Crowds return to Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress
Barcelona, Spain, Feb 28 (EFE).- The Mobile World Congress opened its doors to bustling Barcelona crowds on Monday as it regained an essence of normality having been reigned in last year due to the pandemic and canceled altogether in 2020.
Attendees busied the corridors of the venue, making their way between pavilions that are once again filled with stands — with the notable exception of representatives from Russia, which was banned last minute over its invasion of Ukraine.
Some 1,500 companies are taking part in this year’s MWC, including titans of the industry such as Samsung, Huawei, Ericsson, Deutsche Telekom, Google, Nokia, Oppo, Qualcomm and ZTE.
Organizers expect between 40,000 to 60,000 visitors from over 150 countries, marking a stark difference from 2021, when pandemic travel restrictions limited the showfloor to a predominantly domestic crowd.
Under the slogan Discover Connectivity Unleashed, this edition of the MWC, which runs until March 3, will highlight the latest developments in 5G, the Internet of things, artificial intelligence, fintech, cloud technology and the metaverse.
Some of the MWC’s top speakers this year include CEO of Amazon Web Services Adam Selipsky, CEO of Sotheby’s auction house Charles Stuart and CEO of Weta Digital Prem Akkaraju, whose company has won six Academy Awards for its visual effects.EFE
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