Mobile World Congress - MWC2024 - brought together global leaders across telecommunications, technology, and government. For World Mobile, it was an opportunity to share tangible progress, open new avenues for collaboration, and reinforce the relevance of decentralized infrastructure in a fast-changing industry.
Demonstrating Progress on the Global Stage
Over four days in Barcelona, we engaged with operators, regulators, and innovators from more than 200 countries and territories. Our focus remained clear: advance practical solutions to extend coverage, reduce barriers, and enable participation in the networks people rely on every day.
At the GSMA Foundry Innovation Showcase, we presented our aerostat deployment in Mozambique - a live case study in how decentralized systems can fill critical coverage gaps and operate at lower cost, with less dependency on legacy infrastructure. The feedback was direct and encouraging: governments, industry partners, and technology providers are increasingly looking toward non-terrestrial solutions as a practical way to scale connectivity.
CEO Micky Watkins shared his insights at the GSMA Foundry Innovations Panel alongside industry peers from IBM and Unmanned Life.
Recognition from the GSMA
One of the most significant outcomes from MWC 2024 was receiving the GSMA Foundry Excellence Award for our work in Mozambique. This recognition stands alongside other awardees such as China Mobile and AWS and affirms the growing relevance of community-led, infrastructure-light approaches in telecommunications.
We view this acknowledgment not as a destination but as an inflection point. The award reinforces our commitment to advancing reliable, inclusive coverage using technologies that adapt to local contexts rather than impose centralized models.
A Deepening Partnership with GSMA
Since joining the GSMA in early 2022, we’ve worked closely with the GSMA Foundry to explore use cases that extend beyond traditional telco boundaries. As the only decentralized physical infrastructure project currently within the GSMA, our participation helps bring alternative approaches into wider industry conversations.
The Foundry serves as a collaborative space to test and refine ideas that respond to real-world challenges. We see it as a key platform for accelerating progress - not only for World Mobile, but for any organization invested in broader, more inclusive models of connectivity.
Looking Ahead
The conversations we held at MWC 2024 point to a shift in how the industry is thinking about infrastructure, ownership, and access. There is a growing understanding that conventional models, built around centralization and capital-intensive rollouts, may not scale to meet global demand, especially in underserved regions.
As we continue our work across Africa, the US, and other emerging markets, our goal remains the same: to build a dynamic, decentralized mobile network that places ownership and decision-making into the hands of the people who use it.
Recognition from the GSMA reflects the validity of that approach. The next step is implementation at scale - delivering measurable results through partnerships, technology, and local engagement.
To learn more, read our blog post on participating in MWC25.
Join the movement. Help shape the next chapter in connectivity.
.png)
.png)
