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RCS will change everything. It’s the most significant ground-up rewrite of messaging since, well, SMS. That was the talk track in 2025—just as it was back in 2018. But for the first time in years, like in 2018, Google was back on stage, touting global adoption metrics and promising, yet again, that RCS would change everything.
The Big Unknown of RCS
There was plenty to say about international traction, especially in India. But all eyes were on the US. Too many rumors are swirling to make sense of how RCS will land here—but it is coming. Still, as I’ve said before, no one expects meaningful revenue in 2025. And that’s disappointing.
And yet, as a long-time RCS optimist, this is the most hopeful I’ve been in years.
Peter Thiel once said his favorite interview question is: What’s an important truth that very few people agree with you on? Early in my career, my answer was RCS and its potential to fundamentally change messaging. I took a lot of flak for that belief, both internally and externally. So yeah, this newfound industry optimism? This felt personal.
AI Is Table Stakes
Also prevalent all over MWC was AI. Sure, some of it was classic AI-washing, but a lot of it was real—legitimate innovation driving new business models and products. Companies like Databricks, for example, are pushing hard to sell AI solutions to telcos, helping them make sense of the ocean of data every network generates. More on this in a later post.
What Pandemic?
Over 109,000 attendees from 205 countries attended the conference, marking a full return to pre-pandemic levels.
A conference like MWC is a multi-sided marketplace: part university, part festival, part deal floor. None of that works without people. But this year, everyone showed up—and it felt like they had to be there.
A word of advice to the budget owners: Treat MWC Barcelona as a global event for your entire organization. It’s a mistake to think your teams in Asia or the US don’t need to be there. At least in messaging, the decision-makers and the conversations are often part of the same ongoing dialogue—regardless of geography.
I know everyone’s belt-tightening, but MWC Barcelona should be seen as an investment.
And Finally
This was my third MWC but my first as an analyst. I’m curious about everything that happens in our industry and like to share what I am learning. Over time, I’ve built an exclusive and engaged readership. So it was a big deal when the GSMA saw what I’d written and gave me a press/analyst pass.
It’s a different world. The access—both online and offline—was incredible. So was the chance to talk to executive leadership from all over the globe. GSMA looked at my work and said, “Yeah, that’s analyst grade.” That felt personal too.