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28/06/2021
This morning the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona opened its doors to hold a new edition with a new format that has been as successful as expected on the first day of the event, with more than 600 speakers that will explore AI, 5G, ‘Big Data’ and the IoT.
This new edition, for which its usual date at the end of February was changed to this week of June, is held after being suspended for two years due to Covid-19 and has a different format to its standard one to adapt to the new normality. Although the event is still held at its usual venue, the Fira de Barcelona-Gran Via trade fair exhibition grounds in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, the GSMA, organizer of the event, decided to give it a radically different format to the last one held in 2019, the edition that achieved the highest participation figure in the history of the MWC with 109,000 attendees and 2,400 exhibiting companies. On this occasion, a hybrid event has been proposed that combines face-to-face events in the stands of the Fira Gran Vía with the virtual participation of different brands and conferences for the professionals of the sector. Although public expectations have substantially lowered with the new format and in recent months major brands such as Ericsson, Nokia, Sony, Oracle, Facebook, British Telecom, Cisco, Google, Microsoft, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom have withdrawn from participating, the start of the MWC 2021 has exceeded expectations with a participation of more than 600 exhibitors.
POLITICAL DEBATE ON THE SUPPORT FOR DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY, INNOVATION AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY
In addition to the speakers, the MWC will involve policymakers who will discuss digital inclusion, network resilience and maximizing the potential of 5G. As John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer at the GSMA, says, “ it is time to reflect on the policies with which to support digital connectivity, innovation and, fundamentally, economic recovery”. In this regard, of particular note is the visit from Nadia Calviño, Second Vice-President and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, and the Minister of Justice, Juan Carlos Campo, who throughout the morning have shown interest in getting to know better the participating companies in the Pabellón de España, located in Hall 3 of the Fira. The clear increase in female participation in this traditionally male sector has been one of the points highlighted by Nadia Calviño, in addition to the importance of this kind of event not only for the economy of the city, but for the digital development of companies at the national level and the reputation of Spain throughout the world. During this visit, one of the meetings that has caught the attention of the vice-president is the one in stand 7 with the company Pangeanic. " It is significant to know that the work you do in artificial intelligence is mainly carried out by a team of women" states the Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, who also adds that " it is an important asset that not only makes the company grow in the technological field, but also in that of equality”. This Valencian company, in which the Minister of Justice has also shown interest, has been working for more than 20 years on the development of artificial intelligence applied to Natural Language Processing. Pangeanic’s experience in European projects such as NTEU or MAPA, as well as the work it has carried out for the US government or highly recognized brands worldwide, have been more than sufficient reasons to rouse interest. " What you do with anonymization and data annotation is a very interesting concept for our Ministry that is now opening up to the field of AI" says the Minister, who adds " Moreover, in public administration people are already working with this technology to apply it to the deletion of criminal records”. Other visits expected during the MWC event are those of Francisco Polo, High Commissioner for Spain as an Entrepreneurial Nation, and Carmen Artigas, Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, very interested in getting first-hand information on the progress that the participating companies have made in the application of AI.
CONNECTED IMPACT
Under the motto 'Connected Impact', this new edition delves into the role of 5G, artificial intelligence and 'Big Data' or the Internet of Things (IoT) in shaping people's lives and future. This event acts as the point of union between brands, startups, investors and consultants looking to showcase their latest innovations in order to encourage leadership and connection, the most important aspects of the sector.