MWC26 Barcelona will mark a decisive shift: connectivity is no longer confined to antennas, fibre and data centres. Under the Intelligent Infrastructure theme, the industry embraces a new frontier where terrestrial networks, cloud, edge, AI-driven automation and now space systems converge to form a distributed, sovereign and resilient digital backbone.
The backbone of the digital age is being rewired. With 5G Advanced, open architectures, AI-native automation and edge-distributed compute, networks are transforming from cost centres into strategic value platforms. But the most profound change is above us:
- the integration of satellite and 5G/6G NTN into mainstream connectivity,
- constellation-based redundancy,
- quantum-ready and AI-powered data centres,
- and the rise of orbit-to-cloud architectures.
The message is unmistakable: Intelligent Infrastructure can no longer be designed without an orbital layer nor without securing the ground segment that ties Earth to space.
France takes a lead in space resilience
Amid this shift, a young French company is drawing attention: Skynopy, founded in 2023, has just crossed a major milestone with the launch of SkyFortress, an experimental programme backed by the French Defence Innovation Agency (AID) under the Innovation Acceleration Project (PAI).
Its mission is both technical and strategic: testing a hybrid network of ground stations capable of ensuring uninterrupted space operations, even in the event of cyberattacks, jamming, or infrastructure failure.
The context is stark. At the onset of the Russia–Ukraine conflict, several European ground stations were targeted, exposing a critical vulnerability in Europe’s space architecture. SkyFortress is designed as a direct response, introducing:
- intelligent software orchestration,
- dynamic selection and reconfiguration of ground stations based on mission profiles,
- distributed defence principles leveraging the civil industrial ecosystem,
- and a phased deployment starting with commercial satellites before extending to military needs.
In less than two years, Skynopy has activated 17 sites across Europe and strengthened its position with a strategic collaboration with Eutelsat through the AKAR project, dedicated to satellite traffic resilience and sovereignty.
Space is becoming the wew frontline of intelligent infrastructure
As electronic warfare, jamming and cyber intrusions increasingly target orbital assets, the ground segment has quietly become the most vulnerable link in the space chain. Yet more than 60% of European ground stations remain ageing or insufficiently secured. Meanwhile, players like SpaceX and Amazon Kuiper are industrialising fully automated, redundant and globally orchestrated ground networks
SkyFortress addresses this gap head-on, bringing a much-needed shift:
- distributed defence,
- AI-enhanced automation,
- dual-use civil/military architectures,
- a model aligned with emerging NTN and 6G standards.
This is precisely the vision MWC26 wants to showcase: infrastructures that learn, adapt and resist. Infrastructures where space becomes a native extension of the cloud–edge–network continuum. At scale, SkyFortress could evolve into a European benchmark for space resilience, and a critical component of continental digital sovereignty, sovereignty that must now extend beyond terrestrial borders.
The road ahead
MWC26 will highlight a fundamental transformation: networks are no longer Earth-bound. The intelligent infrastructure of the future will be global, distributed, AI-driven — and increasingly orbital. With SkyFortress, France signals that it intends not only to participate in this shift but to help define the standards of resilient, sovereign space connectivity.
If you want a deeper, sharper breakdown of what to expect at MWC, especially on space, AI-native networks, and telco infrastructure, it will all be in my Digest4Day.