The World Congress of Barcelona in 2020 has been officially canceled for fear of the spread of the coronavirus. This was announced by the organization in an official statement following an emergency meeting held on Wednesday.
The most important mobile technology event in the world was to be held in Brazil between February 24 and 27. In recent days, more than 40 companies have released their affiliates, including Sony, Intel, LG and Vodafone.
A statement signed by GSMA Executive Director John Hoffman reads:
“Since the first version of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2006, the GSMA has brought together industry, governments, ministers, politicians, industry leaders and industry leaders from all backgrounds.
Due to health and safety issues in Barcelona and host country, GSMA has been canceled by MWC Barcelona 2020 because global concerns about coronavirus outbreaks, travel concerns and other conditions make the event unavailable.
The players of the organized city respect and understand this decision.
GSMA and the city's managing partners will continue to work in partnership with the support of MWC Barcelona 2021 and future programs.
We extend our solidarity to those affected by China and around the world. »
Throughout the week there were rumors that organizers were under pressure to cancel the event after major companies such as Intel, Sony, Amazon, Vivo and HMD decided not to participate.
In recent days there has been fears that the virus could spread if Barcelona receives more workers from China and other affected areas. Initially, planners responded to that by taking extreme security measures.
However, without the presence of leading companies in this field, it becomes difficult to hold Mobile. Companies such as Huawei, LG or Sony take advantage of their annual event to introduce new products.
The MWC also serves as a meeting point between telecommunications companies and often profitable contracts and projects are closed. In addition, it was estimated that Barcelona's economic impact would be around 500 million euros and 14,000 labor contracts would be created.
