Palabras de Su Majestad el Rey en la cena oficial del 'Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2026'

Celebramos hoy dos décadas del MWC en Barcelona. Veinte años desde que esta ciudad asumió, con visión y determinación, el reto de convertirse en capital de la conectividad. El DG de la GSMA evocaba en sus palabras a Antonio Machado, y su "se hace el camino al andar". Hoy, al volver la vista atrás, comprobamos que cada paso ‒cada edición, cada alianza, cada innovación‒ ha ido trazando una senda firme que ha consolidado este Congreso como referente global.

Vull agrair a la GSMA, a la Mobile World Capital, a Fira Barcelona i a totes les institucions i empreses que han contribuït a fer possible aquest recorregut extraordinari. I gràcies, molt especialment, a Barcelona, ciutat dinàmica i creativa, que ha sabut acollir, impulsar i projectar aquest congrés amb ambició i responsabilitat, i que avui hi troba, no només un reflex de la seva vocació innovadora, sinó també una finestra oberta al futur. El MWC és, avui dia, molt més que una cita tecnològica. És un espai on les idees brollen, s'anticipen tendències i es forgen aliances que renoven la nostra manera de treballar, de relacionar-nos i de comprendre el món.

Ladies and gentlemen,
The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation, and today AI is redefining processes, business models and professional profiles, opening up new economic opportunities. Not only are we living in an era of change, we are also witnessing a change of era, a new paradigm that is transforming how we produce, learn, communicate and make decisions.

As with the printing press, AI demands comprehension, adaptation and responsibility. From 4G to 5G to 6G, from the cloud and the IoT to the metaverse, the forward march of innovation is unstoppable, and sometimes it outpaces the rules by which it is regulated. It is common to feel wary of the unknown, but history teaches us that progress continues regardless. It must advance hand in hand with training and commitment to talent.

"...you, the innovators, have the means and capacities to create, but you also have the responsibility to foresee risks and ensure that technology serves the common good. This is the only way to ensure that AI elevates us and strengthens our freedom, instead of limiting us or replacing us..."

You, the innovators, have the means and capacities to create, but you also have the responsibility to foresee risks and ensure that technology serves the common good. This is the only way to ensure that AI elevates us and strengthens our freedom, instead of limiting us or replacing us.

With its theme of "The IQ Era", this edition is aimed at realizing these aspirations intelligently, through initiatives that envision the future of mobility through immersive experiences and explore the furthest frontiers of knowledge, from quantum computing to the networks that are expanding our connectivity . This Congress is also a space in which emerging projects can find investment and opportunities for growth , and a space of learning and connection for those who will lead the next digital generation . Together with innovative ambition, a social dimension is emerging that seeks to provide technology with a second life and place it at the service of everyone . Because true intelligence cannot be merely artificial: it must be ethical and deeply human.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Just a few days after the war in Ukraine broke out, I underscored, at this same forum, the indispensable nature of the principles that hold together the international community ‒principles such as peace, dialogue and cooperation. Four years on from the start of Putin's aggression, there is still no clear path to peace. We must continue to stand firm in our defence of the ethical dimension of humanity, its values and its principles, which are universal.

As we speak, the Middle East slides again into a critical juncture, with a clear risk of regional escalation and unpredictable consequences. We call for maximum restraint in the use of force; respect for the lives of civilians and the search for a diplomatic way out of this current logic of confrontation. We call to do so in order to prevent a chaotic situation and outright repression, and to restore dialogue for an honest quest towards peace.

Technology ‒and we would do well to bear this in mind at a major technological forum such as this‒ must always form part of an ethical framework: to serve as a tool not for division, but for connection, not for exclusion, but for development, and not for confrontation, but for peace.

Sigamos trabajando para que la conectividad sea, más que un mero avance técnico, una palanca de progreso, cohesión y bienestar. Porque el progreso no se mide solo en velocidad o capacidad de procesamiento, sino por su contribución a la libertad, la dignidad humana y la convivencia entre los pueblos.

Muchas gracias.