The 6G Horizon: Can AI Finally Solve The Telco Monetization Paradox?
siliconANGLE, Friday, March 13th, 2026
As one would expect, artificial intelligence was a top theme at the recent MWC conference in Barcelona, but 6G was certainly prominent as well. This year, the discussions has pivoted from the maturation of 5G wireless networks to the 'seamless path' toward 6G. But for those of us who have spent the better part of two decades watching G-cycles come and go, there was a healthy dose of skepticism at the show.
We've seen this movie before: massive capital expenditure, the promise of 'revolutionary' services and the eventual, quiet realization that we've built a faster highway, only to struggle to persuade anyone to pay a higher toll.
The core question facing the industry at MWC26 isn't just 'What is 6G?' It's whether we are finally moving past the era of infrastructure-for-the-sake-of-infrastructure and into an era of intelligence-for-the-sake-of-value.