Recently the official website of MWC Barcelona, GSMA’s MWC 2021 event is expected to be held on-site in Barcelona from March 1-4, 2021, with the theme of “Connected Impact”.
A GSMA spokesperson told FierceWireless: “We are working hard to ensure that MWC 2021 becomes an unmissable on-site face-to-face event. Right now we are closely monitoring the situation, seeking expert advice, and communicating and cooperating with our partners when things happen. “
As of this week, many companies have confirmed that they will participate in MWC 2021 events, including Huawei, ZTE, Nokia, Ericsson, Qualcomm, Samsung, LG, Deutsche Telekom, Oppo, HPE, ASP, AWS, Cisco, Telefónica, Vodafone, Microsoft included.
Ericsson is the first major supplier to announce the cancellation of participation in MWC 2020 this year. The company issued a related statement to FierceWireless stating: “The health and safety of our employees, customers and other stakeholders is Ericsson’s primary concern. For the MWC 2021 event to be held in Barcelona, Ericsson has signed La Fira. The regular exhibition space in Hall 2 and corresponding plans have been made. If there are signs that as we get closer and closer to the event, the global epidemic is still a risk factor, we will independently review our decision.”
London-based GSMA stated in June this year that for the remainder of 2020, all its Mobile 360 meetings will be converted to “GSMA Thrive” online events. A GSMA spokesperson said: “Our first Thrive China event was a great success, and we are preparing for the Thrive Africa event at the end of this month. We will incorporate the lessons learned from these events into our theme as’Connected Impact ‘MWC 2021 is planned.”
However, some analysts told FierceWireless that unless the vaccine appears at the right time, they are very doubtful that the MWC 2021 event in March next year can be held on-site. Many things may happen between now and March next year, but with the continuous changes in traffic and border restrictions, it is difficult to say whether the Spanish border will be open to American business travelers.
Read Also: TCL Slide-Out Display Prototype Smartphone Leaked, Planned to Debut at MWC 2020
Mark Lowenstein, Managing Director of the Mobile Ecosystem, said that it is hard to imagine a live MWC 2021 event. Mark Lowenstein believes that GSMA needs to make a decision by November at the latest. He said: “They still need to make a decision before then, so that companies can start planning possible alternatives, such as holding some kind of online’ fair. The cancellation of MWC 2020 is an emergency. The work of MWC 2021 must go through Thoughtful.”