Available worldwide via Amazon (Kindle Edition)
US: $5.99
Other regions: Local Amazon pricing
Available here:
https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0GMXLX56T
As artificial intelligence moves beyond the cloud into factories, vehicles and cities, telecom networks are emerging as a critical strategic layer of the digital economy. At Mobile World Congress 2026, BT Group CEO Allison Kirkby argues that connectivity is becoming the nervous system of the AI age.
AI agents are beginning to replace apps as the primary gateway to digital services. As execution overtakes interaction, power shifts toward those controlling infrastructure, compute and energy — redefining platform dominance, marketing strategy and digital sovereignty in the process.
At Mobile World Congress 2026, the spotlight shifted from faster devices to embedded intelligence. In the emerging “IQ Era” AI becomes physical, ecosystems replace standalone products and media must evolve from screen-based storytelling to context-driven, predictive experiences.
At MWC 2026, the real story is not faster devices but control over the infrastructure that will shape economies, cities and security in the 2030s. As 6G moves from connectivity to sensing and AI integration, Europe faces a defining sovereignty test.
At MWC 2026, telecom operators are repositioning themselves as the custodians of digital sovereignty. As AI, edge computing and geopolitical fragmentation reshape the technology landscape, control over networks — not apps — may determine who governs the infrastructure of the future digital society.
Power in the 21st century no longer rests primarily with governments or corporations, but with the infrastructures that coordinate modern life. As control shifts from visible institutions to invisible systems, a fundamental question emerges: who governs when authority dissolves into networks, platforms and code?
As Europe rethinks its financial future, the real debate is not between fintech and legacy banks, but between platform velocity and institutional stewardship. Can algorithmic scale be reconciled with democratic accountability — or must Europe choose between efficiency and resilience?
Satellite-to-smartphone services mark a structural shift from geographic coverage to continuous connectivity. As terrestrial networks merge with orbital infrastructure, communication becomes an ambient utility — reshaping resilience, sovereignty, economic security and the very meaning of being reachable in a permanently connected society.
Europe excels at inventing the future but struggles to integrate it. In Brainport Eindhoven, breakthrough technologies collide with infrastructure limits, labour mismatches and institutional inertia. The Missing Middle reveals where innovation becomes friction — and where technological transitions are ultimately won or lost.
The real financial battlefield is not the trading floor, but the valuation engine. As the United States consolidates model power and Asia builds parallel infrastructures, Europe faces an uncomfortable question: can you shape global standards without owning the systems that compute value?
