Mobile World Congress 2023: Unlocking the power of connectivity

March 10, 2023 – The GSMA Ministerial Programme brought together the most delegations ever, with 196 delegations from more than 150 countries, over 70 ministers, and more than 100 heads of regulatory authorities. The keynote sessions were seen by almost a million viewers on partner platforms, Mobile World Live, and MWC Barcelona. There were also over 88,500 attendees from 202 countries and regions, over 1,000 speakers, and more than 40% of the keynote speakers at MWC came from related industries, including policymakers and business executives from the mobile ecosystem and across. The conference included updates on industry collaborations, technological advancements, and the future of everything from XR to 5G.

[Source photo: MWC Barcelona, GSMA]

This year, MWC developed a unique venue for thought leadership and industry announcements. It was also the largest worldwide meeting of officials responsible for enabling the digital economy. The GSMA estimated €350 million in economic effect and 7,400 part-time jobs to be produced in Barcelona by MWC Barcelona 2023. The expectations were even exceeded, according to John Hoffman, CEO of the GSMA. According to the company's news statement, exhibitors and partners indicated that their expectations were also surpassed. For some, the outcome in terms of agreements and leads was even greater than the previous year's record-breaking edition.

[Source photo: MWC Barcelona, GSMA]

According to the GSMA team Intelligence show, one of the key topics was connectivity. Key topics covered on several platforms brought the event subject "Velocity" to life. They included cross-sector partnerships like the GSMA's Open Gateway initiative, 5G, AI, the fair share discussion, and public policy. As enabling technologies like 5G, AI, and wearables improve, the momentum of the metaverse also grows. The GSMA has published its annual Global Mobile Economy Report with technology, socio-economic and financial forecasts out to 2030. According to the most recent data from GSMA Intelligence, 5G connections are estimated to double over the next two years due to technological advancements and the implementation of new 5G networks in more than 30 countries in 2023. In the end of 2022, there were over one billion consumer connections. This year, that number will rise to around 1.5 billion, and by the end of 2025, there will be two billion connections.

[Source photo: MWC Barcelona, GSMA]

Important APAC and LATAM markets like Brazil and India, which have recently launched 5G networks, will also boost economic activity. The growth of services from Airtel and Jio in 2023 is considered to be crucial for the region's continued adoption, making India especially important. By the end of 2025, four 5G networks with 145 million more customers are expected in India, according to GSMA Intelligence. Many of the next 5G markets, like Ethiopia and Ghana, are in developing parts of Asia and Africa and are expected to debut networks in 2023.

This year, TalentNations team attended the Mobile World Congress for the first time and looks forward to 2024. As MWC once again confirmed the significance of such events for the industry: to foster economy, make new connections, stay informed and aware of the new developments in the global markets.

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