GSMA Announces First Details for Mobile World Congress 2016

The GSMA today outlined the first details of the 2016 GSMA Mobile World Congress, including confirmed keynote speakers, exhibitors and sponsors, as well as programmes 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. The GSMA expects that more than 95,000 attendees from across the mobile industry and adjacent industry sectors will gather for the 2016 event.

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“The 2016 edition of Mobile World Congress marks the 30^th 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, programmes and event elements and we look forward to welcoming the mobile industry back to Barcelona in February.”

Leading CEOs to Keynote in Barcelona

The GSMA today announced the first confirmed keynote speakers for the four-day Mobile World Congress conference programme, including:

• Simon Segars, CEO, ARM
• Jonah Peretti, Founder and CEO, BuzzFeed
• Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson
• Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Chairman, GSMA
• Mats Granryd, Director General Designate, GSMA
• Anne Bouverot, Chair and CEO, Morpho (Safran)
• Sifiso Dabengwa, Executive Director, Group President and CEO, MTN Group
• Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

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. The Call for Papers for the Mobile World Congress conference has been extended and submissions will be accepted through 23:59 GMT on Friday, 18 September. For more information on the conference, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/conference/conference-overview/.

Exhibition to Showcase More Than 2,000 Companies

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 metres, 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. For more information on the exhibition, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/exhibition/.

2016 GSMA Ministerial Programme at Mobile World Congress

An integral part of Mobile World Congress, the GSMA Ministerial Programme 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 Programme 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 Programme, which is sponsored by Intel, will host more than 1,500 attendees over the four days of Mobile World Congress. For more information, visit www.ministerialprogramme.com/.

Partner Programmes at 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 organisations in the mobile ecosystem. These programmes 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.

Four Years From Now

Now in its third year, Four Years From Now (4YFN) is an international programme organised 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 programme, which will be led by globally recognised 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.

For more information on Partner Programmes at Mobile World Congress, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/events/partner-programmes/.

Streamlining Access to Mobile World Congress

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.

World’s Largest Carbon Neutral Event

In July, the 2015 Mobile World Congress was officially certified as carbon neutral, reaffirming its position as the world’s largest carbon neutral conference and exhibition. To achieve carbon neutrality, the GSMA undertook activities to reduce the carbon footprint of Mobile World Congress and purchased carbon credits to offset remaining emissions. In 2016, the GSMA is focused on further reducing the environmental impact and carbon footprint of the event, offsetting any outstanding emissions as necessary. For more information, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/about/carbon-neutral/.

Get Involved at Mobile World Congress 2016

For more information on the 2016 Mobile World Congress including how to attend, exhibit or sponsor, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com. Follow developments and updates on Mobile World Congress on Twitter @GSMA using #MWC16, on our LinkedIn company page http://gsma.at/GSMALinkedIn or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gsma. For additional information on GSMA social channels, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/register-plan/networking/social-media/.

The Mobile World Congress is the cornerstone of the Mobile World Capital, which will be hosted in Barcelona through 2023. The Mobile World Capital encompasses programmes and activities that span the entire year and will benefit not only the citizens of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, but also the worldwide mobile industry. For more information on the Mobile World Capital, visit www.mobileworldcapital.com.

-ENDS-

About the GSMA

The 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 organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai and the Mobile 360 Series conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

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Contact information

For the GSMA
Charlie Meredith-Hardy
+44 7917 298428
CMeredith-Hardy@webershandwick.com
or
Núria Picas
+34 93 236 09 00
NPicas@webershandwick.com
or
GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com