The Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2023 will soon begin. The four-day extravaganza featuring the best and latest in mobile communications tech is slated to be relatively smaller this year than what it was before. In the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the organizers, GSM Association (GSMA), to cancel the 2020 edition and postpone the 2021 edition to June, demoting it to a hybrid event.
With over 80,000 attendees from 200 countries expected, MWC Barcelona 2023 could have less than 75% attendance than the 109,000 people the trade show attracted in the 2019 edition before the coronavirus caused global havoc.
Nevertheless, MWC Barcelona 2023 will be bigger than its 2022 edition, both in terms of attendance and the technology that will be showcased at the event. The significance of the trade show also lies in the fact that 52% of last year’s attendees came from outside the telco industry.
As such, MWC Barcelona 2023 will boast visitors from the transport, finance, professional services, biomedical, and logistics sectors.
When and Where Is MWC Barcelona 2023?
MWC Barcelona 2023 will be a four-day event that will commence on Monday, February 27, 2023, and continue through Thursday, March 2, 2023. The event will be hosted at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona.
More than 80,000 industry experts, researchers, business leaders and executives will visit MWC Barcelona 2023 to watch over 2000 exhibitors and sponsors demonstrate their innovations.
Keynote speakers include Extreme E Founder and CEO Alejandro Agag, Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc, NEC Corporation President & CEO Takayuki Morita, and Vattenfall President and CEO Anna Borg.
Highlights to Watch at MWC Barcelona 2023Â
The theme for MWC 2023 is Velocity: Unleashing tomorrow’s technology – today. Expect valuable insights into five subthemes:
- 5G Acceleration
- Reality+
- OpenNet
- FinTech
- Digital Everything.
Mats Granryd, director general of GSMA, said, “MWC Barcelona has long been the place for the mobile industry to convene. This year, we are going beyond ‘Mobile’, providing an unmissable space to unleash tomorrow’s technology, today.â€
1. 5G
By the end of 2022, the number of 5G connections crossed the one billion mark globally, which GSMA terms as the first wave of 5G. A central talking point of MWC Barcelona 2023 is the second wave of 5G that’s about to hit multiple global markets.
“While the 1st Wave of 5G was driven by relatively mature markets and consumer use cases like eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband), the 2nd Wave will engage a diverse set of new audiences,†Peter Jarich, head of GSMA Intelligence, noted. “To be sure, many familiar dynamics will remain, including a focus on compelling and affordable devices, continued network modernization, and ‘the three S’s’ – sustainability, security, and spectrum.â€
“However, the extension to new use cases and markets will challenge the mobile ecosystem to prove that 5G truly is flexible enough to meet diverse industry-, market- and operator-specific demands in a way that’s both inclusive and innovative.â€
5G adoption can face certain hiccups due to macroeconomic headwinds, thus impacting the overall ecosystem. Even though 5G adoption and, thereby, the development of new business models and their monetization could be delayed, what’s certain is that it will usher in a revolution in how we communicate.
The monetization of 5G is something to look forward to from MWC Barcelona 2023.
Some of the topics for discussion centered around 5G include
- 5G Advance, Ready for Take-Off!
- Ready to Talk 6G?
- Is a 5G Future for Everyone?
- Spectrum: Delivering a 6G Future
- Are Private Networks Over-Hyped?
5G Acceleration is sponsored by Jio, a telecom division of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries that is rolling out 5G in India, the second-biggest telecom market.
See More: CES 2023: The Most Techworthy Innovations and Highlights From the Event
2. Immersive experiences
Immersive experiences in virtual, augmented, or mixed reality, metaverse, et al., are delivered through 5G. However, even though the potential of the metaverse and other immersive tech is immense, the terms are often overused, so much so that their applicability can become distorted even before it evolves from its current infancy stage.
Going by existing standards, the metaverse is a bunch of people in virtual avatars in leisure in VR worlds. But it can be so much more. It can have applications in the automotive sector, sports, work, holographic communications, NFTs, etc., and when can we realize them?
For answers to these questions, you can watch the following sessions:
- XR, AI & 5G For A New Immersive Experience
- The F-Word of Metaverse: Future, Fad, or Fraud?
- From Metaverse To Matterverse, How To Do It Right?
- Who Are The New Consumers In Web 3.0?
3. Industry City
GSMA launched Industry City during last year’s MWC Barcelona. The organization is back with the initiative to achieve the goal of ‘digital everything.’
Industry City demonstrates how multiple sectors can adopt the latest tech to add value to businesses, reduce fallout from certain elements, or simply enrich customer experiences. This year’s Industry City will boast speakers from NTT, Accenture, Mars, Tonomus, Palo Alto, World Pay, AALTO HAPS, BT, Verizon and JP Morgan.
From February 27 through March 2, GSMA will hold a Manufacturing Summit, a FinTech Summit and a Smart Mobility Summit each day wherein speakers will discuss the digitization of global factory lines and assets, industrial metaverse, digital twins, automation, (reduction of) financial crime, and more.
Andrew Walker, communications and media industry lead at Accenture, wrote, “Industry City creates a unique forum for CSPs and partners to come together on ideas and solutions enabling a new wave of connected industry. Accenture is excited to lead as the exclusive Industry City Knowledge partner once again at this year’s MWC23 Barcelona.â€
Users can learn more about Industry City in any of the 23 summits listed hereOpens a new window .
4. Mobile devices
Multiple original equipment manufacturers will showcase their latest wares. These include Samsung with its Galaxy S23 smartphone, Realme with its Realme GT3, a 240W fast-charging smartphone (the world’s fastest); Xiaomi 13 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and another phone with dynamic island, Honor’s (a Huawei subsidiary) Magic 5 series of smartphones, the OnePlus 11 concept phone, and more.
How to Attend MWC Barcelona 2023?
Interested parties must register as individuals, exhibitors/partners/sponsors, press/industry analysts, or GSMA Members. Group purchases for passes are also available.
Passes for MWC Barcelona 2023 are available to purchase on the event websiteOpens a new window . Passes are categorized into three, viz., Discovery Pass, Leader’s Pass and VIP Pass, available for €799 (~$847) excluding VAT, €2,196 ($2329) and €4,499 (~4771), respectively. Each pass type has a different level of access.
For those attending virtually, passes are pegged at €499 ($529), excluding VAT.
What do you think will be the most significant technological innovation at MWC Barcelona 2023? Comment below or let us know on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you!
Image source: GSMA, MWC Barcelona