The Mobile World Congress is not just a leading technology fair: it is an economic and strategic phenomenon that has transformed Barcelona in the last two decades. "Surely Barcelona would not be what it is without the MWC, but the congress would not be what it is without Barcelona either; both feed off each other," says Jordi Arrufí, head of the Digital Talent area at MWCapital.
Since its arrival 20 years ago, in 2006, the Mobile has generated 6.9 billion euros in accumulated economic impact and 173,000 partial jobs. The 2025 edition alone contributed 561 million euros and 13,000 temporary jobs. But beyond the numbers, the congress has consolidated Barcelona as a European digital hub, with more than 129,000 ICT professionals, 203 technology hubs and unprecedented sector growth.
But who really drives this global machinery?
GSMA: the force behind Mobile
The entity behind the MWC's drive is the GSMA (Groupe Speciale Mobile Association). This association, based in London, brings together almost 1,000 mobile operators and hundreds of companies from the digital ecosystem with the aim of promoting innovation and reducing inequalities in the mobile telephony sector.Its origins date back to 1982, when the Groupe Speciale Mobile (GSM) was created by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) to design a pan-European mobile technology. However, it was not until 1995 that the GSMA was formally born as the GSM MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) Association, with the aim of facilitating international cooperation, ensuring common standards, and driving innovation in mobile telephony.
And the Mobile World Congress? Its origins date back to 1987 in Brussels, with the conference "Pan Europe Digital Cellular Radio." Over the following years, the congress was itinerant, passing through cities such as Rome, Nice, Lisbon, Athens, Berlin, and Madrid, until it became established in Cannes in 1996, a city where it consolidated and evolved from 2,000 attendees to more than 24,000. Finally, in 2006 it made the definitive leap to Barcelona, where it has become a global benchmark in the technology sector.
The visible faces
The most emblematic figure of Mobile is John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd since 2007 and the main architect of the relationship with Barcelona. Hoffman has repeatedly defended that the city is the ideal venue for the congress and has underlined the solidity of the relationship between the city and the congress. In the executive sphere, GSMA begins a new stage with Vivek Badrinath as CEO, taking over from Mats Granryd. With previous experience as CEO of Vantage Towers, Badrinath takes on the challenge of continuing to evolve the entity.For many years, one of the relevant voices within the GSMA has been that of the Spaniard José María Álvarez-Pallete, president of Telefónica until early 2025, and executive chairman of the GSMA, a position he acceded to in 2022, becoming the first executive of a Spanish company to assume the presidency in the history of the association. However, with his departure from Telefónica (now led by Marc Murtra), the chairmanship of the GSMA board has been left to Gopal Vittal, CEO of Bharti Airtel Group.
Another of the most well-known faces within the GSMA is Lara Dewar, GSMA's marketing director, responsible for the global communication strategy of the congress and one of the usual faces in institutional presentations.
MWCapital: ensuring the legacy beyond four days
If the GSMA is the global engine, the Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) is the structure that ensures that Mobile leaves a permanent mark on the city, beyond the four days of the technology congress.Created in 2012 by the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council, the Ministry of Industry, Fira de Barcelona, and the GSMA, the public-private foundation promotes projects to consolidate Barcelona as a digital capital throughout the year. It is not just about hosting a congress, but about building a stable ecosystem: attracting talent, promoting digital skills, and boosting business innovation, through programs such as The Collider, focused on the transfer of technology from classrooms and research centers to companies, with 25 incubated projects and 13 spin-offs active.
Among other initiatives, MWCapital —led since July 2022 by Francesc Fajula, one of the pioneers of the digital industry, and specifically of e-commerce, in Spain—, is the organizer of Talent Arena, the event focused on digital talent, and 4YFN.
4YFN: the home of startups
Sometimes called the 'little brother' of Mobile, 4YFN (Four Years From Now) aims to connect startups with potential interested investors. In fact, 4YFN was born in 2014, promoted by MWCapital, to cover a clear need: entrepreneurs and investors came to Mobile without a specific space to connect efficiently.Over time, the event has established itself as an essential appointment within the exhibition, which is estimated to bring together 20,000 attendees and more than 1,000 investors. Its director, Pere Duran, has consolidated the event as one of the main international technological entrepreneurship events.
But… who visits the Mobile?
Now that we know who drives and shapes the Mobile World Congress, it is worth asking who are the protagonists who fill the congress halls and bring it to life: the attendees. This is an eminently professional audience, made up of more than 100,000 people from more than 200 countries each year, with a special presence of Europeans and Asians.Executives from large corporations, telecommunications operators, startups, investors, engineers, and innovation managers make up a highly qualified audience with decision-making capacity. Ticket prices—ranging between 989 and 5,499 euros depending on the modality—reinforce their exclusive profile.
A strategic relationship until 2030 (and beyond)
Will Mobile stay forever in Barcelona? For now, the Catalan capital and Mobile maintain a formal commitment until 2030, a horizon that provides institutional stability. The agreement, signed in July 2022 between GSMA, Fira de Barcelona, the City Council, the Generalitat, and the central Government, establishes this date as a formal horizon, although it includes an annual renewal mechanism if all parties agree.Both GSMA and local institutions have made it clear that the intention is to continue the relationship beyond 2030 if the model continues to work. Especially with ambitious projects in the city, such as the expansion of the future Hall 0, which will add 60,000 new square meters to the Gran Vía exhibition center and with which the city will establish itself as one of the great exhibition cities in the world.
Everything points, therefore, to this alliance still having a long way to go, beyond any specific date. As Jordi Arrufí says, "the congress and the city feed each other." And it is that in 20 years of mutual relationship, Barcelona has seen the congress grow and the MWC has seen how the digital sector has rapidly expanded throughout the city. "Twenty years ago we did not observe a large technological base in the city, but, at great speed, digital talent has flourished," recalled this Thursday John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA, during the inauguration of the Barcelona Digital Talent Hub, one of the events being held in the city these days, taking advantage of the congress's traction.
An event during which the fifth deputy mayor, Raquel Gil, also celebrated the impact of the congress on the city: "We did not want to settle for our young people serving coffee at the technology congress; we wanted them to be protagonists," Gil recalled. A challenge that has been largely achieved: Barcelona already has 129,608 digital professionals, which means the incorporation of nearly 62,000 new ICT specialists since 2018.
From the executives who drive GSMA to the entrepreneurs of 4YFN, including the heads of MWCapital and the thousands of professionals who fill the pavilions, all contribute to making the congress not just a technology fair, but an engine that transforms the city and projects its ecosystem globally.