The Future of Mobile at the 2017 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

December 3 2016, 07:00

The GSMA association announced the latest initiatives and schedule of events for the 2017 Mobile World Congress, unveiling newly confirmed keynote speakers for the conference and additional participating companies. The Mobile World Congress will be held 27 February – 2 March 2017 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, with events also taking place at Fira Montjuïc. Even though this is mainly the world stage for mobile operators and smartphone manufacturers, the show is increasingly a launch pad for the latest wireless audio technologies.

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with almost 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.

“We have a great event lined up for February – I’m particularly excited about the conference, where we’ll see several keynote speakers make their Mobile World Congress debut,” says Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “Across the entire event, attendees will have the opportunity to explore and experience the cutting-edge technologies, products and services that have become so fundamental to our everyday lives.”

The GSMA announced several new keynote speakers for the four-day conference programme, representing companies across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industry sectors. Newly confirmed speakers include Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises and Chairman-Elect, GSMA; Takashi Niino, President and CEO, NEC Corporation; Reed Hastings, Founder and CEO, Netflix; Bob Moritz, Global Chairman, PwC; Allison Kirkby, President and Group CEO, Tele2; John Martin, Chairman and CEO, Turner; Jeff Lawson, Founder, CEO and Chairman, Twilio; and Patrick Gelsinger, CEO, VMware

Innovation City and NEXTech
Now located in Hall 4, the GSMA Innovation City will feature more innovative mobile products and services than ever before, allowing visitors to explore and connect with the latest innovation in areas such as 5G, the Internet of Things, security and identity. Huawei and UNLIMIT powered by Reliance are the newest organisations participating in the Innovation City, joining previously confirmed companies AT&T, Cisco Jasper, KT Corporation and Sierra Wireless in this unique experiential exhibition space.

New for the 2017 edition of Mobile World Congress, Hall 8.0 NEXTech showcases forward-thinking companies and disruptive technologies, from virtual reality/augmented reality and robotics, to cognitive computing, artificial intelligence and more. The hall features several pavilions and zones including the NEXTech Pavilion (incorporating VR/AR, robotics and AI), the IoT Pavilion and the Drone Zone. The NEXTech Lab will also form part of the pavilion, with an open theatre offering content-led presentations by industry experts leading in these cutting-edge technologies. Companies confirmed for NEXTech include the AR/VR Association, DJI, OptoVR, Softbank Robotics and VRtify.

Building on the success of the Graphene Pavilion in 2016, the Graphene Flagship, a consortium of over 150 academic and industrial research groups in 23 countries, will return to Mobile World Congress with the Graphene Experience Zone. Additionally, on Thursday, 2 March, the Graphene Flagship will present a full-day conference on graphene and its impact on the mobile industry, featuring a keynote speech by Nobel Laureate Konstantin Novoselov focusing on “From Datacom to IoT, Enabled by Graphene”.

The GSMA announced additional companies participating at Mobile World Congress, including Baidu, BT Group, China Mobile, GoPro, MasterCard, Netflix, NTT DOCOMO, Ooredoo, PayPal, SEAT, SK Telecom, Tencent, Twitter and Verizon. These companies join previously announced exhibitors including AOL, Cisco Systems, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Ford, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HTC, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Lenovo, LG, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, NEC, Nokia Solutions and Networks, Oracle, Orange, Philips Lighting, Qualcomm Incorporated, Samsung Electronics, SAP, Sony Mobile, Telefónica, Vodafone, Volkswagen and ZTE, among others.

The GSMA announced additional companies participating in Partner Programmes in Barcelona. On Monday, 27 February, ZTE will offer a half-day programme, while on Tuesday, 28 February, GTI will host the GTI Summit 2017. mSchools, a programme of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, will hold a full-day event on Wednesday, 1 March, alongside Palo Alto with a half-day programme. The GSMA also announced several new Power Hour sessions taking place on Thursday, 2 March, featuring Appboy, National Instruments and PGi.