Sony pulls its in-person participation at this year's Mobile World Congress

Sony has pulled its in-person participation at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC), as first published by Cadena SER radio statement and confirmed by the Catalan News Agency (ACN) on Thursday.

The Japanese multinational has not confirmed whether they will still participate online. The MWC22 is scheduled to be held in Barcelona's Fira Gran Via exhibition center from February 28 to March 3.

"Sony Corporation has taken the decision that it will not be holding its own booth at MWC 2022. As the world has greatly shifted towards digital and online opportunities, Sony Corporation will communicate in ways that can deliver our exciting product news to a wider audience," the company said in a statement afterwards.

Sony was one of the first companies to pull out of MWC20 as the Covid-19 pandemic began to grip the world and the event was canceled.

The trade show, focused on the wireless technology industry, was confirmed earlier this week to take place on the dates originally planned despite the sixth wave of the health crisis. 

The organization "would only consider a change of plans" if it were a decision by the health authorities, as stated by John Hoffman, organizer GSMA's CEO.

"A lot of things have changed in the past two years, but our determination to convene the sector again remains indestructible," he said.

The world's largest fair for the mobile industry, which is held annually in the Catalan capital, Mobile World Congress welcomed some 2,400 exhibitors and 109,000 visitors from more than 200 different countries in its 2019 edition.

After the cancellation in 2020, the trade show held a scaled-down edition in 2021, with 20,000 in-person attendants. 

ISE fair postponed

The news comes only a day after the world's largest audiovisual fair, Integrated Systems Events (ISE), postponed its 2022 edition for three months due to the impact of the Omicron variant.

The event was scheduled for February 1-4, but in the end, will take place from May 10-13 at Barcelona's Fira Gran Via exhibition center.