow autonomously

00:13:54: Right, so imagine this scenario of the next few years.

00:13:56: If AI is becoming the core execution fabric of The Enterprise and autonomous digital coworkers are taking over routine operational tasks...

00:14:06: How long until B to B marketers aren't just marketing human procurement officers?

00:14:10: Exactly!

00:14:10: how long until you're pitching your enterprise software To an Autonomous AI agent that has been instructed to evaluate vendors negotiate terms And buy on The Enterprise's behalf.

00:14:21: It forces you to rethink the entire architecture of persuasion.

00:14:26: How do you optimize a marketing campaign for an algorithm?

00:14:29: It's not about emotional storytelling at that point, it is about making your data structures and API documentation in proven ROI metrics perfectly readable to machine

00:14:38: A machine evaluating product against ten competitors in span of a millisecond.

00:14:43: It has profound shift as we look toward end-of-the decade.

00:14:45: If enjoyed this episode new episodes drop every two weeks.

00:14:49: Also, check out our other editions on channel marketing account based marketing field.

00:14:53: Marketing AI and B to be marketing.

00:14:55: Martek go-to market in social selling.

00:14:57: Thank

00:14:58: you so much for joining us For this deep dive into the trends shaping Our industry out of MWC twenty twenty six.

00:15:04: keep adapting Keep refining your narratives To match The realities Of the Market And don't forget to hit That subscribe button So You never miss an insight.

00:15:12: We'll catch On.