Mobile World Congress 2026
MAR 2026
02 - 05
Barcelona, Spain
The Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI) is a world leader in the development for mobile and optical communication networks and systems as well as processing and coding of video signals. Together with international partners from research and industry, we work in the whole spectrum of digital infrastructure – from fundamental research to the development of prototypes and solutions.
At Mobile World Congress 2025, Fraunhofer HHI presents the latest developments in Wireless Communications and Networks, Video Communication and Applications and in Photonic Networks and Systems from March 2 - 5 in Barcelona, Spain.
Photonic Networks and Systems
Optical Wireless Platform: BERLIN.mobile, hall 7, booth 7C61
fiber-like: hub:raum tech incubator of Telekom, hall 8, booth 1B40.4
Optical Wireless Platform
The Optical Wireless Prototyping Platform from Fraunhofer HHI provides a versatile environment for developing and evaluating optical wireless communication. Researchers and industry partners can use it to implement their own protocols and applications in real time – secure, bidirectional, and mobile. The platform is fully software-defined, modular, and based on an open architecture that enables flexible extensions and easy integration of new functions. Its compatibility with the IEEE 802.15.13 standard ensures standard-compliant and future-proof solutions. Thanks to light-based data transmission, it also offers particularly high security – independent of spectrum limitations and without any regulatory licensing requirements.
Technical Contact
fiber-like - LiFi 2.0
Optical Wireless Communication for 6G Backhaul
Building on our established LED-based point-to-point links we present the next generation of optical wireless technology: LiFi 2.0.
Based on high-power VCSEL-array transmitters and low-noise APD-array receivers, we demonstrate a live system capable of 5 Gbps. Combining imaging optics and a DSP solution based on IEEE 802.13.15 we reach field of views of 60° without diminishing the data-rate. Simple alignment during installation and rate-adaptivity during operation enable optical front- and backhauling with a reliability of 99.99% for future mobile communication systems and offers mobile operators new flexibility in developing their networks – as a capacity upgrade for existing wireless links, to improve resilience against adverse weather conditions or as a standalone solution for rapid or economical network development.
Technical Contact
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Volker Jungnickel
Head of Metro, Access and In-house Systems Group
Phone +49 30 31002-768
Video Communication and Applications
ITU-T T.261-Codec and 4D Gaussian Splats: Congress Square CS64
ITU-T T.261 Codec for Biomedical Waveform Compression
The ITU-T T.261 codec from Fraunhofer HHI addresses the lack of a flexible compression standard for biomedical waveform data such as neurophysiology and ECG. Unlike audio codecs, it is designed for medical signals, supporting lossless and near-lossless operation, high sampling rates, and large channel counts. It enables scalable data management with efficient access through blocking, indexing, and metadata integration for clinical and research use.
Technical Contact
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jonathan Pfaff
Head of Video Coding Technologies Group
Phone +49 30 31002-642
Turning 4D Gaussian Splats into Video Streams
Efficient Compression on Today’s Video Hardware
Fraunhofer HHI demonstrates a video-codec-based (e.g. H.264/AVC or H.265/HEVC) compression method for dynamic 3D Gaussian Splats achieving high compression rates and real-time decompression.
Technical Contact
Wireless Networks and Systems
xG-RIC: 6G Platform Germany, hall 6 booth 6G15
xG-ALOE: Berlin Partner, hall 7, booth C61
xG-RIC at MWC Barcelona
Technology Transfer Hub for Medicine and Mobility of the Future
As part of the xG Research and Innovation Cluster (xG-RIC), we are jointly presenting a permanently installed demonstrator at the 6G Platform Germany booth at MWC 2026. The demonstrator illustrates the potential of future 6G-based medical technologies by capturing key patient vital signs in real time and visualizing them reliably with low latency.
The system is complemented by a modern, highly flexible hospital bed, which serves as an integral part of the demonstration and opens up new perspectives for connected, patient-centric care concepts. The objective is to showcase technology transfer into medical applications in a practical manner and to make the potential of intelligent infrastructure for future healthcare and mobility tangible.
xG-ALOE at MWC Barcelona
Alliance for Open Enterprise Networks
xG-ALOE will attend the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, the world’s leading trade fair for connectivity, together with our partners i14y Lab, airpuls, Massive Beams, CampusGenius, and EANTC. xG-ALOE is a European initiative advancing open and modular 5G and future 6G enterprise networks. It brings together industry, SMEs, startups, and research organizations to accelerate innovation based on Open RAN technologies. The initiative provides validated architectures as well as testing and certification environments and offers a continuously growing knowledge and component catalog. In this way, it fosters interoperability, open source adoption, and digital sovereignty. The xG-ALOE initiative is driven and hosted by the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute.
We look forward to inspiring discussions and new ideas.
Technical Contact
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Slawomir Stanczak
Head of Wireless Communications and Networks Department, Scientific research
Phone +49 30 31002 875
