The 2021 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona will open its doors this Monday. It is perhaps the most difficult edition in its long history, after the cancellation of the event in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which is still being felt by the impact of sanitary restrictions on large events and the whole of the economic activity.
In recent months, the holding of the largest world congress in the technology and telecommunications sector has been in doubt. Some of the main companies in the industry, from large equipment manufacturers such as Ericsson, Nokia or Samsung, to large operators, have declined their presence due to health problems, or have reduced their presence to avoid risks for workers, customers and visitors.
However, the commitment of the Mobile management will result in a celebration of the Barcelona event, yes, with a mixture of the physical and remote presence of the participants themselves, and, under the Covid context, with a number visitors lower than that of traditional editions.
John Hoffman, general director of the GSMA, the organizing body, explained in an interview with this newspaper at the end of April that the 2021 edition would be transitional under strong sanitary measures, to return to a more normal edition in February 2022, with a return of large holdings.
Recovery
The manager wanted to highlight the importance of the event, and stated that this year’s congress would seek to promote the economic recovery of Barcelona. “It will be the first major technological congress around the world after the pandemic,” said the manager at the time, who in the process has had the backing of large telecoms such as Telefónica, Orange and Vodafone.
The organization has been clear from the outset that the number of visitors, which in the usual editions exceeds 100,000, will be lower, given the existing restrictions in many countries on travel and the arrival of foreign personnel. Faced with these absences, Hoffman wanted to invite professionals, not only from the technological world, but also from industries that are immersed in digital transformation (automotive, transportation, education, e-commerce, media, entertainment, finance, governance and regulators , among them). 5G, new generation networks, their services applied to different sectors, and entrepreneurship will be key activities.
Usually, the presence of Spanish professionals is around 30,000 people. To promote access by the local public, the organization has offered around 30,000 tickets for the Fira site at a price of 21 euros. In any case, the impact of Mobile will be felt in the Barcelona economy. The organization estimates that the impact of this edition for the city will be between 100 and 200 million euros.
This year’s Mobile will also be an important test for health security. The organization, which established a broad agreement with Chiron, has defended that the congress will be very safe, with extensive security and prevention protocols against Covid-19.
Support from the top executives of the telecos
Pallete. The Congress will have the presence, either physically or remotely, of some of the main executives of the telecom sector. Among them is José María Álvarez-Pallete, president of Telefónica, who will be in charge of delivering the opening speech. The Spanish operator, which will have a physical presence with its stand at Mobile, has highlighted that the event as a way to economic recovery.
Directors. Those present include the CEOs of groups such as Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, IBM, ZTE and China Mobile. The media figure will be tycoon Elon Musk, co-founder of SpaceX, SolarCity or PayPal, as well as CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, among others.
–
–
– .
