GSMA outlined the first details of the 2016 GSMA Mobile World Congress, including confirmed keynote speakers, exhibitors and sponsors, as well as programs and activities taking place at the annual mobile industry event. Under the theme ‘Mobile is Everything’, Mobile World Congress will be held 22-25 February 2016 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, with events also taking place at Fira Montjuïc.GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organizations in adjacent industry sectors. The organization produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai and the Mobile 360 Series conferences. GSMA expects that more than 95,000 attendees from across the mobile industry and adjacent industry sectors will gather for the 2016 event.
“The 2016 edition of Mobile World Congress marks the 30th anniversary of the event and over the past three decades, we’ve experienced the dramatic growth and development of the industry,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “At the same time, we’ve continuously evolved Mobile World Congress to keep pace with this change and our 2016 event reflects this, with new participants, programs and event elements and we look forward to welcoming the mobile industry back to Barcelona in February.”
The first confirmed keynote speakers for the four-day Mobile World Congress conference program include:Simon Segars, CEO, ARM
Jonah Peretti, Founder and CEO, BuzzFeed
Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson
Anne Bouverot, Chair and CEO, Morpho (Safran)
In addition to the keynotes, the conference will include in-depth track sessions examining topics such as big data, connecting the unconnected, devices, digital commerce, emerging markets, enterprise mobility, financial services, the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile identity and privacy, network evolution and security, among others.
As always, the Mobile World Congress exhibition features the leading products, services and technologies that are shaping the future of mobile, from handsets and devices to network infrastructure, software and services and much more. More than 2,000 companies are expected to exhibit, including global brands such as Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Ford Motor Company, Google, Huawei, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, SK Telecom, Sony Mobile Communications, Telefónica, VMware and Vodafone, among others. The show floor will also include a number of exhibits focusing on specific technology areas, including the Graphene Pavilion, Green Pavilion, IoT Pavilion, Mobile Money Pavilion and Wearables Pavilion.
The GSMA Innovation City will again be a highlight of the Mobile World Congress exhibition, with confirmed partners including AT&T, Jasper, KT Corporation and Sierra Wireless. Covering nearly 1,900 square meters, this unique space will enable attendees to experience technology in context and see how mobile-connected products and services can improve the daily lives of citizens and businesses, in industrial applications as well as home, automotive, health, agriculture and others.
An integral part of Mobile World Congress, the GSMA Ministerial Program convenes governments, regulators and industry leaders to discuss and debate the critical issues shaping the development of mobile around the world. In addition to the exclusive Mobile World Summit, the Ministerial Program will include focused leadership sessions addressing key topics such as digital inclusion, mobile identity, the Internet of Things and future regulatory paradigms, as well as regional sessions exploring the unique issues of markets including Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. The 2016 Ministerial Program, which is sponsored by Intel, will host more than 1,500 attendees over the four days of Mobile World Congress.
Mobile World Congress enables attendees to amplify their knowledge about the mobile industry through events developed and presented by some of the top organizations in the mobile ecosystem. These programs include:Partner Events – Companies hosting partner events in the Theatre District in Hall 8.0 include 24Notion, AppNexus, AVG, Gionee Communication Equipment, IBM, Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), McCann Worldgroup, Taiwan Trade Center Barcelona, Twitter and ZTE. Additionally, Mobile Media Summit will hold a vertical industry-focused conference on mobile advertising and marketing, while European Connected Health Alliance will hold the full-day Digital Health & Wellness Summit.
App Planet – Now in its seventh year, App Planet connects the developer community and the broader mobile ecosystem with exhibition, app developer conferences, product and service demonstrations and workshops from some of the largest and most influential mobile industry companies. Generalitat de Catalunya is the Official App Planet Sponsor.
Power Hour – Back for a third year, the Theatre District will host the Power Hour sessions, featuring one-hour standalone presentations from industry leaders on a range of topics. The first confirmed Power Hour Presenter is Laird Technologies.
Now in its third year, Four Years From Now (4YFN) is an international program organized by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and the GSMA, bringing together leading mobile start-ups and entrepreneurs with investors, accelerators, incubators and large corporations from both the digital and non-digital worlds. The program, which will be led by globally recognized experts in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation, is comprised of conferences, workshops, interactive discussions, one-to-one investor meetings and start-up competitions. 4YFN will take place 22-25 February at Fira Montjuïc.Mobile World Congress 2016 attendees will be able to take advantage of a new Barcelona Metro line from Barcelona El Prat Airport to the city, with a stop located directly underneath Fira Gran Via. This new line will conveniently intersect with three other Metro lines, simplifying travel to and from Mobile World Congress for thousands of attendees.
www.mobileworldcongress.com | www.gsma.com
