GSMA is the organization of the sector that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide, with more than 1,200 mobile operators, confirmed on February 14, 2020 that the MWC - Mobile World Congress 2020 in Barcelona will no longer be held .
This important measure was announced by a press release regarding the new security measures that have taken place since the continuous spread of Coronavirus, and after the defection of the most important brands that have decided not to take part in the event for the safety of their collaborators, customers and suppliers.
So GSMA canceled MWC Barcelona 2020 due to global concern about the Coronavirus epidemic, concern for travel and other circumstances make it impossible for GSMA to continue with the event.
Here is the declaration of GSMA, the association that organizes it:
"To ensure a safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and in the country hosting the fair, GSMA canceled the Mobile World Congress 2020 because global concern about the coronavirus epidemic, apprehension about travel and other circumstances make it impossible for GSMA to hold the event. [...] We will continue to work in unison for the Mwc Barcelona 2021 and its future editions. Our thoughts right now go to everyone involved in China and the rest of the world. "
Among the brands that have started canceling participation in this event we mention: Amazon, ASUS, AT&T, Cisco, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Facebook, Gigaset, Intel, McAfee, Nokia / HMD, NVIDIA, MediaTek, LG, NTT DoCoMo, Sony, Ulefone, UMIDIGI, Vivo, Vodafone.
The GSMA had already taken security measures to ensure the safety of the Barcelona fair, excellent on paper, but which however do not seem easy to implement.
For example, all travelers from the Hubai province would not have had access to the event, and all travelers who were in China had to prove that they left the country at least 14 days before the MWC event (checking passport stamps and medical certificate ). Temperature controls would come into operation, and each participant would have to self-certify that they had not been in contact with infected people.
It is understood that their implementation and related controls would have been quite difficult to control and apply, considering that the MWC has over 100,000 visitors, creating queues, inconvenience, and much more.
The GSMA's decision to cancel the most important event in the world, the MWC in Barcelona, was clearly suffered. The estimated economic impact is approximately € 492 million, which generates over 14,000 (temporary) jobs, with over 100,000 participants, of which 5-6% are of Chinese origin.
