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What MWC19 Barcelona Told Us About the Future

MWC19 Barcelona, formerly known as Mobile World Congress, wrapped up today after four days showcasing the latest innovations in connectivity, artificial intelligence and more. MarketScale made note of some of the most impressive displays and innovations. Keep reading to learn about the biggest developments in intelligent connectivity. 5G Networks and Creativity 5G will change the…

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MWC19 Barcelona, formerly known as Mobile World Congress, wrapped up today after four days showcasing the latest innovations in connectivity, artificial intelligence and more.

MarketScale made note of some of the most impressive displays and innovations. Keep reading to learn about the biggest developments in intelligent connectivity.

5G Networks and Creativity

5G will change the way businesses operate and interact. This manifestation was clear at the conference with robotics, devices and prototypes of items that will soon be implemented into the business world.

First tweet from a live #5G network at MWC 2019! #MWC19 pic.twitter.com/jCW6uyyXZr
— Ericsson (@ericsson) February 27, 2019

It is not only #foldable smartphones at #MWC19, foldable is much more! ⁦@RoyoleOfficial⁩ ⁦@TamaraMcCleary ⁦@evankirstel⁩ ⁦@evanderburg⁩ ⁩ ⁦@antgrasso⁩ pic.twitter.com/FskrtrJLv2
— Stephan Broszio (@StBroszioDT) February 27, 2019

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) demonstrating the air taxi passenger drone with VR at #MWC19 pic.twitter.com/SzYqcnhAn5
— WDS Mobile (@wdsmobile) February 28, 2019

5G enables an #AI artist to creat painting at #MWC19. AI matches the scanned information with various artistic styles searched by #5G technology to paint in real-time for users. Come to get your own painting at #ZTE booth! Learn more: https://t.co/iZLJgkQ54m pic.twitter.com/alWwc1gQl0
— ZTE Corporation (@ZTEPress) February 28, 2019

Look, robot pianists are playing the piano at #MWC19 #5G, #IOT, #URLLC #ZTE #Leading5ginnovations pic.twitter.com/dWAzFdARqJ
— ZTE Corporation (@ZTEPress) February 27, 2019

Cell Phones

Smartphones and similar technologies were a major theme at the event and the most attention-grabbing devices were strikingly different.

Huawei, which has been at the center of conversation for reasons beyond its products, showed off the Mate X and Samsung also made headlines with its Galaxy S10.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuRO5mfB4Jg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Kathy from @Nimb_ring talking with the Financial Times' @DanGarrahan about the world's first cellular connected safety ring with panic button, enabled by @SierraWireless Ready to Connect #startwithsierra #MWC19 pic.twitter.com/xbWjAehl80
— Sierra Wireless (@SierraWireless) February 25, 2019

On the other end of the spectrum is the Energizer P18K Pop Android, a thick but long-lasting phone. What it lacks in sleekness it makes up for with a battery that should last five days of normal use and potentially up to 40 days on standby mode.

Energizer’s bonkers P18K Pop Android smartphone with pop-up camera and 18,000mAh battery. Hard to see this an anything more than a gimmick from a company licensing the Energizer brand. #MWC19 pic.twitter.com/h0qz7dHYcr
— Ben Wood (@benwood) February 26, 2019

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Packaging robots can beat labor long term on cost, PMMI argues

Packaging robots can beat labor long term on cost, PMMI argues

PMMI's Tom Egan wrote in Processing Magazine that adding packaging automation and robotics can now be justified as more cost-effective over the long term than the high cost of labor in food, beverage and CPG plants. Separately, Packaging World describes AI-enabled AMRs from ABB and Agilox that automate material movement between packaging stations. The remaining gap is adoption among smaller manufacturers.

  • 01Two reference points for infrastructure-light material movement: ABB's Flexley Mover P603 carries 1,500 kg with sub-centimeter positioning and no floor markers, and Agilox's OFL lifts 800 kg pallets on peer-to-peer fleet software with no central traffic controller, per Packaging World.
  • 02The open ground is small and mid-sized manufacturers: MTC's Mike Wilson counts tens of thousands of UK SMEs with no robotic automation at all and expects cobots to take most of that growth.
  • 03A robotics business case should include procurement, not only line labor: a June 2026 China Journal of Accounting Research study found heavy robot adopters spread buying across more suppliers, gaining resilience but losing inventory efficiency and adding transaction costs.

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Xtellio brings telematics to jobsite tools and heaters

Xtellio brings telematics to jobsite tools and heaters

Xtellio launched a two-tier telematics platform in March 2026: 32 battery-powered Xense sensors for small tools and wired Pro-Xentral devices for excavators, light towers and heaters. The company claims a 10-year battery life. Data is delivered through open APIs, which Xtellio frames as customer ownership of the data, aimed at rental and construction fleets where small assets have gone largely untracked.

  • 01Xtellio’s stated 10-year battery life for its Bluetooth Xense sensors is the key spec to test in the field; if it holds up, tagging hundreds of tools can look like a one-time install rather than a recurring battery-maintenance program.
  • 02For rental houses and contractors running mixed fleets, the sharper question is no longer which machines have telematics but whether the heaters, light towers and hand tools do, and whether that data lands in the same system.
  • 03Open APIs and “data liberation” are part of Xtellio’s pitch, and the coverage frames that as a prompt for RFP questions: what the APIs expose, where data can be sent, and whether customers can take historical data if they switch providers.

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Senate bill would double smart water grants to $50 million a year

Senate bill would double smart water grants to $50 million a year

S. 2388, the Water Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2025, would double an EPA water tech pilot to $50 million a year through 2028. Grants would cover design, construction, training and operations for leak detection, advanced metering and AI analytics, WaterWorld reported. Planning and maintenance stay on the utility's tab.

  • 01Under S. 2388 as WaterWorld describes it, feasibility studies are not grant-eligible, so a utility would have to pay to build the case for a smart water project before applying for help building the project itself.
  • 02The bill's eligible list puts advanced digital design and construction management tools in the same bucket as meters and sensors, which would give a utility's capital delivery team a claim on the same grant as its field operations group.
  • 03The existing pilot program's authorization runs through 2026, per WaterWorld; the bill would extend it to 2028, and its last reported status was 'introduced' as of Aug. 12, 2025.

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