From Pipes to Platforms: Leading Telecom’s Shift at Mobile World Congress

As Mobile World Congress 2026 rapidly approaches, Job Voorhoeve, Partner at Amrop the Netherlands and Leader of Amrop’s Global Digital Practice, sees the industry at a pivotal inflection point. Connectivity has become a commoditized foundation rather than a standalone premium, prompting operators and investors to question whether growth can be sustained on connectivity alone or requires a decisive move up the stack into services, platforms and ecosystems that capture higher‑margin value.

Scale, differentiation and new monetization levers

Drawing on decades of experience placing leadership across Professional Services, IT, Digital, Cloud, AI and Telecom, Voorhoeve argues that strategy and people must evolve together. Scale through consolidation and shared infrastructure will be pursued by many as a response to declining ROCE (Return on Capital Employed), but scale without differentiation offers limited protection against margin compression. More durable approaches embed new monetization levers into the core business: guaranteed performance at critical moments, network APIs that enable third‑party innovation, AI‑driven products and operational automation, and edge solutions tailored to industry verticals.

New capital models - tower and fiber carve‑outs, infrastructure funds, spectrum vehicles and joint financing - are reshaping investment options and strategic choices. These instruments can unlock cash and speed deployment, yet decisions about when to monetize assets versus retain strategic control require board‑level financial sophistication and long‑term strategic thinking. Executives adept at navigating private capital markets, public policy trade‑offs and complex partnerships will be better positioned to fund ambitious rollouts without sacrificing future optionality.

Talent, culture and leadership in practice: Amrop’s role in the transition

Transforming into a “techco” hinges on a retooled human operating system. Upskilling in software, cloud, AI and product management must be paired with cultural changes that reward experimentation, cross‑functional outcomes and faster decision cycles. High‑impact leaders combine technical credibility with change leadership: they attract and retain cross‑sector talent, realign incentives, shorten governance loops and create environments where smart risk‑taking and rapid learning are normalized.

Amrop’s Telecom sub-practice supports boards and executive teams through this transition by sourcing leaders who blend transformation experience with sector credibility - those capable of steering M&A, building API‑first product organizations, instituting AI governance and attracting scarce technical talent. Voorhoeve’s background in global talent leadership and executive search informs this advisory lens: strategy without the right leadership commonly fails in execution.

Outlook for MWC: Themes to watch

The shift from “dumb pipe” to platform is both technical and human. Success will accrue to organizations that redesign products, capital structures and leadership around differentiated services, open ecosystems and governed AI, themes that will be explored at Mobile World Congress.

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Meet Job Voorhoeve and other members of our global Digital team at  Mobile World Congress next week. If you’re attending, we would be delighted to connect, exchange insights, and explore how we can support your leadership and talent priorities.