Mobile World Live

It's our annual end of year review episode, as the team sit down and discuss the hot topics that shaped 2025, including a Nokia shake-up, US operators winding back DEI, satellite getting real, device differentiation and massive AI investment. Later on, we have our predictions for 2026.

0:00 Intro
2:00 Was it a quiet year?
5:00 Nokia shake-up
9:00 US operators drop DEI
16:00 Satellite gets real
21:00 Smartphones get thin
29:00 Billions pumped into AI
33:00 Our 2026 predictions

In this Podcast, Kavit, Justin and Chris are live from the showfloor at MWC25 Doha, discussing all the talking points from the GSMA's inaugural edition of the show. Later on, we get the analyst take on the big event from Opensignal's Sylwia Kechiche and PwC Middle East's Yazen Al Safi.  
1:00 Intro
4:00 MENA digital divide
7:00 AI's 3G Era
10:00 Starlink Qatar
14:00 Key MWC25 takeaways
18:00 Interview with Opensignal's Sylwia Kechiche
30:00 Interview with PwC Middle East
40:00 Outro

With Apple's iPhone Air putting eSIM firmly in the headlines, the technology was the focus of Mobile World Live's latest topic panel this month. In this podcast, Kavit, Chris and GSMA Intelligence's Pablo Iacopino delve into the current state of the eSIM market, uptake to date, the need for industry education and ongoing regulatory and security concerns that continue to be a challenge. Later on in the podcast, we hear from Gregory Gundelfinger, CEO and founder of eSIM specialist Telna, our sponsor for this episode.
0:00 Intro 
3:00 Topic Panel Takeaways  
7:00 eSIM in Digital Industries
10:00 Apple Air China Launch
13.30 OEM Device Strategy
16.30  Security Concerns
21.00 Travel, Roaming Use Case
25:00 Interview with Telna

Is AI overhyped and will private networks and network slicing ever become truly revolutionary in the 5G era? Kavit, Chris, Justin and GSMA Intelligence's Christina Patsioura attempt to answer the big questions from Mobile World Live's Unwrapped Digital Industries event.
1:00 Intro
2:00 Summer Review 
7:00 Putting Unwrapped Together 
12:00 5G In Defence 
15:00 Private Networks Hype 
21:00 Network Slicing 
30:00 Interview with GSMA Intelligence

Kavit is joined by GSMA Intelligence head Peter Jarich and US editor Mike Robuck to discuss where the AI value lies for the telecoms industry and if business models are shifting from a cost-saving focus to revenue-spinning opportunities. Later on, we hear about Amiya Johar's trip to Dubai for Huawei's latest global phone launch.

0:00 Intro:
3:00 AI is no longer just a trend
6:00 Operators getting louder on AI?
8:00 The view from the US
13:00 Looser AI regulation
24:00 The sovereign debate  
28:00 Huawei Dubai launch
33:00 Humanoid Robots take-off