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01 MWC Barcelona 2023 Daily
02 Preview
03 GSMA Ltd boss backs MWC Barcelona 2023 to buck economic headwinds
04 Start-ups bring a human touch to 4YFN
05 Analyst Q&A
06 Six places to enjoy Barcelona's most creative ‘tapes’ cuisine
07 Full speed ahead to MWC23
08 Analysis: MWC23 – If I had to prioritise five sessions
09 ANALYSIS: 2023’s big questions
10 Honouring those shaping the industry at the GLOMOs
11 Day One
12 Nokia overhauls brand and strategy as focus shifts
13 Xiaomi launches global challenge with latest flagship
14 MEF survey finds trust still lacking in digital services
15 HMD Global rolls out repairability for latest Nokia device
16 Accenture takes fight to fraud
17 Intel wants AI to power operator flexibility
18 BT argues for unified metaverse strategy
19 Vodafone picks Samsung for open RAN deployments
20 Telenor beefs-up slicing capability as demand rises
21 Samsung looks beyond technology in 6G research
22 Rakuten Symphony battles open RAN misconceptions
23 Qualcomm talks-up green credentials
24 Red Hat expands vendor ecosystem for 5G, vRAN
25 Industry throws weight behind GSMA API initiative
26 Day Two
27 Orange CEO hits out at contradictory European landscape
28 EU’s Breton keeping open mind on ‘fair share’ debate
29 GSMA chief heralds era of exploration
30 Telefonica boss insists there is no future without telcos
31 Honor makes magic as flagships go global
32 Ericsson CEO urges mobile industry to regain leadership
33 Deutsche Telekom boss laments decline of Europe
34 Start-up leaders buoyant on impactful tech
35 Smartphones ready to take comms into orbit
36 Operators edge towards monetisation
37 Indosat plans capex cut after 3G shutdown
38 Ericsson promotes Digital Twins for telcos
39 Mavenir calls for heightened network security
40 Nokia readies 4G on the moon launch
41 Connectivity en route to becoming a human right
42 Spirent keeps pace with 5G core, MEC and vRAN testing
43 Verizon to boost vRAN performance with new Intel chip
44 Operators make net gains in renewable drive
45 GSMA Intelligence bullish on second wave of 5G
46 Day Three
47 Netflix chief hits back in ‘fair share’ row
48 Lockheed Martin boss issues AI guidelines
49 Nokia, Verizon make case for culture-based collaboration
50 Telstra CEO counsels telcos to embrace losing control
51 Vodafone boss pushes for operator energy investment
52 TIM CEO latest to push for changes in Europe
53 Information shapes society, says China Mobile Chairman
54 FCC Chair explores space regulation
55 Experts question digital progress in health industry
56 GTI panellists warn operators to embrace enterprise
57 Semiconductors will be the new oil, claims Qualcomm
58 Nokia calls on creatives to unlock the metaverse
59 Q&A - Adapting to Network Demands on the Edge
60 Vendors hit the throttle on immersive experiences
61 Intel hypes
62 Q&A - Who Let The Cryptos Out
63 GSMA spectrum head insists 5G requires space to grow
64 Verizon targets the right kind of partners
65 Operators advised to prep for a quantum future now
66 Converged 5G key to solve connectivity challenges

By Kavit Majithia


GSMA Ltd boss backs MWC Barcelona 2023 to buck economic headwinds

John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd, expects the mobile industry to stand-out and showcase its significance to the world against the backdrop of a gloomy economic environment, as he backed MWC23 to be the strongest edition of the show since 2019.

Speaking to Mobile World Daily, Hoffman is confident MWC will get back to its best in terms of scope, attendance, exhibitors and general feeling since the Covid-19 pandemic caused a cancellation in 2020 and scaled-down versions of the event in the following two years.

This year, the GSMA is preparing to welcome around 80,000 delegates, over 2,000 exhibitors from 180 to 190 countries and more than 1,000 speakers to the big event.

With the world moving to the “downside of the pandemic”, and now facing up to economic headwinds, Hoffman believes MWC has the opportunity to emerge as the “bellweather” and set the tone for business and economy trends going forward.

“Mobile has really allowed all of us to somehow survive the pandemic. Without mobility, we couldn’t educate kids, we couldn’t conduct business,” he said.

“It’s not new anymore. If we didn’t have mobility, I don’t know what would have happened. I do think it’s the baseline.”

Talking the talk


With more than 1,000 speakers, Hoffman had a large pool to pick from in terms of who he was looking forward to hearing from.

Hoffman backed Mats Granryd, GSMA director general, and the industry group’s chairman and Telefonica CEO Jose Maria-Alvarez Pallete, to set the scene.

But, aside from industry big hitters, Hoffman said he was keen to hear from shipping giant Maersk’s CEO Vincent Clerc about where the use of mobile technology was headed.

He also called out the CEO of Extreme E Alejandro Agag as well as the chairman and CEO of EY, citing their discussion in the MWC keynote that will unpack the issues and opportunities for the mobile industry and motor racing.

Velocity


Turning his attention to this year’s overarching theme of Velocity, Hoffman explained the term was a way to highlight the fact that it wasn’t technology changing from year-to-year, but it was actually the speed at which it was accelerating.

“5G has had the fastest adoption ever. The velocity has increased, and that drives the innovation cycle,” said Hoffman. “Everything is faster today. There isn’t a better theme to express that concept than Velocity. The speed of adoption, the speed of innovation, the speed of change is hyper-fast.”

The GSMA boss also expects the emergence of sports technology, the ongoing discussion around sustainability, industry diversity and addressing the major usage gap in which around 3 billion have access to mobility services but are not using it, as major talking points this year.

“We’re going to keep that front and centre during the conference. It’s not a new theme, but it’s an important theme. We advocate on behalf of everyone,” he said.