BARCELONA, Spain, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 Mobile World Congress (MWC) opened on Monday in Barcelona, Spain, under the theme "The IQ Era," with a focus on intelligent infrastructure, AI connectivity and integration, enterprise-level AI applications, AI ecosystem collaboration, inclusive technology and innovation-driven transformation.

Marking the 20th anniversary of the event's presence in Barcelona, this year's MWC has drawn around 2,900 exhibitors, sponsors and partners. More than 1,200 speakers are taking part in discussions, with country and regional pavilions and technology-themed exhibition areas representing over 100 countries and regions. Participants include global mobile network operators, device manufacturers and technology firms.

In his opening keynote, Vivek Badrinath, director general of GSMA, said the mobile communications industry is entering a new stage of development that requires joint efforts to deepen 5G deployment, address AI-related challenges and strengthen digital security.

Badrinath noted that telecom networks, as critical infrastructure for the AI ecosystem, should play a greater role in computing power deployment and model capability building. Against a changing global digital landscape, he stressed that global standards, global scale and global innovation remain the foundation for sustainable industry growth.

Badrinath also said that while AI brings vast opportunities, it also entails new responsibilities. Of the roughly 7,000 languages spoken worldwide, mainstream AI models are trained on only a small fraction, potentially widening the "language gap" and limiting access to intelligent technologies for certain regions and communities.

"Mobile payments, precision agriculture, digital education and telemedicine have already transformed the lives of millions," he said. "We must ensure that more people benefit."

The general manager of China Telecom said in a keynote speech that joint construction and sharing of 5G infrastructure has provided valuable experience for large-scale global deployment. Looking ahead, 6G standard innovation and network rollout should fully consider the rapid development of AI while improving AI security governance systems.

According to organizers, a China Pavilion has been set up at the congress for the first time, featuring major Chinese companies including China Mobile, China Unicom, Huawei, ZTE, Honor and Xiaomi, showcasing their latest advancements in mobile communications and AI technologies. ■