Mobile World Congress returns to Barcelona amid Covid-19

The biggest mobile technology and connectivity fair, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), opened in Barcelona on Monday.

It is the first time it is being held in February since 2019, as it was canceled in 2020 due to the number of companies pulling out as the health crisis worsened and it was celebrated in June 2021. This year it is taking place with additional measures in place, such as requiring attendees to present health documents to enter. 

Spain's King Felipe VI attended the inaugural event on Monday morning, where he was greeted by Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez and other authorities, but not Catalan president Pere Aragonès or Barcelona mayor Ada Colau. 

?? No Catalan government members present as Spain’s King Felipe arrives at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress #MWC

Felipe VI was accompanied by Spain’s PM, Pedro Sánchez, and Catalan socialist Salvador Illa

More: https://t.co/tR9ibhYJwG pic.twitter.com/3dy3VudcQB

— Catalan News (@catalannews) February 28, 2022

MWC, back to normal?

Barcelona is once again in "mobile-mode" as dozens of black VIP vans on the streets, something that is typically seen during the MWC as foreign tech executives shuttle to the trade show venue.

But the Mobile World Congress is not only about tech executives as there are dozens of company-related staff and businesspeople there too. And while there are businesswomen present, their moderate figures suggest the tech sector is still far from gender-equal.

Organizers expect between 40,000 to 60,000 visitors, half the number of those seen in 2019 when the congress reached an all-time high of 109,000 attendees. Last year, in 2021, the number dropped to 20,000.

Some people at the fair told Catalan News that the last edition they had gone to was in 2019. However, there were some who did in fact go in 2021 despite it being smaller in size and in attendance than this year's event because of coronavirus.

But not everyone has noticed much of a difference between this year's event and that in 2019.

"Not that much," said a visitor who also attended in 2019. Another, however, did tell Catalan News that he found there to be "much fewer people" this time around than three years ago. 

No Russia pavilion

There will be one notable absence at the fair, Russia, as the MWC organizers, GSMA, decided to veto the country’s pavilion due to the invasion of Ukraine. 

Some companies that have not been blacklisted, such as Moscow-based TrueConf, were still able to set up their stands.