There are two weeks left for the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to open its doors. As we told you last November, the organization hopes to have between 2,000 and 2,500 exhibitors for this edition, a third more than in 2022. This year’s edition will have speed as its theme (Velocity) and their thematic tracks will revolve around how 5G is transforming the industry.
Among the guests who have already confirmed their presence this year, names such as the President and CEO of Telefónica, Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete; Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Höttges; Ericsson President and CEO, Börje Ekholm; GCash President and CEO Martha Sazon; the CEO of Maersk Ocean & Logistics, Vincent Clark; or the CEO of the Orange Group, Christel Heydemann.
Among the novelties in this year’s edition, it stands out Journey to the future, an investment space (in Hall 6 of the venue) where attendees can experiment with all kinds of technological solutions designed to solve social problems. In this sense, they will be able to see how artificial intelligence is being used in hospitals, the creation of 3D printed bioplastic materials, or robotic exoskeletons to restore the possibility of walking to people with mobility problems.
On the other hand, in what is known as Spain Pavilion38 companies from our country will exhibit their most innovative technological solutions in this edition, which will revolve around topics such as geolocation, cybersecurity, smart cities, IA, Big Data, Cloud, 5G, IoT or Blockchain or Metaverse.
Among the mobile phone manufacturers, the presence of Chinese manufacturers such as OPPO, Xiaomi or OnePlus, which are expected to launch at this year’s edition, will stand out, while Huawei will stand out for offering visitors the largest stand in the history of Mobile World Congress, counting for this with an area of more than 11,000 square meters.
As for the thematic tracks, this is what everyone who comes to Barcelona between February 27 and March 2 can find.
More than 5G
5G has been one of the main protagonists of the MWC for years. So much so that although it is true that it is not yet a mature technology in many markets, most manufacturers and telecommunications providers wonder what is beyond this connectivity or, in other words… what is 5G for?
At the forum in the Catalan capital, attendees are invited to reflect on how better software development, digital innovation and network delivery, mobile platforms are already creating new use cases and business models to transform companies. Just around the corner? The first 6G developments, the impact of quantum computing and the implementation of more efficient networks.
Reality+
Precisely, one of the fields that manufacturers expect more from 5G is when it comes to supporting technologies such as virtual reality, mixed reality and extended reality. While the metaverse remains a concept that falls far short of the typical home consumer experience, some potential use cases are beginning to be seen in the industrial sector, from virtual twins to training for industrial employees.
Now, what real capacity will these technologies have to transform the world in the coming years? And beyond this, what we imagined as the metaverse, is it going to be able to develop a real base or will it remain as that future wannabe for which we end up losing all interest?
OpenNet
The fact that mobile networks are more open provides significant value to companies, facilitating, for example, more agile deployments and more capacity to innovate. But for networks to be more open, it implies not only developing new functionalities, but also having the necessary technology to guarantee their levels of security and performance.
The new generations of corporate networks have to be prepared in this sense, to take advantage of the capabilities of 5G, IoT, Edge and Cloud with APIs that will make it easier for mobile operators to bring companies a differentiated value proposition, with scalable services again. generation.
In this debate, Open RAN, or what is the same, the commitment to standardize the design of the components used in the development of mobile networks and which is key to the openness and interoperability of the different networks, takes on a special role.
Digital Everything
The expansion of digital technologies represents an immense opportunity to create value for all industries. From entertainment, manufacturing, and smart mobility, the industrial and business world is faced with fast-moving challenges.
Our resources are finite and we all need to do more with less. Digitization, the IoT, and the combination of the real world and the digital world are game changers for meeting these challenges as the evolution towards Industry 4.0 continues.
Under this premise in this year’s edition, the MWC opens the debate towards the future of smart industries, and even a not so unlikely scenario in which factories can work autonomously and be controlled remotely.
fintech
Proof that each edition of the MWC, the organization opens up to new technologies that are not always related to the world of mobility, we discover them in 2023 with an exclusive track dedicated to the world of fintech, focusing in this case on the virtual currencies, the future of the blockchain and even the utility of NFTs for the financial industry.
Among the topics that call for debate, the reflection on the decentralization of the financial world stands out, the real future that cryptos can actually have beyond serving as an investment vehicle or the role of money in a theoretical metaverse.
