MWC Doha 2025 had AI at its heart

Regional AI ambition was at the heart of the Middle East’s inaugural MWC event, backed up by a new LLM and many large investments. But the region is still early in its journey, and must focus on laying fundamental groundwork if it is to see the successful adoption of AI.

Welcome to our ‘Coffee break reading’ series. These pieces are designed to be short and easy to read, presenting our opinion on a hot topic and challenging you to think about it too.

In this edition, we share our takeaways from the inaugural Mobile World Congress in the Middle East which showcased the region’s early steps towards an AI-powered future.

Less hype than Barcelona

MWC events are often known for their bold themes and aspirational visions, sometimes outpacing the realities of day-to-day industry challenges. MWC Doha certainly carried a less bombastic tone than the GSMA’s flagship event of MWC Barcelona, yet the ambition was unmistakable: the Middle East – particularly the host-country Qatar – is intent on accelerating its transformation into an AI-led economy.

The region is deploying extraordinary levels of investment to advance this goal, supported by national strategies such as Qatar’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Vision 2030. But conversations at the event made clear that financial commitment alone will not be enough. Across governments, regulators, and operators, the central question remains: how do we actually begin to operationalise AI at scale?

A well-attended event with strong government presence

Qatar’s two operators, Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar, dominated the show floor with large stands showcasing regional partners and start-ups, but these were the only telco stands. Attendance was healthy, and government representation, both Qatari and from neighbouring states, was notably strong. For example, on the STL-moderated panel alone, two panellists represented Bahraini government agencies.

In contrast, regional telco participation was more limited. While du and e& provided speakers, regional players such as STC, Zain, Batelco, and Omantel were largely absent from both the agenda and the exhibition floor. This is not entirely surprising for a first-time GSMA event in the Middle East. If the positive turnout and engagement this year continue, a broader regional operator presence should hopefully follow.

Government prominence reflects the structural reality of the region: major enterprises remain state-owned, and national AI ambitions are driven directly by public investment and strategic planning. Yet even with this political momentum, many operators and enterprises expressed the same concern in one-on-one conversations: they understand the strategic value of AI, but remain unsure how to begin embedding it effectively within their organisations.

Download now to get our take in a 5-minute read.

Our insight covers the following key points:

• AI-first industries: Progress?
• Announcements: TelecomGPT and the race for regional AI capability
• Sovereignty and resilience
• Quantum technology
• Investment versus innovation
• Organisational readiness

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• Q-Beat: Telco quantum deployment tracker

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