Barcelona is already warming up for the 21st edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which will be held from March 1 to 4 at the Gran Via venue of Fira de Barcelona. The event is one of the most important in the world in terms of technology, connectivity, and innovation. About 240,000 square meters that this year will focus on robotics and artificial intelligence, but above all on the need to create bridges between companies, investors, and visitors. With an expected attendance of about 100,000 people, the MWC asserts itself as a "unifying event," in the words of the president and director of GSMA Ltd., John Hoffman, who appeared this Wednesday to explain the novelties that can be found at the 2027 congress. Hoffman highlighted the capacity of his event to create transversal conversations between countries, through the ministerial program, a closed-door space where this year great political leaders are expected to "reflect and debate on AI regulation," said the president of GSMA Ltd. He also confirmed that SoftBank Group Corp, the Japanese multinational investment and technology company, is making its debut with a "large stand" at the event. In addition, the MWC opens three new axes that will take center stage: health, automotive, and aviation.
The MWC aims to be a space for connection between sectors, specialists, and companies. The key to more than two decades of success of the event is connectivity and its ability to mobilize large companies and honorary speakers. This edition adds new incorporations such as the Japanese multinational, but "the usual suspects" will also be seen, according to Hoffman, who cited telecommunications companies such as Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, SK Telecom, and Telefónica, as well as some of the main technology giants, including Starlink, Amazon, Cisco, Ericsson, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Huawei, Meta, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Xiaomi, and ZTE. It will also feature speakers from large companies who can be heard in the various conferences that will take place during the four days of the congress. The most prominent, according to Hoffman, are Anima Anandkumar, co-founder of Accelerated Understanding and Bren Professor at Caltech; Mati Staniszewski, co-founder and CEO of ElevenLabs; Amy Webb, CEO of Future Today Strategy Group; Dr. Hany Farid, co-founder and chief scientific officer of GetReal Security; Tarek Mansour, co-founder and CEO of Kalshi, and Yoon Young Park, CEO of KT Corporation.
Beyond connectivity between companies, Hoffman has specified that Mobile is also a space for conversations between high-ranking leaders from various countries. Just as businesspeople from all over travel there, the president and CEO of GSMA Ltd. recalled that there are politicians interested in meeting behind closed doors at the event. All of them do so through the ministerial program, which has had a special prominence in this presentation, as Hoffman highlighted the possibility that it serves as a debate space to guarantee the safety of citizens regarding the growth of new technologies. "It is the largest gathering of policymakers outside the United Nations," recalled the executive, who also added the importance of these conversations taking place within the event: "We are fortunate that more than 200 countries and territories, and more than 100,000 people, consider MWC a meeting point."
Three new verticals
Health, automotive, and aviation are the three new sectors joining MWC. Within these new verticals, companies developing technologies connected to the real world and the main references that are already implementing the most innovative use cases of the moment will gather. Connect Health, in collaboration with Mobile World Capital, will bring together the health, innovation, and connectivity ecosystems to drive global healthcare through technology. AstraZeneca, Garmin Health, HPE, Medtronic, and NUHS are some of the first names that have been announced among the participants. Their presence demonstrates how connected technologies are transforming patient care.
At Connect Auto, the focus will be on how connectivity and technology drive software-defined vehicles and intelligent transport systems. Among the already confirmed exhibitors and partners are 5GAA, AVATR Technology, and Chery Mobility Iberia. Regarding the latter, Laia Ripoll, general director of GSMA Spain, announced that it will present the Omoda 4 model, which incorporates an artificial intelligence system: "You can interact with the car as if you were talking to another passenger," specified the executive. Finally, at Connect Aviation, exhibitors and partners such as Cranfield University, Imagine Wireless, Barch, and Seamless Air Alliance will focus on how connectivity is transforming airports and the aviation sector. When asked about companies that will present defense application projects, Hoffman denied that there would be any and assured that it "will be focused on civilian applications."
4YFN and Talent Arena
Regarding 4 Years From Now (4YFN), Hoffman specified that the initiative continues to be one of the major poles of capital attraction. He also mentioned the Talent Arena, which, although they have not shared spaces for two years, are very complementary: "It's the skills part of the MWC," said the executive. However, regarding future prospects and the possibility of the Talent Arena returning to the same facilities as the Mobile World Congress, Hoffman remained silent. Nor did he want to reveal what the use of pavilion 0 will be when the works are completed in the spring of 2027, coinciding with the planning of spaces for MWC 2028. "We have the answer, but we cannot say anything yet," Hoffman stated.