GoKawiilWhy are there so many robots at a show focused on phones? This is the question I asked myself as I roamed the halls of Mobile World Congress last month, on the lookout for the most exciting technology that will define the next few years.
The first and most obvious answer is that robots draw crowds. A dancing humanoid is an easy way to attract people to your booth. But to see the robots at this year's MWC purely as a publicity stunt would be to ignore the bigger conversation happening around robots and connectivity.
Already in 2026, we've seen major leaps forward in robotics, with companies including Boston Dynamics and phone-maker Honor showing off humanoid robots designed for industry and home environments. But there is yet another level to unlock, and it relies on 6G -- the next-generation network technology set to succeed 5G in 2030 and beyond.
On the surface, 6G and robotics might seem distinctly unrelated -- beyond being technologies of a future that we're not living in quite yet. But in this future, 6G will open new doors for humanoid robots that'll transform them from clunky, standalone mechanical figurines into efficient fleets, where individuals will form part of an all-sensing, always-learning ecosystem.
This will happen first in industry, then in hospitality and care environments, before potentially landing in our homes. It's an exciting prospect, but as the experts I spoke to at MWC last month cautioned, there'll be some big leaps in technology required before they, and we, are ready for that.
The power of 6G
To understand how 6G will unlock new possibilities for robots, let's start with the special capabilities the network technology will have.
The first is that 6G will act as a sensor network, with sensors embedded into both the robots and their environments, Qualcomm's executive vice president of Robotics Nakul Duggal told me.
This allows the 6G radio to act like radar -- constantly scanning and mapping its surroundings in real time to detect obstacles. Imagine a robot attempting to navigate a crowded environment: The 6G network should quickly and cheaply help create a kind of virtual map for it to do so safely.
Second, there's the pure speed at which 6G will communicate vast reams of data. The 5G networks we currently use aren't necessarily built to handle AI requests, but the 6G networks will be, providing a consistent, low-latency, relatively low-power way to process intelligence and deliver that intelligence to robots, according to Frank Long, associate director of intelligent services at deep tech research firm Cambridge Consultants.
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