MWC 26: Zscaler Cellular provides a secure and connected world with Telecommunication partners

Mobile World Congress is where industries come together to shape what’s next in connectivity - from cellular and private networks to massive-scale IoT. But as enterprises accelerate deployment of connected devices in all manner of environments, from warehouses and retail kiosks to EV chargers and smart city infrastructure, security teams are facing a hard truth: traditional, network-based security models were not built for today’s highly mobile and distributed cellular environments. With AI tools and services booming in organizations, the need for secure device connectivity and accurate data is bigger than ever before.

Legacy approaches to cellular-connected security often rely on costly backhaul architectures and infrastructure that can’t scale at the speed of business. Many of these devices operate beyond the practical reach of firewalls, VPNs, and software agents. They are often deployed in hard-to-access locations, managed by different teams, and moved across regions and borders. As a result, organizations struggle with the fundamentals: having visibility into all data streams, controlling how devices connect, enforcing consistent policy, and responding fast when something changes. That lack of visibility and control creates security vulnerabilities and expands organizations' attack surface in exactly the places attackers increasingly target.

Zscaler Cellular eliminates these challenges by embedding Zero Trust protection into the SIM itself. That means every packet of data from a cellular-connected device can be evaluated at the first connection—enabling real-time policy enforcement and secure routing through Zscaler’s global, cloud-native security platform. This is a foundational shift from “add security later” to initiate security immediately, at the point where connectivity begins.

Visibility and control in “black box” cellular ecosystems

In many cellular deployments, the customer experience has historically been connectivity-heavy. But security and application-level control are typically left to the enterprise, creating a shared responsibility model where the biggest immediate gap is often visibility. Zscaler Cellular addresses that gap from day one by enabling organizations to treat each asset as an isolated environment, aligned with the Zero Trust architecture. Assets can communicate only according to policy, rather than inheriting implicit trust simply because they are connected. A modern cellular security approach can pair carrier resilience with a control plane for SIM management, while adding security policy enforcement on top turning a fragmented, opaque environment into something measurable and governable. Based on its initial success with the cellular security offer, Zscaler takes the cellular service one step further into the connectivity world.

Zscaler partners with leading telecommunications companies to bring advanced Zero Trust security to cellular-connected devices. Connectivity has always been perceived as part of the end-to-end solution and Zscaler is focused on delivering a complete outcome to customers, together with the telecommunication service provider; Providing secure access, protection, and visibility for cellular-connected environments at cloud scale. By leveraging the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange with telecom infrastructure, Zscaler Cellular delivers secure, scalable, and seamless connectivity to all kinds of mobile devices or things. For enterprises, these partnerships help deliver managed security services that address the unique challenges of securing distributed, cellular-connected environments and thus extending Zero Trust principles across global cellular networks to reduce risk and enable transformation at scale. 

Partnering with providers to extend reach without heavy lift

That is the reason why Zscaler is investing in partnerships with telecom service providers at this year's MWC. Those partners bring reach, spectrum, and the connectivity footprint, while Zscaler enables Zero Trust security, visibility, and control for the data streams. Zscaler has always been an overlay technology as we don’t depend on how packets move from A to B, but rather focus on securing the conversation between the source and destination. Based on this handshake, providers can deliver an end-to-end offering that customers are actively asking for. This partner-led approach supports the customer‘s choice. Some organizations want to keep their existing provider relationships and SIM estates. Others prefer a fully managed solution. Mobile World Congress 2026 is the right moment for telecom providers to turn security into a growth engine. 

Zscaler is working with a select set of telecom providers like NTT and Singtel amongst others to build deep integrations that benefit both sides. Providers can continue selling their own SIMs domestically, while enabling customers with international footprints to extend secure connectivity through Zscaler Cellular, delivered via the provider relationship. The result is a practical way for service providers to expand reach and local breakout options without requiring large upfront investments in new equipment or complex deployments. This allows telecom providers to monetize next-generation 5G networks and security with one of the most powerful value-add services they can bring to market. Zscaler has built a global, cloud-native security backbone that now also understands mobile networking. By integrating with Zscaler Cellular, providers can accelerate secure local breakout and deliver 5G-ready experiences with an enterprise-grade security layer without forcing major capital expenditure or rebuilding their portfolios from scratch.

Ask for your personal meeting with the Zscaler team on site via this meeting scheduler. See you in Barcelona at MWC!