Key Takeaways from MWC 2025
A Global Gathering with Light and Shade
This year’s event marked a significant milestone, both due to the return of attendance numbers comparable to the pre-COVID era—with 109,000 attendees—as well as the convergence of new ideas and international players. Although expectations for extensive international participation were high, the timing of the congress coinciding with Ramadan impacted attendance, as many professionals from the Middle East were unable to join. This circumstance changed the event dynamics, highlighting the importance of tailoring offerings and communication to regional cultural and temporal specifics.
The Topic of Agents: Between Technical Depth and Buzzword Overload
One of the central themes of MWC 2025 was “agents.” On one hand, there was noticeable improvement in the technical understanding of the concept, with solutions showcasing real advancements in network automation and management. On the other hand, a palpable fatigue towards buzzwords was evident; colleagues literally thanked us for not saturating our booth with repetitive mentions of “AI, AI, AI.” This feedback clearly signals a demand for technical approaches that genuinely address business needs, rather than merely opportunistically leveraging trending terms.
No Heaven Without ROI
A key takeaway from MWC 2025 is that successful projects and use cases must go beyond merely pursuing cost savings and operational efficiency. Each initiative must be underpinned by a robust business case clearly demonstrating its contribution to ROI. More than ever, executives assess how proposed solutions impact not just operational expenditure reductions but also directly or indirectly generate new revenue streams for the organization.
The true success of these projects lies in explicitly aligning technical objectives with strategic business goals.
The Challenge of Technical Debt
At our booth, we showcased over 30 demos, sparking an interesting debate. While some initially preferred demos featuring advanced technologies like Gen AI and machine learning for image processing, several customers and partners eventually revisited demonstrations from MWC 2022. This revealed a lingering technical debt burdening our networks. Given the lack of definitive solutions and the clear understanding that an intent-based network (iBN) must federate its inventory with a reliable Source of Truth, our demo focusing on Discovery, Backup, Compliance, and Reinforcement gained significant traction among the audience.
Cultural Change: A Fundamental Pillar for Network Automation
A critical theme emphasized during the conference was the necessity of cultural change within organizations. Achieving successful network automation requires building a long-term agenda focused not only on upskilling and reskilling but also on fostering a corporate mindset genuinely open to continuous innovation, agility, and adaptation to change.
The Agenda of Big Vendors
Equally relevant was analyzing the agenda of the industry’s largest vendors. Companies leading in terms of employee numbers and revenue consistently drive forward new topics such as 6G or the Metaverse. However, this perpetual thematic renewal often results in striking messages devoid of concrete solutions for real network issues. Instead of progressing towards tangible proposals, we end up in a “race of slogans” that dilutes attention from what truly matters: building efficient network infrastructures adaptable to present and future needs.
Personal Reflection and Future Outlook
From my experience, MWC 2025 made it clear that the key lies in striking the perfect balance between technical innovation, generating new revenue streams, and adopting a realistic approach that avoids the indiscriminate use of buzzwords. We stand on the threshold of a new era, where to truly take the leap, it’s essential to decisively minimize both technical and cultural debt.
By Matías Lambert, CEO & Co-Founder at Iquall Networks
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matiaslambert/
