Mobile World Congress added €473m to Spain’s economy

Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 may have added about €473 million and created more than 14,000 part-time to the Spanish economy for being the host.

Held from February 25 to 28, in Barcelona, the Global System for Mobile telecommunications Association (GSMA), organizers of the conference, reported that more than 109,000 visitors from 198 countries and territories attended MWC19 Barcelona, the mobile industry’s premier event.

More than 55 per cent of this year’s MWC attendees held senior-level positions, including 7,900 CEOs. There were 3,640 international media and industry analysts at the event, who reported on the many significant industry announcements.

The Chief Executive Officer, GSMA Ltd, John Hoffman described the event as a highly successful one, which brought together attendees, governments and regulators across the global ecosystem, spanning multiple sectors and reflecting the expanding role of mobile connectivity.

“With the theme of ‘Intelligent Connectivity’, 5G was prominent at MWC19 and it was exciting to see a glimpse of that new world, with 5G-enabled handsets launched, new products and services, and even the first demonstration of live tele-monitored surgery over 5G technology. The mobile industry continues to make strong progress with 5G and MWC Barcelona continues to showcase the best and most creative elements of our connected world,” Hoffman stated.

Over four days, MWC19 highlighted the intersection of ‘hyper-connectivity’, enabled by 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT), and ‘intelligence’, delivered by artificial intelligence (AI) and big data.

In addition to the core elements of intelligent connectivity, MWC19 explored the key topics of Content, Digital Trust, Digital Wellness and The Future.

The popular GSMA Innovation City was visited by more than a third of MWC attendees, which experienced the mix of 5G, IoT, AI and big data and saw how it is already positively impacting the lives of citizens and businesses around the world.

Visitors had the opportunity to experience a number of hands-on demonstrations across a range of diverse sectors including entertainment, transportation, environment and robotics from our partners Google, Huawei, KT Corporation, Sierra Wireless and Turkcell, as well as from GSMA programmes.

An integral element of MWC Barcelona, the Ministerial Programme offers a unique forum for ministers, regulators, international organisations and CEOs from around the world to discuss key developments and policy trends in the mobile sector.

This year’s programme broadened the traditional policy and regulation discussion, with a new focus on mobile and the emerging digital citizen.

The 2019 Ministerial Programme hosted 190 delegations from 150 countries and 40 international organisations, with total attendance exceeding 2,000 delegates.