Fira Gran Via Convention Center
Barcelona, Spain
February 27– March 2, 2023
Attendees: 88,500 (as reported by GSMA)
Exhibitors/Sponsors/Partners: 2,400
Speakers: 1,008
Media/Analysts: 2,400 expected
Calysto’s Take
No doubt GSMA’s Mobile World Congress Barcelona is one of the largest events for the mobile communications industry, with a reported 88,500 participants from around the world flocking to Barcelona’s massive Fira Gran Via Convention Center.
While this year’s show was definitely busier than the last couple of years when the pandemic took its greatest toll (20,000 attendees in Barcelona in June 2021; 61,000 in February 2022), it was still shy of the 2019 high of 109,000. Nevertheless, MWC Barcelona 2023 brought tens of thousands of entrepreneurs, investors and buyers together to discuss, partner, purchase and buy the newest technologies, hardware and software products of the mobile industry. Unlike CES, it does not focus on only foldable and rollable tech gadgets, cars and consumer products. MWC is more focused on near-term wireless technology advancements as well as “getting things done,” more evidence that in-person conferences are indeed getting back on track!
MWC Barcelona is the largest of the MWC series of conferences by GSMA, which also includes MWC Shanghai (25,000 attendees in 2021; postponed in 2022) MWC Africa (4,400 registrations for 2022) and MWC Las Vegas (8,200 attendees in 2022).
Attention is Shifting
Mobile phone innovation and smartphone launches still created major buzz at MWC, but the momentum and attention is always on more than phones. Companies are no longer talking about 5G and potential use cases. People really only want to hear about 5G deployments and successes (same with IoT). It has been a few years since the show shifted to reach beyond smartphones. Smart cities, self-driving cars, automated manufacturing and smart farming are among so many industries being transformed through disruptive technologies.
This year’s keynotes, sessions and programs centered around five major themes: 5G Acceleration, Reality+ (extended reality and metaverse), OpenNet, Digital Everything and FinTech. Within each theme were dozens of panels, sessions, keynotes, interviews and summits each day.
The Buzz
Monetization of 5G was the only 5G focus at MWC23. Having been discussed for almost a decade, the conversation has moved on to customer deployments and how companies can use 5G in different ways to create revenue.
The biggest technology buzz at the show was around Private Wireless Networks, which goes by a lot of different names (Private 5G, Private LTE, Private Cellular Networks, Private Networks and more). With such a huge event, it’s hard to navigate through the weeds of media coverage and marketing-speak to uncover some nuggets of reality, so it was good to hear some straight talk in sessions led by Omdia’s Principal Analyst on Private Wireless Networks, Pablo Tomasi who said “the story still needs to be written.” Monetizing private networks will take time and investment and clear market segmentation. What’s happening in reality? Are private networks improving productivity? Who is making money in this space so far? How many deployments are there really? What are the barriers to entry? And a few good use cases…. But not a lot of customer case studies on actual deployments.
The Programs
At the 5G IoT Summit, top experts discussed growth, trends and opportunities around IoT in a 5G era, as well as successful business models and actual customer deployments. Loic Bonvarlet, SVP Product and Marketing at Kigen and Dr. Andrew Nuttall, CTO and Co-Founder of Skylo sat down for a lively discussion about using eSIM and satellite connectivity to expand the potential of 5G for IoT. Seamless transitions between cellular and satellite is the latest hot topic for connecting IoT devices and sensors in challenging vertical environments like agriculture and maritime scenarios.
GSMA opened MWC23 with the debut of its new initiative called “Open Gateway.” The effort is designed to encourage and accelerate a “framework of universal network Application Programmable Interfaces (APIs), designed to provide universal access to operator networks for developers.” A single set of APIs or single access point model, they say, will enable cloud providers and innovators to get critical services to market faster. Some doubt whether this effort will go anywhere. Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies at LightReading, recalls similar telco API initiatives by GSMA in 2010 and 2013. Though these past efforts did not materialize, maybe the 5G era and the 21 major carriers already on board make a difference this time around.
Start-ups Meet Investors
MWC’s “4YFN” (4 Years from Now) conference-within-a-conference was in its 9th iteration. At the “bustling,” “intense” and “must-visit” zone, more than 800 start-up companies (up from a reported 700 start-ups in 2022) got a fantastic platform to pitch and demonstrate their innovative ideas to hundreds of investors on hand at the event. A great opportunity for forming partnerships and new business alliances.
A series of keynotes, panels and helpful sessions were designed to steer entrepreneurs toward success. In a fireside chat called “Driving Growth Worldwide: Secrets from Global Leaders,” Anna Schlegel, Vice-President of Product, International Markets and Globalization at ProCore Technologies, shared her experience with delivering and scaling products into international markets and to customers in differing cultures. Financial wellness platform Payflow took home the highest 2023 4YFN Award for its on-demand salary mobile app.
