Innovating smart mobility. Connectivity holds the key

Autonomous and smart mobility systems now operate in live, high-risk environments. Vehicles, aircraft, and logistics platforms process large volumes of data while responding instantly to changing conditions. At the same time, connectivity has become a material business driver. By 2030, automotive and aviation together represent a US$78 billion B2B revenue opportunity for telecoms, accounting for around 8 percent of total sector growth.

As a result, networks, infrastructure, and intelligence must perform reliably under continuous pressure. Systems can no longer depend on controlled conditions or isolated pilots. Instead, they must operate at scale, across sectors, and within shared environments where safety is the top priority.

At MWC Barcelona 2026, the Smart Mobility Summit will focus on some of these operational realities. Taking place on Wednesday 4 March, the summit examines how advanced connectivity, intelligent infrastructure, and embedded AI support smart transport systems in practice. At stake are the critical issues of the day: deployment, integration, and performance under real-world constraints.

A central theme is the role of connectivity in supporting autonomy. As systems take on higher levels of autonomy, they rely on constant, low-latency communication between sensors, edge devices, and control platforms. Networks therefore play an active role in system behaviour. Latency, availability, and data integrity directly influence safety, reliability, and responsiveness, particularly in dynamic environments.

Infrastructure design is another critical challenge. Mobility systems require architectures that support coordination across public and private networks. This includes emerging non-terrestrial network capabilities. Decisions taken at the infrastructure layer affect everything from teleoperation and traffic management to cross-border logistics and digital aviation corridors. 5G Standalone and 5G Advanced introduce new capabilities for smart mobility as well. The Summit will examine how features such as precise positioning and network-based sensing are being applied in practice.

AI is also redefining how the industry approaches smart mobility and autonomous transport. In mobility, AI now operates inside production systems rather than alongside them. Organisations increasingly embed AI into routing, fleet management, and predictive operations, using mobile network data accessed through APIs. The focus has moved away from experimentation and towards scale, governance, and operational accountability.

However, technology alone cannot conjure the ideal of smart mobility. Integration across platforms, organisations, and transport modes remains one of the hardest problems to solve. Effective deployment depends on shared data models, interoperable systems, regulatory alignment, and commercial frameworks that align incentives across ecosystems. Without this coordination, even advanced systems struggle to move beyond isolated deployments.

The Smart Mobility Summit addresses this crucial gap between technical capability and operational delivery. For operators, cities, and enterprises, the value lies in understanding the trade-offs behind deployment decisions. That includes how networks perform at scale, how infrastructure choices constrain autonomy, and how AI fits within systems that must remain stable and secure over time.

The Smart Mobility Summit takes place on at 10am on Wednesday 4 March at the Connected Industries Stage in Hall 4 at MWC Barcelona 2026. Agendas are now live. Register now!

Photo: MWC – GettyImages-534082186