As a symbol of the current era, still in its pandemic phase, the main speaker of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) intervened virtually. Entrepreneur and magnate Elon Musk has aroused the expectation of congress attendees, who filled the auditorium, with the necessary safety distances. There were even queues to enter. Among the public was even the CEO of GSMA, John Hoffman, seated in the last row.
Received like a rock star, with intense music and lights that looked like a disco, Musk spoke from his home in California, with his cat walking in front of the screen at some point during the conference. For less than half an hour, the businessman explained the future plans of one of his companies, Starlink, dedicated to providing internet connection via satellite, especially in remote areas. "There is a need for connectivity in those places where they don't have it and it is limited or expensive," he explained.
To achieve this, he is willing to invest between 20,000 and 30,000 million euros in Starlink, as announced at the congress. Initial costs, before having a positive cash flow, are around 5,000 and 10,000 million euros. "Our goal is not to go bankrupt," he stressed on more than one occasion, assuring that his business can reach where neither 5G nor fiber optics do.
Starlink already has 1,500 satellites, adding more each month, with the forecast of reaching 40,000. Musk expects to be able to offer connection almost worldwide within a few months, except at the poles. The also founder of Tesla and SpaceX expects to reach half a million users in a year, starting from the current 69,000.
Before an audience of professionals from the telecommunications world, Musk indicated that he is in talks with two major operators to strengthen Starlink, without specifying which ones they were. While waiting to know whether or not he allies with the industry present at the MWC, the second richest man in the world has been invited to attend in person next year, a proposal to which he remained impassive.
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Right after this presentation, came another of the most anticipated events of MWC 2021: a Bon Jovi concert. It has little to do with the congress, but its arrival possibly generated even more expectation than Musk.
In the 6,000 square meters previously occupied by Ericsson at the Mobile, TelcoDR has appeared. Nobody really knows what this company does, nor is it remembered from previous congresses. However, its somewhat eclectic concert program ---Bon Jovi was not the only one, yesterday Rosario Flores played--- and the coffee and snacks it offers all day have turned this space into one of the nerve centers of the exhibition.
Bon Jovi and Rosario Flores have come to MWC 2021 to give concertsSo much so that not everyone has been able to see Bon Jovi. To be able to enter the concert, one had to overcome a kind ofgymkhanaand get enough points to be one of the lucky ones. Many of those who have tried have been left wanting. If afterwards they tried to access the TelcoDR space anyway to listen to the rock band, they found that they were not allowed in and many people were already queuing to listen to their songs from a distance.
Even Hoffman had to see it from afar. The top executive of the GSMA walked past the people who could not get in. "Blessed problem," he said, about the capacity being full for one of the activities of a congress that has been characterized by lower attendance. And he continued on his way to take the test that the MWC requires every 72 hours. Then he went for tapas at the gastronomic space that the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat City Council and the Associació de Gastronomia i Turisme del Baix Llobregat have set up in Plaza Europa.