MWC 2023 Successfully Gathered Mobile Industry in Barcelona

The GSMA wrapped up MWC Barcelona 2023, the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event. There were more than 88,500 attendees from 202 countries and territories, including policymakers and business leaders from the mobile ecosystem and beyond.

“MWC Barcelona is back in full force. The level of energy and support from partners, businesses, and policymakers has exceeded our hopes and expectations,“ said GSMA CEO, John Hoffman. “I am continuously awed and humbled by the sense of community, innovation, excitement, and business generation at MWC Barcelona. Anecdotally, exhibitors and partners are reporting that their expectations have been surpassed and, in some cases, have beaten 2019. On behalf of the GSMA, I would like to express our sincerest thanks to all new and returning attendees, exhibitors, speakers, partners, and sponsors, without whom this gathering would not be possible.“

Over 1,000 speakers and thought leaders spoke to visitors, as more than 40% of keynote speakers were from adjacent industries, with more than 40% female keynote speakers. Over half of the attendees were at director level and above, of which 21% were C-suite and 26% were female attendees. The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened with the highest number of delegations ever, with 196 delegations from over 150 countries, nearly 70 ministers, and over 100 heads of regulatory authorities. 4YFN welcomed almost 800 exhibitors, more than 375 speakers, and over 250 pitching sessions. Reporting on the event in person were more than 2,400 journalists and industry analysts from around the world. On average,10,000 networking meetings were set up daily through the app. Based on pre-event forecasting, the GSMA expected €350 million of economic impact and 7,400 part-time jobs would be created in the city of Barcelona by MWC Barcelona 2023. GSMA expects that the final numbers will show that they have exceeded this forecast.

“I am delighted to see so much positive momentum, with halls bustling with energy for four full days. As digital technologies continue to develop, there is new excitement in the air that MWC captured so well. The transition to Web 3.0 will trigger a new explosion in network traffic and it is critical that we work together to prepare. Consumers living in a data-driven world need increasing amounts of capacity at the edge of the network to extend the capabilities of cloud computing and our industry is well placed to do it,“ said GSMA’s Director General, Mats Granryd.

MWC Barcelona is the first event of the 2023 MWC series. MWC Shanghai is scheduled for 28 to 30 June, MWC Las Vegas will be held from 26 to 28 September, and MWC Africa is taking place from 17 to 19 October. The next edition of MWC Barcelona will take place from 26 to 29 February 2024.