From March 2 to 5, 5G-STARDUST was once again represented at Mobile World Congress – the annual cornerstone event for the ICT ecosystem, held as per usual in Barcelona, Spain – through several partner’s booths and showcases, and the project members could also convene with the rest of the projects of the SNS JU constellation, for the initiative’s usual session at the event.
STARDUST on the exhibition floors
From eye-opening innovation to mind-expanding ideas, global policy to lasting partnerships, it all leads back to Mobile World Congress: the event is the place to be, whether you’re a key player in the connectivity ecosystem, adjacent industries or the wider world of tech, and 5G-STARDUST, thanks to its consortium’s connection with ICT research and industry has managed a steady presence to MWC, since the very beginning of its course.
As per usual, our Spanish partner Hispasat could count on a wide showcase on the exhibition floors, but our consortium presence also expanded to Fraunhofer FOKUS – which featured in two areas: the 6G Germany booth and the Berlin Partners booth – and Software Radio Systems. These 5G-STARDUST contributors were also joined by visiting representatives of coordinating partner German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Martel Innovate – the latter there to cover various ICT and SNS JU fronts they’ve been involved with, alongside 5G-STARDUST.
Like every previous edition attended by the consortium, MWC proved a great opportunity to reconnect with partners and collaborators across the connectivity research ecosystem: catching up, discussing new ideas, and sharing progress among research projects.
The SNS JU session at MWC
Our delegation, alongside the other projects and initiatives under the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) umbrella, also convened to the usual session they organise on opening day of MWC. This year, the main theme was ‘6G, Cloud, Edge, AI: The New Power Stack for Industrial Leadership – A European Vision for Future Connectivity’, triggering a discussion uniting senior EU policymakers and CxOs industry leaders, exploring how 6G is evolving at the intersection of advanced connectivity, cloud infrastructure, space connectivity, and artificial intelligence.
The key takeaway is that 6G is rising across Europe, not exclusively as a technological upgrade, but as a strategic asset. With China and the US racing ahead in AI and semiconductor dominance, mobile networks remain one of the few areas where Europe can still hold a competitive edge: but this is by no means an easy task, as funding gaps, regulatory hurdles, and fragmentation between EU member states represent a challenge to swift and timely progress and toward a chance to shape 6G’s European future.
You can read more about the session in their official post-event recap: https://smart-networks.europa.eu/europes-6g-ambition-takes-centre-stage-at-mwc-2026/