The World Mobile Congress (MWC) starts in Barcelona amidst excitement and tensions due to the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the technology sector.
Approximately 100,000 professionals will attend the annual smartphone and connectivity conference in the Spanish city for four days, as reported by the GSMA, the organizer of the event since 2006.
The upcoming edition, as stated by GSMA, will include 2,700 exhibitors and 1,200 speakers, some of whom will be offering simultaneous AI translations in Spanish, French, Korean, or Chinese for the audience to listen to.
Most major players in the telecom industry, including Samsung, Huawei, Nokia, Orange, and Xiaomi, will attend the event in Barcelona. Similarly, leading tech companies like Google, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft will also have a presence as the MWC has expanded its focus beyond telecommunication in recent years.
The list of speakers includes Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, ex-Google engineer Ray Kurzweil, EU Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera, and German programmer Jürgen Schmidhuber, known as a key figure in modern AI development.
The 19th edition comes after a period of stagnation in the global smartphone market, which regained momentum in 2024 due to a dynamic commercial policy led by the introduction of new products, particularly by Chinese companies.
IDC specialist consultancy reported that global device sales reached 1.2 billion last year, showing a 6.3% increase compared to 2023. Manufacturers remain hopeful for 2025, despite concerns over rising tariffs under American President Donald Trump.
“The smartphone market’s strong growth in 2024 showcases its resilience, defying ongoing macroeconomic challenges,” noted IDC research director Nabila Popal, emphasizing the sector’s vitality in developing nations.
This year, Thomas Husson, Vice President of Forrester Consulting, emphasized that AI will be ubiquitous, highlighting the crucial role of telecommunications in advancing this technology within the digital ecosystem.
Several companies and operators have committed to making announcements at the conference, including Chinese Honor showcasing a tool for detecting ‘deepfakes’ and Spanish Telefónica unveiling health-related apps.
Ben Wood, a research director at CCS Insight, cautioned that although AI will be widespread, observers are becoming more weary of the topic due to the challenge of introducing groundbreaking innovations in the field.