As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded into everyday communications, billions of people remain offline, at risk of being left behind.

That risk extends to the next generation of mobile technology. Rapid advances in AI, direct-to-device connectivity and satellite systems will intensify global connectivity challenges as 6G networks emerge in the 2030s.

Cooperation between governments and the digital and telecom industry will be crucial to keep different networks interoperable and ensure everyone can connect.

“It’s fair to say we did a pretty good job with 5G,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), at the opening of a global industry gathering in Doha, Qatar, on 8 November. “Now, it’s all about 6G.”

MWC26 Doha is co-located with ITU’s ongoing Plenipotentiary Conference, PP-26, bringing leaders who shape the digital future together under one roof.

As the Mobile World Congress opened, Bogdan-Martin exchanged insights on looming challenges with Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA, which organizes the MWC series and represents mobile telecom operators globally.

Together, they called for governments, investors and innovators to tackle the policy, technology and infrastructure challenges shaping future connectivity.

“We need to make sure the next successive wave of technology development doesn’t create a new digital divide,” Bogdan-Martin said.

ITU’s Facts and Figures 2026 estimates that 6.3 billion people, or 76 per cent of the global population, are online, as growth continues. But that still leaves 2 billion people offline today.

Planning now the 2030s

Investment cycles in the telecom industry typically last a decade or more, said GSMA’s Badrinath, adding that radio-spectrum allocations require the same long view.

“Like land, this need to be planned ahead,” he said.

Depending on density and digital demand, many countries could need 2-2.5 gigahertz (GHz) of spectrum to meet mobile telecom demand in 2035-2040 – more than double current requirements, in Badrinath’s view.

International standards are key to keep networks and devices working smoothly as technologies advance.

Today’s 4G and 5G services benefited from unified global standards shaped by the industry through ITU-facilitated spectrum negotiations.

“We don’t want to be the generation to walk away from that,” Badrinath said.

Getting smartphones into more hands

Costs of devices and services keep many people offline, with digital affordability trends tilting the wrong way lately. Badrinath said the industry’s target of producing a USD 50 device went “out the window” due to AI-related complexity.

Governments and the industry could encourage circularity – meaning easy recycling and repair to keep devices in the market longer – and offer financing for first-time smartphone buyers, he said.

Governments, companies, banks, and regulators must also cooperate to prevent digital fraud – a widely perceived risk that can discourage device ownership, becoming an “impediment” in industry terms.

Another major hindrance is language limitations in current technologies.

“AI is trained in the languages used by those who are online,” Badrinath said. “We need to train AI models in more languages.”

ITU Plenipotentiary underway

PP-26, the latest meeting of ITU’s highest decision-making body, opened in Doha on 9 November, set to shape the organization’s priorities for the next four years.

Header image credit: ITU/D. Woldu