The war in the Middle East, sparked by US and Israeli attacks on Iran, grounded flights and prevented many attendees from reaching Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona. Companies from the region, including those in Dubai and Palestinian tech groups, faced empty booths and canceled meetings. While the conference proceeded, the absences highlighted the conflict's reach into global tech events.
Mobile World Congress 2026, held in Barcelona, Spain, encountered disruptions from the escalating conflict in the Middle East. On a Saturday, the US and Israel launched airborne attacks on Iran, leading to widespread flight groundings across the region just two days before a scheduled panel on smart glasses and extended reality technology.
One notable absence was Roman Axelrod, cofounder of Dubai-based Xpanceo, who could not travel from Dubai. The company's prototypes for smart contact lenses also failed to arrive. Instead, staff at Xpanceo's booth used video demonstrations. Valentyn S. Volkov, Xpanceo's co-founder and CTO, joined remotely via Zoom from Dubai, where local authorities ensured safety. He expressed regret over the missed opportunity: "We already kind of lost, I would say, a significant amount of resources -- physical, mental, scientific resources -- simply because we could not get everyone to Barcelona. We could not get our prototypes to Barcelona as planned." Volkov described the lenses as an advancement beyond smart glasses, capable of displaying information from a phone and monitoring health metrics like glucose levels through eye contact, with functional prototypes planned by year's end.
Exhibitors reported a stark reduction in Middle Eastern participation. Said Saidi, a UAE resident exhibitor who arrived early on Friday, noted the presence from the region was "near zero" after surveying the show floor. Many planned meetings with peers were canceled or shifted online. Saidi, in touch with his family in Dubai, confirmed they were safe despite some noise from defense systems. He emphasized the event's value for networking: "Usually, the main purpose of the exhibition is to show that we are present, we are there, and also to meet new leads and new business."
In the 4YFN startup area, the Palestinian Information Technology Association of Companies operated only two of seven planned booths, with representatives unable to travel and declining to comment on return plans. Saidi himself was stranded, with no timeline for flights home: "I have zero expectations. At this point in time, we cannot predict anything."
Volkov remained optimistic, hoping for stabilization within a week, while work continued remotely. The conflict also influenced broader industry forecasts. International Data Corporation analyst Jeronimo Francisco linked regional disruptions, including supply chain issues and rising oil costs, to a projected 13% decline in 2026 phone sales, beyond the primary RAM shortage from AI demands: "If there was no memory crisis, instead of the market dropping 13% it would drop 5 in the worst-case scenario, something like that."
