SAN JOSE, CA, UNITED STATES, (Date: 17 Mar 2026): Calsoft, a technology services and solutions  company specializing in telecom, storage, and networking domains, attended Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2026, held 2nd to 5th March at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona. Somenath Nag, Senior Vice President & Telecom Practice Head at Calsoft, represented Calsoft at the event, engaging with industry discussions centered on the conference theme, ‘The IQ Era.’ Sunu Engineer, CEO – Europe at Calsoft, also attended the event, representing the company's European leadership at the conference. 

Quick View:

MWC 2026 signaled a clear industry shift from connectivity infrastructure to AI-native, intelligent network operations

Telecom operators, enterprise technology teams, and platform builders face mounting pressure to demonstrate measurable return on 5G and AI investments.

Non-terrestrial networks, including direct-to-device satellite connectivity, moved from experimental discussion to a recognized requirement for resilient global network architecture.

The event was organized around six pillars, including Intelligent Infrastructure, ConnectAI, AI for Enterprise, and Tech4All. Taken together, these tracks reflected a broader industry consensus: organizations must move beyond deploying connectivity and begin operating networks that can adapt, prioritize, and respond with greater autonomy. Structural barriers, particularly legacy OSS/BSS systems and fragmented data environments, remain a significant obstacle for operators attempting to accelerate that transition.

The implications for technology roadmaps extend across multiple stakeholder groups.

Telecom operators face a clear monetization gap — 5G investment is in place but converting it into sustainable revenue remains unresolved.
OEMs need to move beyond general-purpose hardware toward platforms that support private networks and enterprise-specific AI applications.
IoT platform builders can no longer treat satellite connectivity as optional — direct-to-device NTN integration is now a baseline architecture requirement.

"MWC 2026 made it clear that the industry is past the phase of debating whether AI belongs in networks," said Somenath Nag. "The real work now is figuring out how to build AI-native operations on top of infrastructure that was never designed for it, while managing legacy constraints and partner dependencies at the same time."

Mr. Nag  also noted the tension emerging around platform consolidation. "There is a growing dependence on a small number of large technology and platform partners. That dynamic is shaping how operators think about control, differentiation, and long-term strategic flexibility," he said.
For enterprises assessing their technology roadmaps, the insights from MWC 2026 reinforce a consistent direction: organizations that treat connectivity as a static utility will fall behind those that treat it as an intelligent, programmable layer integrated with data, security, and edge computing. The convergence of terrestrial and satellite networks adds urgency to that planning. Calsoft continues to engage with the telecom ecosystem across areas including network software, OSS/BSS modernization, and connected device platforms, with these industry shifts informing its technical engagement with clients and partners.

About Calsoft:

Calsoft is a leading provider of product engineering, AI, and digital transformation services. With close to three decades of experience, Calsoft delivers innovative solutions across the telecom, networking, cloud, and AI-driven product engineering spaces. The company helps businesses build scalable, AI-native networks and platforms, enabling the transformation of digital experiences at the enterprise level.