mwc

The number of Catalan companies which will attend the 12th edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), to take place from the 27th of February to the 2nd of March in Barcelona will be higher than ever. There will be 105 Catalan businesses represented at the world’s largest event of the mobile and cell phone-related industries, exceeding for the first time the threshold of 100, explained Catalan Minister for Business and Knowledge, Jordi Baiget. 68 of these companies will be located in the Catalan Government’s pavilion, which will be set up at the centre of Fira de Barcelona. Barcelona’s Mayor, Ada Colau, emphasised the “good understanding” between the public administrations which share the organisation of the MWC: the Catalan Government, Barcelona’s City Hall and the Spanish Government.

KT Corporation has chosen Barcelona to be the “importation gateway for its products and services” in Europe, stated the Catalan Ministry for Business and Knowledge, Jordi Baiget. The agreement with the Korean telecom giant was reached during the latest edition of the Mobile World Congress, which took place in Barcelona between the 22^nd and the 25^th of February, and established the setting up of a commercial office in Catalonia, as well as the creation of “jobs and investments” which are yet to be finalised. At the same time, the agreement foresees that KT will facilitate the distribution of Catalan products and technologies in the Korean market. 

The 2016 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) registered a record participation of 101,000 visitors, 6% more than last year’s edition. The 2,200 stands distributed across two different venues, L’Hospitalet Gran Via and Fira de Montjuic, constituted an exhibition of 110,000 square metres where the latest news in the mobile phone-related industry was unveiled. Presentations on virtual reality held the spotlight throughout the week, with newly unveiled gadgets and discussions on how virtual reality will change how we live and communicate.Despite the mobility problems, mainly derived from the metro strike which diluted the opening of Barcelona’s new L9 underground line, GSMA CEO John Hoffmann confirmed that the MWC will stay in Barcelona until 2023. The 2017 edition will take place from the 27^th of February to the 2^nd of March.

Sharing Academy connects students with other peer tutors at different universities. Through the app, students can sort through a marketplace of tutors that can help them in various course subjects. According to Jordi Llonch, the CEO and creator of Sharing Academy, the idea for the app came from a personal struggle with one of his classes. After struggling to pass a course in university, Llonch sought the help of a friend studying the same course at a different school. Since the largest Mobile World Congress (MWC) to date opened its doors on Monday, much of the presenters at the event have focused on a few key topics. By 2020, industry leaders hope lead their users into a new generation of technology that can connect more devices at once, allowing for more advancement in other industry sectors outside of mobile such as health, automotive, and telecommunications technology.

From this Monday until the 25^th of February leading brands in the mobile phone-related industries such as Samsung, LG and Sony will present their latest wares and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and F1 driver Lewis Hamilton will be amongst the speakers. A record figure of 100,000 visitors are expected and 2,100 international exhibitors have confirmed their attendance at the fair, consolidating Barcelona as a true meeting point for the sector. The 2016 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) will take place amid major security measures due to the terrorist attacks in Paris last November and will also be affected by the metro strike, whichTransports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) will carry out on the key days of the MWC. Thus, the recently opened new metro line, the L9, won’t contribute as much mobility as expected.

Hotels around Barcelona are starting to fill as the city prepares to host the 11^th edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) from the 22^nd to the 25^th of February at the Gran Via venue of the Fira de Barcelona. With between 95,000 to 100,000 visitors expected to attend, the highest number ever for the MWC, Barcelona’s Hotel Association expects to reach full occupancy on the peak days. Although the average rate for a room has gone down from €278 to €237 per night this year, some hotel rooms in central areas like Passeig de Gracia report rooms going for as much as €800 to €1,100 per night. Although the event blocked 26,300 rooms for the event with the city’s hotel association, the high demand for rooms in Barcelona has pushed some participants to look outside the city for rooms in Sitges, Castelldefels and even as far as Girona. 

Mobile World Congress 2016 expects 95,000 visitors, 2,000 more than in 2015. 2,100 exhibitors, 160 government delegates and 4,000 journalists from all over the world will also attend the fair, which is considered the most important in the mobile sector. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg will feature, for the third year in a row, as one of the congress’ most high-profile speakers and F1 driver Lewis Hamilton will take part in a round table to discuss the implementation of wireless technology in the automotive sector. Giants from the sector, such as Google, Samsung, Sony and LG, will be present at the fair, while Apple will once again be the most notable absentee. The Mobile World Congress will generate a 460 million euros impact on Barcelona and its surroundings and will create 13,000 jobs. Security measures for this year’s edition will be increased due to the terrorist attacks which occurred in Paris in November.

The metro strike organised by employees of Barcelona Public Transport (TMB) who were demanding a salary increase has been cancelled. The bus strike is still planned, although after the metro’s cancellation, bus workers would be also considering doing so. The strike was coinciding with the world’s main trade fair and conference of the mobile phone and mobile technology industry. However, it was not affecting taxis, tramways, airport buses, and commuter trains. The strike will only affect urban buses. The underground will be operating as normal. During rush hour buses will function at 50% of their capacity and the rest of the day at 20%.