Verizon CEO switch; SoftBank robots charge; Vegas set for MWC25

The Friday File: Mobile World Live (MWL) brings you our top three picks of the week as Verizon tapped PayPal veteran Dan Schulman as its new CEO, SoftBank splashed $5.4 billion on ABB’s robotics arm and MWC25 Las Vegas gears up with AI, APIs and satellites front and centre.

Verizon makes Dan Schulman CEO

What happened: Verizon appointed former PayPal CEO Dan Schulman as its chief, replacing Hans Vestberg after seven years at the helm.

Why it matters: Verizon’s board highlighted Schulman’s digital expertise and track record in scaling platforms, citing his time at PayPal, Virgin Mobile USA, AT&T, and T-Mobile US. Schulman pledged to sharpen Verizon’s value proposition, cut costs, and optimise capital allocation. Vestberg will remain with the company until October 2026 to assist with completing the operator’s acquisition of Frontier Communications, expected in the early part of the year. Analysts noted Vestberg’s tenure was marked by “missteps” including heavy spectrum spending and subscriber losses, allowing rivals to claim leadership in 5G and customer additions. Roy Chua, AvidThink founder and principal analyst, told MWL the change was unsurprising, citing Verizon’s slide from market leader to third place under Vestberg’s leadership, while Recon Analytics’ founder and analyst Roger Entner linked the timing to looming Q3 results. Meanwhile, Daljeet Saran, strategic advisor at Assessfy, stated that with Schulman at the helm, Verizon will be able to “lead with digital expertise, not just network scale”.

SoftBank to acquire ABB robot unit for $5.4B

What happened: SoftBank Group struck a deal to acquire ABB’s industrial robotics unit for $5.4 billion as the Japanese conglomerate intensifies its push into AI and automation.

Why it matters: The transaction, subject to regulatory clearance in the US, European Union and China, is expected to close in mid to late 2026. Earlier this year, ABB announced plans to spin off its robotics division, which employs about 7,000 staff and generated roughly 7 per cent of the company’s revenue in 2024. The move marks SoftBank’s re-entry into robotics after its acquisition of French robotics firm Aldebaran in 2012, which later produced humanoid robot Pepper. “That acquisition is widely regarded as having been pretty unsuccessful and SoftBank will certainly hope for a better return on their latest investment,” noted Tom Thorne, executive search consultant at Wenham Carter Group. While that venture failed to scale commercially, SoftBank stated it is poised “reignite the robotics business’s growth” through investment in AI and advanced technologies.

Preview: MWC25 Las Vegas event heats up across AI, APIs, satellites

What happened: The GSMA is gearing up to open MWC25 Las Vegas next week at a new $3.7 billion venue, the Fontainebleau Las Vegas hotel, with three central themes: connected industries, AI and connected enablers.

Why it matters: GSMA CMO Lara Dewar stated: “We’ve tailored this year’s event agenda to meet the evolving needs of senior business leaders and C-suite executives across North America.” This year’s programme is structured to emphasise thought leadership, with a sharper focus on executive-level networking and tangible business results, she explained. The event will run over two days and attendees can expect summits on smart aviation, agentic AI, eSIM, private wireless networks and satellite connectivity. The programme will also see the return of the Tech Careers Bootcamp, held in partnership with Verizon, to promote wireless industry careers. With AI and automation at the forefront, GSMA is placing an emphasis on scaling real-world deployments. “The important and truly exciting thing I’m increasingly seeing is technical innovation turn into real, tangible impact,” Dewar said. With mobile technologies forecast to contribute $11 trillion to global GDP, nearly doubling last year’s figure, the GSMA is framing telecoms as a central enabler of enterprise transformation.