Mobile World Congress (MWC) is considered as the world’s biggest showcase for smartphones and mobile technology. The event is held annually, and has been around for decades, and more than a decade in Barcelona alone.
In 2020, the event has been canceled.
In early February, a large number of vendors announced their plans to withdraw from the then-upcoming show, which was scheduled for 24-27 February, due to concerns over the Chinese's Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. This was followed by some major companies such as Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Intel, LG, Nokia, STMicroelectronics, Vivo, Vodafone, Amazon, Sony, Nvidia, Facebook, and others.
Smartphone-maker titans like Huawei and Samsung announced their plans to attend but with a reduced presence.
It was on 11 February, GSMA as MWC's organizer considering cancelling the event entirely, as health measures were already in place, including the requirement for Chinese attendees to undergo a two-week quarantine prior to the event, as well the mandatory body temperature checks for attendees.
A day later on 12 February 2020, GSMA CEO John Hoffman announced that the event has been cancelled because the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak has yet to cease.
An person walks past a MWC20 banner in Barcelona, Spain, in February 12, 2020. (Credit: REUTERS/Nacho Doce)Hoffman released a statement announcing the cancellation, saying the coronavirus outbreak has made it “impossible” for the event to be held.
With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and the host country today, the GSMA has cancelled MWC Barcelona 2020 because the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel concern and other circumstances, make it impossible for the GSMA to hold the event.
The Host City Parties respect and understand this decision.
The GSMA and the Host City Parties will continue to be working in unison and supporting each other for MWC Barcelona 2021 and future editions.
Our sympathies at this time are with those affected in China, and all around the world.
Further updates from the GSMA, are on our website and can be found on www.mwcbarcelona.com.
Since the first edition of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2006, the GSMA has successfully assembled the industry, governments, ministers, policymakers, operators and industry leaders across the broader ecosystem.
Mobile with its related technologies are developing fast. With billions of potential consumers and more than a trillion dollars in market share, GSMA in canceling this large-scale yearly event is unprecedented.
Due to the safety and health of those in Barcelona as the event's host, GSMA prioritizes people's well-beings. With the event expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors, including 5,000-6,000 from China, GSMA is seeing the novel coronavirus as a threat just like should everyone else.
The Wuhan coronavirus, or also known as the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). is caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a contagious virus first identified by authorities in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province in China.
Because the outbreak started in Mainland China, considered the major economy and a manufacturing hub in Asia, the viral outbreak has posed a major destabilizing threat to the global economy.
Having killed more than 1,000 people, large number of companies around the world had to cancel any events, festivals and business trips in China, due to the outbreak, with others closing their shops and tourist attractions such as Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland.
A number of countries have also issued warnings against travel to Wuhan, Hubei, and China. Many have assembled chartered planes to bring their citizens in China back to their home country. Travelers who have visited Mainland China have been asked to monitor their health and quarantine themselves for at least two weeks.
Anyone who suspects that they are carrying the virus is advised to wear a protective mask and seek medical advice by calling a doctor rather than directly visiting a clinic in person.