MWC will bring together more than 95,000 people in Barcelona to champion the role of networks in the digital future.

“Future First” – the motto of the MWC 2024 exhibition. which will take place from 26 to 29 February and which this year will bring together more than 2,400 exhibiting companies at the Fira Barcelona site in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, from large companies (and not only from the mobile technology sector) to some of the most promising start-ups on side event 4Y4N.

In the MWC halls you will see such popular names as Huawei (which will again have the largest stand), Ericsson, Nokia, AWS, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Stc, ZTE, Qualcomm, Meta, Telefónica, Orange, Vodafone. or Deutsche Telekom. But also debutants such as the Japanese operator KDDI, China Telecom or Alipay, Payment platform of the Alibaba group.

(Barcelona MWC is expected to exceed 95,000 visitors and 2,400 exhibiting companies in 2024)

In terms of visitor numbers, the GSMA, the event’s organizing body, expects it to well exceed 88,500 in 2023. they reach 100,000 visitors again which were recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year the organization plans to gather participants from more than 200 countries and territories. He particularly expects the return of a significant portion of visitors from Asian countries who have not returned since Covid-19, and does not believe the slowing Chinese economy will have any impact on MWC attendance.

Another aspect that the GSMA emphasizes is that MWC has already expanded beyond the mobile technology sector. and opened up to other industries in the midst of the digital transformation of the economy and society. In fact, this year it is expected that around half of the attendees and 40% of the speakers will come from these other sectors.

Between managers who will pass the main stage of the event There will be Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete (Telefonica and GSMA), Margherita Della Valle (Vodafone), Christel Heidemann (Orange), Michael Dell (Dell Technologies), Brad Smith (Microsoft), Tim Hettges (Deutsche Telekom), Julie Sweet (Accenture ), Carme Artigas (United Nations) or European Commissioner Thierry Breton.

Drought

On the other hand, GSMA is aware that MWC 2024 is being held at a time when it was announced that State of emergency in Catalonia due to ‘worst drought in its history’. Considering this situation, the organization launched an awareness campaign for everyone who attended the event and took various measures in this regard.

“As guests of the city, we take our responsibilities very seriously and thank our guests for their attention. Measures to minimize water consumption whenever possible“, the message states.

(Tourism fears drought will reduce supply, leading to lower demand)

In this sense he adds that “Small gestures can make a big difference: “Members can help by showering instead of bathing, turning off the water while brushing their teeth, and reusing towels and linens instead of requesting daily replacements.”

Every email you send includes your new campaign with the message “Every drop counts! Help us support drought relief and use water responsibly,” which is also distributed on its website and social channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and X/Twitter) in English, Spanish and Catalan. Messages have also been developed for them. on site with the motto “Every drop counts.”

The future of networks

Regarding topics, and with permission from the ubiquitous generative artificial intelligence (AI), Much of the event will focus on the role of telecommunications networks in the digital future.. In fact, the first session will focus on the Open Gateway initiative, which was introduced in the 2023 edition and aims to appreciate the full potential of networks.

Cesar Cid, head of communications, media and technology at Accenture in Spain and Portugal, emphasizes that the fair will demonstrate the “power of connection” and why operators are so important in today’s world and in the business decisions of the future.

(AI, AI and more AI: the generative aspect of this technology will be the protagonist of the 2024 Mobile World Congress)

In this sense, he notes that operators have the opportunity to reinvent themselves and make the big changes that the industry is looking for, but the process also involves “huge” challenges. In your opinion, One of the most pressing tasks is to make investments profitable. what they should do besides facing the pressure they feel regarding their spending.

According to Sid, there is four areas in which telecommunications companies must act and which he foresees will be the protagonists of discussions at MWC: innovations that deliver improved customer experiences, faster digital core modern, transform networks and generative AI to make talent more meaningful.

Thus, he believes that operators need to think beyond simple connectivity and also advise customers on services and plans that will help them reap the benefits of connected services. Moreover, he predicts that the telecommunications companies of the future will have digital core about which Offer to enterprises that have been organized around artificial intelligence, cloud, security and platforms.all of which interact with each other.

The Accenture manager adds that networks will have to be transformed and modernized, as well as They will be open, giving priority to APIs. Therefore, he argues that “adopting a standardized approach is extremely beneficial for the sector,” and this is what the Open Gateway initiative aims to do.

For his part, Jesús Martín Tello, telecommunications partner at NTT Data, emphasizes that Open Gateway is not only an important leap in valuing operators’ core assets and helping to monetize them, but, in his opinion, This represents “the first step of a great revolution.”

“In addition to allowing operators to promote a new ecosystem, will help develop new relationships with your clients this will influence the way they perceive telecom companies and the type of services they expect from them, thereby creating a market for digital services,” he adds.

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