GSMA unveils first MWC27 Barcelona speakers & exhibitors

GSMA has named the first speakers and exhibitors for MWC27 Barcelona, including Founder and Chief Executive Officers from ElevenLabs and Kalshi.

Mati Staniszewski, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ElevenLabs, and Tarek Mansour, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kalshi, are among the first confirmed speakers for the Barcelona event.

Other early speakers include Anima Anandkumar, Co-Founder of Accelerated Understanding and Bren Professor at Caltech; Amy Webb, Chief Executive Officer of Future Today Strategy Group; Dr Hany Farid, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of GetReal Security; and Yoon Young Park, Chief Executive Officer of KT Corporation.

SoftBank will also exhibit at the show for the first time. It joins returning mobile network operators including Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, SK Telecom and Telefonica, alongside technology groups such as Amazon, Cisco, Ericsson, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Huawei, Meta, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Xiaomi and ZTE.

The first wave of announcements also includes three new areas focused on automotive, aviation and health. These are intended to bring together companies developing connected technologies with organisations using them in sector-specific settings.

New sectors

In health, participants named so far include AstraZeneca, Garmin Health, HPE, Medtronic and NUHS. The health area is being run in partnership with Mobile World Capital.

The automotive section will focus on software-defined vehicles and intelligent transport systems. Confirmed exhibitors and partners include 5GAA, AVATR Technology and Chery Mobility Iberia.

The aviation area will feature organisations including Cranfield University, Imagine Wireless, Barch and Seamless Air Alliance. Its focus is connectivity in airports and aviation operations.

Another returning section, New Frontiers in Hall 6, will cover quantum computing, physical AI and satellite connectivity. Exhibitors listed for that area include Agibot, Eutelsat, the European Space Agency, Grupo Oesia, GSMA Foundry, IonQ, Open Cosmos, Quantum Computing Inc, Sateliot, Taara, Toshiba Quantum Technology, UBTech and Viasat.

The update offers an early indication of how the Barcelona event is broadening beyond its traditional telecoms base. While network operators and telecoms suppliers remain prominent, the new industry sections and speaker list point to a stronger emphasis on adjacent sectors where mobile and connected systems are being applied.

That shift is also reflected in the mix of companies involved. Drugmaker AstraZeneca, academic institution Cranfield University and automotive participants such as Chery Mobility Iberia sit alongside established telecoms brands and large technology companies.

For GSMA, the inclusion of SoftBank as a first-time exhibitor adds another major telecoms name to the show floor. The group is one of Japan's largest telecoms operators and technology investors, and its debut suggests continued interest from international carriers in using the Barcelona event for commercial visibility and industry positioning.

The speaker roster likewise spans several parts of the technology market. ElevenLabs is known for artificial intelligence voice tools, while Kalshi operates in prediction markets. Their inclusion suggests that artificial intelligence, digital platforms and newer technology business models will sit alongside more established telecoms themes.

Security and research also feature in the initial agenda through Dr Hany Farid and Anima Anandkumar, while Amy Webb brings a strategy and forecasting perspective. Yoon Young Park adds representation from a major Asian telecoms operator through KT Corporation.

The exhibitor and speaker lists indicate that the organisers are seeking to keep the event relevant to both telecoms executives and businesses in sectors where connectivity is increasingly embedded in products, services and infrastructure. Automotive, healthcare and aviation are all areas where connected devices, data systems and mobile networks now play direct operational roles.

John Hoffman, Chairman and Director, GSMA, set out that view in comments accompanying the announcement. "The pace of progress across AI and next-generation networks we're seeing globally right now offers an exciting glimpse into what's on the horizon. It's why I'm looking forward to MWC27 Barcelona's dedicated focus on verticals including automotive, aviation, and health, as we spotlight how connectivity now touches far more of the digital economy than people realise," he said.