this World Mobile Congress (MWC) will continue Barcelona at least until 2030. Officials and organization of the world’s most important mobile technology expo staged the renewal of an agreement in the Catalan capital this Wednesday, which they describe as “historic” as it expands an alliance that began in 2006 and has become what it is today. a “success story” for both parties.
In February 2020, the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the program. technological congress. As they explain, local and national authorities and GSMAThe organizer of the fair worked to strengthen the ties of an alliance that could make Barcelona the permanent center of Mobile. “We have had the best alliances in the last 15 years (…) an alliance that will last until 2030 and maybe forever,” he celebrated. matsCEO of GSMA. The agreement, announced on June 27, will not go beyond 2030 if either party decides.
The contract is coming to update public administrations’ fixed contributions since 2012 and now set eight million for three, which is a total of 24 million per year compared to the current 15.
5.4 billion impacts
When Mobile landed in Barcelona in 2006, the mobile market was almost prehistoric. The iPhone was not yet born and the age of smartphones was about to begin. By 2022, 67% of the world’s population has a smart device in their pocket. In this context, MWC had a significant economic impact on the Catalan capital and helped position it as a European technological benchmark. Thus, it provided a profit of 5,400 million Euros and more than 140,000 jobs in the last 16 years.
The edition held last March hosted more than 60,000 exhibitors from 200 countries. Although far from pre-pandemic numbers, the organization celebrated the recovery of activity in line with the improvement in health status, which they hope will reach between 70,000 and 80,000 attendees next February, as announced. John HoffmanCEO of GSMA. El Mobile occupies seven of its eight pavilions displaying more than 1,900 companies from up to 160 countries. Despite this, the continuation of the crisis in Asia meant that leading companies from countries such as China or Japan could not attend the fair in person.