The GSMA MWC Barcelona 2024 has opened its doors today at the Fira de Barcelona, marking the beginning of the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event. Organized by the GSMA, MWC Barcelona brings together leaders from the global mobile ecosystem and adjacent sectors for four days of networking, business development, and exploration of the latest trends shaping the future of connectivity.
Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, expressed his excitement: “It’s fantastic to be here with you today at the opening of MWC in beautiful Barcelona! With over half of our attendees coming from beyond the core of the mobile ecosystem, MWC no longer represents just an industry. As connectivity brings us together, technology opens up possibilities, with connectivity driving a fusion of technology and purpose across all sectors, enabling new possibilities. This week is about exploring the future potential for businesses and society.”
Industry Leaders and Innovators Take Center Stage at MWC
MWC Barcelona welcomes some of the most respected names in connectivity as keynote speakers, representing leading figures from business, government, academia, and non-governmental organizations.
Among the sessions taking place on the main stage of MWC on the first day is an exclusive meeting of the CEOs of the largest mobile operators in Europe – Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom; Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange; José María Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman and CEO of Telefónica; and Margherita Della Valle, CEO of the Vodafone Group – from 4:30 to 5:00 pm CET.
The discussion will explore the state of the mobile industry in Europe, the need for policy changes to support investments in infrastructure, the transition to green energy, and the importance of fostering industry-level collaborations such as the GSMA Open Gateway.
José María Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman of the GSMA Board and Chairman and CEO of Telefónica, said: “In April of this year, we celebrated 100 years in which Telefónica has been connecting people through the power of connectivity. As Telefónica has adapted with the times, our industry has also transformed, now benefiting every company and individual on the planet. At MWC Barcelona 2024, you will see how collaboration and connected innovations are driving positive societal change that will help us realize the future potential in the next 100 years.”
GSMA Open Gateway: Unlocking the Potential of 5G
The GSMA highlighted the progress that the industry and its partners are making to unlock the full potential of 5G and commercialize network APIs through the GSMA Open Gateway initiative.
Introduced at MWC Barcelona 2023, the Open Gateway is designed to accelerate the growth of services and digital applications by providing developers with universal access to operators’ networks. In the past 12 months, 47 groups of mobile operators – representing 239 mobile networks and 65% of global connections – have joined the initiative.
Working with technology partners including AWS, Infobip, Microsoft, Nokia, and Vonage, a total of 94 APIs are now commercially available to enterprise developers in 21 markets across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.
Recent purposes for which APIs have been launched include fraud prevention and identity verification.
Mobile Economy Report 2024
To mark the opening of MWC Barcelona, the GSMA released 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 service quality. Key findings include:
– 5G will account for over half (51%) of total mobile connections by 2029 and reach an adoption of 56% 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 adoption barriers highlighted in the GSMA’s ‘Breaking Barriers’ campaign, such as phone affordability and literacy/digital skills.
– Mobile technologies and services generated 5.4% of global GDP in 2023, a contribution amounting to $5.7 trillion of economic value.
– 5G is expected to benefit the global economy by over $930 billion in 2030, with manufacturing (36%), public administration (15%), and services (10%) being the primary beneficiaries.
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 MWC every year to meet with mobile industry CEOs and senior representatives from international organizations, share insights, and evolve priority policy and regulatory themes.
New and returning features for MWC Barcelona 2024 include the Talent Arena by Mobile World Capital Barcelona in Hall 3; the startup and innovation platform, 4YFN, celebrating its 10th anniversary edition in Halls 8.0 and 8.1; Connected Industries and GSMA Foundry in the GSMA Pavilion in Hall 4; Journey to the Future in Hall 6.
Photo: © 2024 GSMA / MWC