At the same time, the industry is already preparing for the next generation of 5G called 5.5G or 5G Advanced that promises to enable AR/VR services related to the metaverse and expansive IoT. Markus Ko, President and CVO of Dimple, talked about making the metaverse less expensive and more accessible for the average person through mobile devices like the ones Dimple is working on. “We think of the metaverse as 3D glasses, VR headsets with motion tracking devices or even haptic suits. But, even with all this hardware, until it becomes affordable and readily accessible with enough content to support everyday use, mass adoption via this way is going to be hard.”
Telcos: The Pressure is On
A distinguished line-up of keynote speakers (34 this year) included top execs from major companies like Ericsson, Orange Group, Telefonica, Maersk, Vodafone and Nokia, among others. All keynotes were live-streamed by Mobile World Live and available on-demand.
Orange CEO, Christel Heydemann hit a nerve when she referenced a PwC study that indicated “46 percent of telecoms CEOs think their companies won’t make another decade.” Telcos are facing pressures from all sides, including tough competition, outdated and contradictory regulations and requirements, exponential traffic growth and massive network investments in the last decade that have proven to be hard to monetize.
Telecom Italia CEO, Pietro Labriola echoed concerns about the tough economic outlook in Europe. “We must change the approach of institutions to allow market consolidation. This is the only way to have a future.” Major markets around the world have just three operators per country as compared to the crowded landscape across Europe.
Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, Chairman and CEO of Telefonica countered this dour outlook, using his keynote to speak about a “new change era driven by the intersection of telco, computing, AI and Web3.0.” There is no future without telcos, he stressed, citing the “Open Gateway” initiative, in which telcos, the industry, big tech and developers will “create the digital future together.”
Booth Wars and Zones
The “booth war” was on again at this year’s MWC Barcelona.
South Korean company SK Telecom had a cool and fun air taxi experience. Attendees could “lift off” in the aircraft wearing virtual reality goggles and in a motion-simulating seat. The company is partnering with U.S. firm Joby Aviaton to develop air taxis for the South Korean market as the South Korean government plans to commercialize air taxis by 2025!
New at MWC Barcelona was the “Journey to the Future” zone that showcased disruptive technologies in the health, ESG, retail, sports, mobility, entertainment and robotics industries.
GSMA, this year, also launched a dedicated zone to raise awareness of the mobile broadband usage gap (aka Digital Divide) which is an under-reported global issue. The “UsageGap” zone highlighted “the experiences of billions worldwide who are currently unable to engage with our increasingly connected world.”
A three-day exhibition called “Industry City” returned after its popular debut in Barcelona last February. Leaders from FinTech, Manufacturing and Smart Mobility industries shared insights, trends, opportunities and innovative solutions surrounding digital currencies, security and privacy.
Media & Analysts
Interviews, panel discussions, keynotes and show floor features were live-streamed and made available on-demand by Mobile World Live that produces daily show news at all GSMA events. News and videos were also posted daily. Countless other media outlets covered the show, including LightReading, The Verge, Channel Futures, CRN, Computer Weekly and TechCrunch to name just a few. See Articles of Interest below.
Awards
As is typical, the GSMA announced the GLOMO awards at MWC Barcelona 2023. The Global Mobile (GLOMO) Awards recognized outstanding contributions to the industry and the “Best” in Mobile Tech, Devices and Tech4Good. Motorola’s Defy Satellite Link made by Bullitt powered by MediaTek took home the coveted Best in Show award. The new Motorola Moto 360 is designed for “off-grid” communications and emergencies since it allows smartphones to send and receive text messages even when there is no signal.
Next up for Barcelona will be next year’s MWC Barcelona 2024 February 26-29. In the meantime, GSMA also hosts the MWC series: MWC Shanghai June 28-30, 2023, followed by MWC Americas in Las Vegas September 26-28, 2023 and MWC Africa October 17-19, 2023.
Articles of Interest
What to expect from MWC Barcelona 2023
LightReading
Mike Dano
January 23, 2023
MWC party goes on amid the rubble of telecom
LightReading
IAIN MORRIS
March 3, 2023
Inside the metaverse hype train at MWC 2023
TechCrunch
Natasha Lomas
March 3, 2023
Despite 5G’s dominance, 6G still catches the eye at #MWC23
TelecomTV
Yanitsa Boyadzhieva
March 1, 2023
Operators tip mmWave for enterprise role
Mobile World Live
Mike Robuck
March 1, 2023
GSMA Open Gateway Initiative Dominates Day 1 of MWC Barcelona 2023
Tech, SWZD
Anuj Mudaliar
February 28, 2023
Amid 5G Maturity Concerns, MWC Sees Cloud, Telco Partnerships Grow
Channel Futures
James Anderson
February 27, 2023
MWC 2023’s Biggest Telecom Announcements: Microsoft, Qualcomm, Google, AT&T
CRN
Gina Narcisi
February 28, 2023
MWC 2023 was a preview of what future phones could (and should) look like
The Verge
JON PORTER
March 2, 2023
Top Moments on Twitter #MWC23
