MWC Barcelona 2024 welcomes the most emblematic names in connectivity during nine master sessions; Event features include 4YFN, Connected Industries, Journey to the Future, GSMA Foundry and the GSMA Ministerial Program.
February 26, 2024, Barcelona: GSMA MWC Barcelona 2024 returned to Fira de Barcelona today, marking the start of the world's largest and most influential connectivity event.
Hosted by the GSMA, MWC Barcelona brings together leaders from the global mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries for four days to network, drive new business and delve into the latest trends shaping the future of connectivity.
Mats Granryd, CEO of GSMA, said: “It's fantastic to be here with you today at the opening of MWC in beautiful Barcelona! With more than half of our attendees coming from outside the mainstream mobile ecosystem, MWC no longer represents just one industry. As connectivity brings us together, technology opens up possibilities: Connectivity drives a fusion of technology and purpose across all sectors, enabling new possibilities. “This week is about exploring the potential of the future for business and society.”
Industry leaders and innovators on the MWC main stage
MWC Barcelona welcomes some of the most respected names in connectivity as keynote speakers, representing leading figures from business, government, academia and non-governmental organisations.
Among the sessions taking place on the MWC main stage on Day 1 is an exclusive meeting of the CEOs of Europe's largest mobile operators: Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom; Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange; José María Álvarez-Pallete, President and CEO of Telefónica; and Margherita Della Valle, CEO of the Vodafone group, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CET.
The keynote will explore the state of the mobile industry in Europe, the need for policy change to support infrastructure investments, the transition to green energy and the importance of fostering industry-wide collaborations such as the GSMA Open Gateway.
José María Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman of the GSMA Board and President and CEO of Telefónica, said: “In April this year we celebrated 100 years that Telefónica has brought people closer through the power of connectivity. Just as Telefónica has changed with the times, so has our industry, which now benefits every company and individual on the planet. At MWC Barcelona 2024, you will see how collaboration and connected innovations are driving positive social change that will help us realize the potential of the future over the next 100 years.”
GSMA Open Gateway: Unleashing the potential of 5G
The GSMA outlined the progress the industry and its partners are making to unlock the full potential of 5G and commercialize network APIs through the GSMA Open Gateway initiative.
Unveiled at MWC Barcelona 2023, Open Gateway is designed to accelerate the growth of digital services and applications by providing developers with universal access to operators' networks. In the last 12 months, 47 mobile operator groups (representing 239 mobile networks and 65% of global connections) have joined the initiative.
Working with technology partners such as AWS, Infobip, Microsoft, Nokia and Vonage, there are now a total of 94 APIs commercially available for enterprise developers in 21 markets across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.
The purposes for which APIs have recently been released to the market include fraud prevention and identity verification.
Mobile Economy Report 2024
On the occasion of the opening of MWC Barcelona, the GSMA launched its annual Mobile Economy Report. It highlights the latest trends shaping the global mobile ecosystem and recommends areas of investment to help the industry expand mobile access and improve quality of service. Key findings include:
- 5G will account for more than half (51%) of total mobile connections by 2029 and will reach 56% adoption by the end of the decade.
- 58% of the world's population was using mobile Internet by the end of 2023, representing 4.7 billion users and an increase of 2.1 billion since 2015.
- 3 billion people still do not use mobile internet despite living in an area covered by mobile broadband networks (the 'usage gap'), underscoring the urgency of addressing the barriers to adoption highlighted in the campaign' Breaking down GSMA barriers, such as phone affordability and digital literacy/skills.
- Mobile technologies and services generated 5.4% of global GDP in 2023, a contribution that amounted to $5.7 trillion in economic value.
- 5G is expected to benefit the global economy by more than $930 billion in 2030, of which the main beneficiaries are expected to be manufacturing industries (36%), public administration (15%) and services (10 %).
GSMA Ministerial Program
The GSMA Ministerial Program is the world's largest gathering of policymakers and industry leaders enabling the digital economy. Ministers, heads of regulatory authorities and policymakers come to the MWC every year to meet with mobile industry CEOs and senior representatives of international organizations, share knowledge and develop priority policy and regulatory issues.
New and returning features of MWC Barcelona 2024 include the Mobile World Capital Barcelona Talent Arena in Hall 3; the startup and innovation platform, 4YFN, which celebrates its 10th anniversary edition in pavilions 8.0 and 8.1; Connected Industries and GSMA Foundry in the GSMA Pavilion in Hall 4; Journey to the future in pavilion 6.
MWC Barcelona keynotes and Debate Stage content will be streamed live from the MWC website and app, as well as Mobile World Live. All of this content and conference sessions will be available on-demand on the MWC website.
Find the latest news and information live from the MWC Barcelona Press Zone.
– ENDS –
About the GSMA
The GSMA is a global organization that unifies the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver critical innovation for positive business environments and social change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organizations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA offers its members three broad pillars: connectivity for good, industry services and solutions, and outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, addressing today's biggest societal challenges, supporting the technology and interoperability that make mobile devices work, and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.
We invite you to learn more at gsma.com
