The event’s second edition will bring together telecoms operators, satellite providers, technology companies and policymakers from 8 to 10 November.
The GSMA has revealed a new speaker and exhibitor line-up for MWC Doha 2026, setting out a programme that reaches beyond mobile networks to the infrastructure, applications and policy decisions shaping the region’s digital economy.
The event returns to the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center from 8 to 10 November, in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Its second edition will take place alongside the opening days of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference, which begins at the same venue on 9 November.
Speakers announced by the GSMA include representatives of Ooredoo Group, Nokia, Es’hailSat, Eutelsat Group, BYD, Khalifa University, the ITU, SAMENA Telecommunications Council, VEON, Napster, Oliver Wyman and Vora. The group spans telecoms, satellite communications, research, business and international policy, offering a broader view of how connected services are developed and delivered.
The exhibitor and sponsor list is similarly varied. It includes Accenture, Cisco, Ericsson, Fortinet, Google Cloud, Huawei, MEEZA, Microsoft Doha, PwC, Qatar University, Scale AI, Strategy&, Trend Micro and Vodafone Qatar, among others.
That mix matters because the next phase of connectivity is unlikely to be defined by network speed alone. An AI service may depend on computing capacity in a data centre, secure access to information, reliable connectivity and an organisation willing to put it to work. Each part presents a commercial decision for operators, technology providers and their customers.
From AI ambition to deployment
The GSMA has placed “The IQ Era” at the centre of this year’s conference, with three programme themes: AI in Action, Intelligent Economies and Connected Infrastructure.
According to the organisation, the AI programme will examine practical uses ranging from intelligent data centres and networks prepared for AI workloads to connected healthcare and new ways of working. The infrastructure theme covers networks, satellite systems and security, while Intelligent Economies considers how governments and businesses can use technology to improve competitiveness and widen access to services.
For MENA’s founders and investors, these conversations have a direct bearing on which products can scale. A startup may build an effective AI application, but its prospects also depend on the cost and availability of computing, access to enterprise customers and the infrastructure needed to operate reliably across markets. MWC Doha offers a setting to discuss those dependencies with the organisations building and buying the underlying systems.
“As the international connectivity community gathers in Doha for the co-located MWC26 Doha and ITU PP-26, the city will become a focal point for global dialogue on connectivity, AI and digital transformation,” GSMA director general Vivek Badrinath said in the organisation’s 14 October announcement.
Industry and policy in the same venue
The overlap with the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference gives this edition a distinctive setting. The ITU conference runs from 9 to 27 November and is the organisation’s highest policy-making meeting. Its member states will set general policies, adopt a four-year strategic and financial plan and elect senior leadership.
MWC Doha has a separate purpose and programme. Its exhibition and conference bring together companies working on networks, digital infrastructure and the services built upon them. It will also host the GSMA Ministerial Programme, where ministers and regulators will meet during the event.
Holding these gatherings in Doha at the same time creates an opportunity for conversations between the people developing technology, those investing in its deployment and those responsible for the policy environment. It does not mean the two events will reach common decisions, but it makes their shared concerns, from connectivity to the use of AI, harder to consider in isolation.
The GSMA says MWC Doha’s first edition in 2025 attracted more than 9,000 attendees from 110 countries and territories. With a more developed programme and the ITU meeting alongside it, this year’s event gives Qatar another opportunity to convene regional companies and international decision-makers.
For participants, the most useful measure will come after the exhibition closes: whether the discussions in Doha lead to partnerships, practical deployments and connected services that meet a clear need.
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Last Updated on October 15, 2026 by Safiya K
