Mobile World Congress 2021 will continue as usual, but will be different
The Mobile World Congress. Until last year it was every year looking forward to the annual spectacle. Manufacturers usually present their new devices here. The 2021 edition in Barcelona should continue as usual. But what will that look like?
MWC must continue
The CEO of the GSMA, the organization of the Mobile World Congress, has announced that the Mobile World Congress will take place this year, and still in Barcelona. The corona virus definitely threw a spanner in the works at the last minute at the 2020 edition. After various manufacturers had withdrawn, the organization also decided that the annual mobile phone fair could not take place.
In September last year it was announced that the 2021 edition will not take place in February-March but in June. This year’s edition is scheduled from June 28 to July 1, 2021. There were many messages about whether or not the new edition will go ahead, but according to the CEO it will continue as usual. Covid-19 will change several things. The capacity is set at a maximum of 40,000 visitors, compared to 109,000 in 2019. In addition, visitors must show a negative Covid test at the time of visit, and it can be up to 72 hours old. There is also testing at the venue itself and there is one-way traffic at the exhibition.
The organization may state that it will all continue, but there is certainly a chance that the local authorities will cancel the event. The Mobile World Congress usually has a major impact on Barcelona. Tens of thousands of people travel to the Spanish city and provide an enormous (financial) boost.
