What We’re Watching for at electronica 2026
Large industry conferences and exhibitions are always useful indicators of industry trends and directions, and electronica 2026 will be no exception. Here are a few trends we’re anticipating at this year’s event in Munich:
There’s a drive to combine multiple radios, such as Bluetooth, cellular, Wi-Fi, and GNSS, in increasingly limited physical space. It certainly goes beyond component choices. Designers must figure out isolation, interference, detuning, antenna placement on the PCB, and regulatory certifications.
At electronica, Taoglas is at the forefront of radio hardware vendors that are driving this trend. The company recently debuted an AI Antenna Recommendation Engine to aid engineers in overcoming some of the challenges posed by multi-radio design.
Low-power wireless modules with onboard AI processing are rapidly becoming a staple of wireless design. Wireless endpoints are morphing into intelligent sensors, taking them beyond simple data transmitters. With edge-AI technology, low-power wireless modules can take on tasks like classifying events, detecting anomalies, and local processing of sensor data.
Nordic Semiconductor will be at electronica to show its nRF54L series of multi-protocol SoCs. The latest addition to the family is the nRF54LC10A SoC, which supports Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Channel Sounding, Thread, Zigbee, and Matter.
Another trend to watch at electronica 2026 is industrial IoT-centric wireless and edge-computing technology. Increasingly, IIoT implementations demand dependable connectivity that’s integrated with local compute resources. This enables gateways, sensors, and mobile robots to combine wireless communications with local analytics and real-time operational decision-making.
As a resource for attendees, electronica 2026 will feature edge lab LIVE!, a networked highlight area for edge computing where exhibitors will present demos of integrated systems within a curated edge-architecture environment. There will be opportunities for hands-on insight derived from real-world application scenarios.
In use cases like transportation, industrial equipment, utilities, public safety, and smart infrastructure, we’re looking for GNSS and cellular connectivity to solidify their critical roles. In all of these cases, resilient connectivity and positioning are up against difficult RF environments. Other technologies we’ll be looking at include antenna diversity, interference mitigation, and RF integration.
About the Author
David MaliniakDavid Maliniak
Executive Editor, Microwaves & RF
I am Executive Editor of Microwaves & RF, an all-digital publication that broadly covers all aspects of wireless communications. More particularly, we're keeping a close eye on technologies in the consumer-oriented 5G, 6G, IoT, M2M, and V2X markets, in which much of the wireless market's growth will occur in this decade and beyond. I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, developers, and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.
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About me:
In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy, leaving to rejoin the EOEM B2B publishing world in January 2020. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.
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