DOHA — In the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, the second edition of MWC26 Doha officially opened on Sunday at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC). Organized by the GSMA in strategic partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the three day summit runs from November 8 to 10, uniting global telecommunications operators, technology innovators, satellite providers, and international policymakers to shape the future of connectivity across the Middle East and North Africa.
Delivering the opening address, His Excellency Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, welcomed participating international delegations and emphasized the role of advanced digital infrastructure, cross border regulatory cooperation, and emerging technologies in accelerating sustainable economic diversification across Qatar and the wider region. The opening ceremony also featured an executive fireside chat uniting Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA, and Doreen Bogdan Martin, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), who examined the future of regional connectivity, the necessity of harmonized global standards to guarantee cross border network interoperability, and concerted strategies to bridge the digital usage divide.
Badrinath stated that technological progress only counts when its benefits are shared universally, emphasizing that achieving inclusive digital transformation requires global technical standards that keep networks, services, and devices operating seamlessly across borders alongside a coordinated industry effort to connect populations that remain offline. He noted that over the three days of the summit, MWC26 Doha and its historic co location with the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP 26), which is hosted by Qatar’s Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) on behalf of the State of Qatar from November 9 to 27, 2026, will foster enhanced dialogue among the policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders setting global standards and constructing next generation networks.
Highlighting the commercial trajectory of the regional telecommunications sector, the GSMA launched two flagship industry studies during the opening day titled The Mobile Economy MENA 2026 and 5G Monetisation MENA. The Mobile Economy MENA 2026 report revealed that mobile technologies and services generated approximately $380 billion in economic value across the region in 2025, equivalent to 5.8 percent of regional GDP, while supporting 2.2 million jobs and contributing $40 billion to public finances. That regional economic contribution is projected to climb to $470 billion by 2030. While 48 percent of the region’s population utilized mobile internet in 2025, approximately 49 percent remained offline despite residing within network coverage footprints, underscoring the urgency of addressing the usage gap.
In its companion 5G Monetisation MENA report, the GSMA detailed that 17 of the region’s 24 markets had launched commercial 5G services by September 2026. Regional 5G connections are forecast to surge from 67 million in 2025 (representing 9 percent of total connections) to approximately 350 million by 2030 (representing 40 percent of connections), backed by projected operator capital investments of $88.9 billion over the decade, including $53 billion between 2026 and 2030 to expand coverage and deploy 5G Standalone (SA) architectures. The report further identified Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) as a primary consumer revenue engine, already commercially active across approximately 64 percent of the region’s 5G networks as conference tracks explore AI Nexus, Intelligent Economies, and Connected Industries alongside the GSMA Ministerial Programme, 4YFN, and Smart City Expo Doha.
