Doha will host MWC26 and the International Telecommunication Union’s Plenipotentiary Conference at the same venue in November 2026, bringing global telecom policymakers, regulators, operators and technology companies together as decisions on the future of connectivity are debated alongside the technologies they will affect.
MWC26 Doha will run from November 8 to 10 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, organised by the GSMA in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
The ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, known as PP-26, will begin at the same venue on November 9 and continue until November 27, with Qatar’s Communications Regulatory Authority overseeing local organisational and operational preparations.
The deliberate overlap creates an unusually concentrated gathering of the telecom industry's commercial and regulatory leadership.
MWC26 and PP-26 bring industry and policymakers together
Hosting the two events simultaneously is intended to create a direct connection between global digital policy discussions and the technologies being developed and deployed by the telecom industry.
MWC26 will bring together operators, technology companies, investors and industry leaders, while PP-26 will convene governments and ITU member states responsible for determining the organisation's strategic direction.
The physical proximity means policymakers discussing issues affecting future communications networks will be attending the same venue as companies demonstrating network technologies and developing commercial deployment strategies.
Organisers are positioning the arrangement as a platform connecting policy development with real-world technology and investment.
ITU conference will shape global telecom direction
PP-26 carries considerably greater policy significance than a conventional industry conference.
Held every four years, the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference is the organisation's highest policy-making body and determines its strategic and financial direction for the following period.
Member states will also elect the ITU's five senior officials, select 48 countries to serve on the ITU Council and elect the 12 members of the Radio Regulations Board.
The decisions taken in Doha could therefore influence international telecommunications policy and institutional priorities well beyond the three-week conference.
Qatar Communications Regulatory Authority President Ahmad bin Abdulla al-Muslemani has been designated chair of PP-26.
Al-Muslemani said hosting the conference alongside MWC26 reflects Qatar's role in global connectivity and the development of regulatory frameworks supporting digital transformation.
Qatar links events with Digital Agenda 2030
Qatar is positioning the dual events within its wider national digital transformation strategy.
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed bin Ali al-Mannai said hosting MWC26 and PP-26 concurrently reinforces the country's commitment to Digital Agenda 2030 and Qatar National Vision 2030.
The country is seeking to strengthen its digital economy while expanding its role in international discussions around telecommunications policy, infrastructure and emerging technologies.
Hosting the ITU's most important policy conference gives Qatar significant visibility within that process, while MWC provides a commercial and technology counterpart to the government-level discussions.
MWC Doha builds on inaugural 2025 event
MWC26 will be the second edition of the GSMA's Doha event following its debut in 2025.
The inaugural MWC Doha attracted more than 9,000 participants representing 110 countries and territories.
It featured close to 300 speakers and more than 250 exhibitors and sponsors, while organisers reported more than 30 partnerships and initiatives announced during the event.
GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath said combining the second edition with the ITU Plenipotentiary would bring policymakers and industry leaders into the same environment.
That interaction could become one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Doha edition within the wider MWC event portfolio.
GSMA Ministerial Programme returns to Doha
The GSMA Ministerial Programme will also return for MWC26.
The closed-door programme provides a forum for ministers, regulators and senior industry executives to discuss digital governance, investment priorities and policy issues affecting the communications industry.
Its previous Doha edition attracted 60 delegations representing 49 countries as well as 11 intergovernmental organisations.
With PP-26 taking place simultaneously, the 2026 programme will operate within a much larger concentration of international telecom policymakers.
This could increase opportunities for discussions spanning spectrum, investment, infrastructure, emerging technologies and digital inclusion.
CRA prepares for three-week ITU gathering
Qatar's Communications Regulatory Authority is responsible for organisational and operational preparations for member states and international organisations attending PP-26.
The conference will run for almost three weeks, substantially longer than the three-day MWC event.
That duration reflects the scale of negotiations and institutional decisions involved in the ITU Plenipotentiary process.
The overlapping dates of November 9 and 10 will provide the main window during which the two events operate simultaneously at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.
