Mobile World Congress to stay in Barcelona until at least 2024

Probably the planet's largest and most bang-up-to-date new technology and communications trade fair, the Mobile World Congress has been based in Spain's second-largest city for many years, and for the first time ever, 2020 saw it cancelled.

At the time – mid-February - Covid-19 had not reached Spain, other than one confirmed case on the Canarian island of La Gomera where a German tourist had caught the condition from a Chinese woman in Munich and was immediately isolated.

Everyone who had come into contact with him was quarantined, as were 21 Spaniards repatriated from the Chinese city of Wuhan where the first cases of the 'new' strain of the Coronavirus were detected.

The decision to call off the February 2020 Mobile World Congress (MWC) was purely practical: After an initial handful of corporations based in China and due to exhibit in Barcelona opted not to travel in order not to risk spreading the virus to Europe, numerous others – not just on the Asian continent but also in Europe and the USA – decided to follow their example.

With Ericsson, Rakuten, Nokia, Amazon, Facebook, Sony, Cisco, Intel, LG, Orange, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, BT, AT&T and NTT Docomo all having pulled out, the MWC would have been left largely empty and the management decided it was pointless to proceed.

GSMA said it would start working immediately on the MWC 2021, getting ahead for next February.

And they have confirmed the trade fair is set to stay in Barcelona long term, despite concerns a couple of years ago that it may be considering not renewing the contract due to the political unsettlement caused by the attempted Catalunya independence referendum.

A new deal has been signed guaranteeing the MWC will be held in the north-eastern city until the year 2024 inclusive, although GSMA says this is 'at the very least', since its current intention is to continue renewing the contract indefinitely.

Even though this year's cancellation has been a blow to Barcelona – especially local businesses, who were expecting the mass influx of visitors, particularly wealthy ones from other continents, to bring them in plenty of extra trade – the fact that it is safe for the next four editions at least is good news for the city.

This year's would have brought in nearly half a billion euros to the city alone, and created 14,100 temporary jobs.

Next year's will take place between March 1 and 4, in the usual venues – the 'Fira de Barcelona', or 'Barcelona Fair', sites in the Montjuïc area and on the Gran Via de L'Hospitalet.

The MWC accounts for around 30% of Fira de Barcelona's annual income.

Its visitors are mostly corporate, although some time slots are open to the general public, and is a fascinating insight into just how far the imagination can take technology and to what extent it can make all areas of life easier – not just the world of work, but right down to the health service, farming, cooking and cleaning.

For a sneak peek at the type of innovations the MWC showcases in Barcelona, take a look at our round-up of the 2019 edition here.

Photograph of 2017 edition by GSMA