Mark Murtra (Telefónica) calls for more favorable “speed” regulation that encourages mergers and acquisitions in the MWC

During the first day of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 from Barcelona, Mark Murtra (Telefónica) has participated in a panel entitled “What does strategic technological sovereignty mean for Europe?” in which he has called for “scale” and “technology-friendly regulation” to achieve greater “speed” in operations.

At the round table, moderated by the general of GSMA, Vivek Badrinath, and in which the CEO of Deutsche Telekom, Tim Höttges, and the CEO of Eutelsat, Jean-François Fallacher, Murtra has stressed that Europe must progress in three ways to increase its strategic sovereignty. The first is the own scale of the telco sector: “We need bigger companies, with more resources, greater risk capacity, “better coverage and the ability to make deeper technological investments”, has assured.

The second is the regulation, which “must establish priorities”. “Regulation must establish priorities. I think we are in a period in which we must give priority to the creation of technology. “Regulation must be favorable to technology and allow investment and innovation”, has defended.

The third and last point is the need to act quickly. The president of Telefónica has demanded that the regulation adapt to the current reality, in which changes are accelerating with the emergence of AI, that generates products very quickly: “In this sector, We have witnessed compound technological changes during 30 years. But I don't think I've seen a more profound change than the last three months with AI. We are seeing new AI models almost every month. The way to program, testing programs and developing products has completely changed in just three months”.

Murtra has also emphasized the need for Europe to have quality products. cybersecurity (“If we want strategic autonomy, “We need our own capabilities”) and in the obligation to have hyperscalers to take advantage of the advantages provided by a larger size: “Hyperscalers handle enormous amounts of information, and if we depend on third-party software and technology, "That technology can potentially be used for other purposes.".

For all this, “The priority must be investment in technology. “That should be the first thing.”, has requested. From there, The Telefónica executive considers that support mergers and acquisitions in the sector so that it can be consolidated and gain scale, it will benefit society as a whole. “Let us gain scale as part of a broader social contract and, in exchange, we will invest in technology. It will allow us to offer better services, provide more value and strengthen our competitiveness”, has emphasized.