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Virus delays top mobile fair until June 2021
BARCELONA, Sept 23, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Organisers of world’s leading annual
mobile trade fair said Wednesday they would postpone the 2021 edition of the
annual event from March to late June due to the pandemic.
This year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC), which is held annually in
Barcelona, was originally set for February but cancelled at the last minute
after the Covid-19 outbreak sparked an exodus of participants, making it the
first major trade fair to be called off over the crisis.
The event, which draws more than 100,000 global participants to check out
the latest wireless innovations and strike deals, brings in nearly 500
million euros ($586 million) to Spain’s second-largest city.
MWC 2021 will now run from June 28 to July 1, said John Hoffman, chief
executive of the GSMA, the mobile trade association that organises the show.
A smaller congress which focuses on the Asian market, MWC Shanghai, which
usually takes place in the Chinese city in June, will instead be held next
February 23-25 which will “allow us to test security procedures”, he added.
“We have been designing new ways of bringing people together, safely and
securely, we are working together with local and national health officials.”
While China has largely controlled the spread of the virus, which first
emerged in the central city of Wuhan late last year, Spain is seeing a rapid
rise in Covid-19 infections, with an average of over 10,000 cases diagnosed
every day in recent weeks.
Hoffman reported “very, very strong” interest in attending Barcelona’s MWC
in person, with 78 percent of the top 100 exhibitors already signed up,
including Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia.
BSS/AFP/IJ/1948 hrs