Why Telecom Retail Must Leap Forward at MWC 2026

MWC Barcelona is the global stage for the IQ Era, where we celebrate network intelligence that is faster and more responsive than ever before. Yet, for telecom executives, a visible disconnect remains. While our networks have leaped into the future, the consumer journey often feels fractured. The seamless digital to physical experience that exists for other retail verticals is nearly non-existent in telecom retail.

At iQmetrix, we believe the retail space should be the most powerful touchpoint for your brand. Telecom sells the most advanced technology on earth, yet we often deliver one of the worst consumer experiences in modern commerce. In a market where everyone is being asked to do more with less, this gap is no longer just a service issue. It is a growth and cost issue that demands a visionary shift in how we connect with the modern consumer.

A Masterclass in Connection: Featuring Ken Hughes

To guide this transformation, we are excited to announce that Ken Hughes, the world-renowned ​“King of Customer Experience,” will be the guiding force of the Telecom Retail Summit. As a leading consumer behavioralist and retail futurologist, Ken is famous for his ability to challenge the world’s biggest brands to rethink human connection.

Ken will be with us throughout the morning, opening the floor with his insights into the psychology of the modern consumer before moderating our headline panel on the evolution of the retail experience. His presence ensures the day is more than a technical discussion; it is an energetic exploration of how to move beyond the transaction and toward a model based on authentic relationship and emotion.

Strategy Over Transaction: The Rise of Agentic Commerce

Today, winning is about recognizing that buying journeys are now hybrid and non-linear. The brands that succeed are those that move beyond the weight of fragmented systems to focus on relevance and tribal belonging. This requires a transition from simple automation to agentic commerce, where intelligent systems proactively orchestrate the store experience to feel responsive rather than rigid.

The Telecom Retail Summit is a dedicated forum for those ready to redefine these boundaries. It is an invitation to look past the technical noise of the exhibition floor and focus on the architectural shifts required to build the Store of the Future. We will explore how to achieve a standard of simplicity that empowers both the customer and the associate.

Defining the Next Era of Telecom Commerce

Our discussion in Barcelona will move through the vital layers of this retail evolution, anchored by two panels and a featured exploration of the Store of the Future.

The Strategic Panels

• Why Telecom Retail Feels Stuck in 2009 and How Forward-Looking Telcos are Breaking Free: Moderated by Ken Hughes, this candid panel digs into the uncomfortable truth of why telco customer experience often lags behind other retail sectors and what leading brands are doing to close that gap. 
• Your Network Is Intelligent. Your Tech Stack Is Not. That’s the Problem: Great retail experiences do not happen on top of broken systems. They are built on architecture that allows BSS, OSS, activation, and sales platforms to work together as one. This session breaks down what modern, composable architecture and open APIs look like in practice while exploring how interconnected commerce enables more resilient retail operations without adding more systems to the stack.

Inside the Agentic Store of the Future

Modern retail leaders are not asking for more tools; they are asking for better outcomes. This segment examines how agentic AI and intelligent automation are shaping a Store of the Future that scales, adapts, and delivers value across customers, associates, and the business.

• The Principles of Experience: We will break down what great retail brands get right when it comes to experience, focusing on how stores can become simple, intelligent, and human-centric.
• Fewer Systems, Better Outcomes: We will outline a clear vision for a retail environment that connects online, in-store, and assisted journeys into a single, seamless experience. This reframes the store not as a cost center but as a strategic growth engine built to scale and support what comes next.
• Transition to Agentic Commerce: Moving beyond simple automation, we will explore how intelligent systems can proactively support customers and associates by orchestrating experiences across physical and digital touchpoints in real time.
• The Activation Gap: While complex transactions like buying a car can now be done in minutes, device activation remains slow and fragmented. We will spotlight why fixing this broken moment is foundational to fixing the retail experience.
• The Invisible Supply Chain: We will explore why operational excellence in inventory management and modern consignment models is critical to delivering a frictionless experience that customers can feel on the floor.

Join the Global Discussion at MWC 2026

This is the moment to ensure your physical footprint matches the intelligence of your network. We invite you to join a collective of industry leaders, futurists, and the ​“King of CX” himself to define what telecom retail needs to become in 2026.

Registration for the Telecom Retail Summit is by application only via the MWC Partner Programmes. Given the exclusive nature of this session and the high demand for this year’s keynote, we recommend securing your attendance early.

For a more focused discussion on your specific infrastructure and the full consumer experience, our executive team will be hosting private meetings at the Canadian Pavilion (Hall 7, Stand 7C23) throughout the week.