Events 2023

The world’s largest connectivity event

THIS YEAR’S MWC Barcelona (27 February - 2 March 2023) is again able to describe itself as the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event.

The theme for the event this year is Velocity, a theme that the organisers say will be woven across five key discussion and thought leadership tracks: 5G acceleration, Reality+, OpenNet, FinTech and Digital Everything.

Keynote speakers come from such major names as NEC Corporation, Ericsson, ZTE, Nokia, and Vodafone, to name only a few, along with a wider list of session and panel speakers that includes many companies directly relevant to Africa such as Airtel, Crop2Cash, CoAmana, EthioTelecom, Helios Towers, MFS Africa, MTN Group, Safaricom, Tecnotree, Vodacom, Zain and more.

One of the new additions to MWC Barcelona is Journey to the Future, an experiential, handson journey into the future of technology and connectivity solutions. Meanwhile, the returning Industry City will showcase innovative demos from across the fintech, manufacturing, and smart mobility industries and the Sports Tomorrow Congress will create a space to identify and create new business opportunities across the mobile and sports ecosystems.

Other returning popular programmes include 4YFN, MWC’s start-up-focused platform, Diversity4Tech and Beat Barcelona, the official after-work ‘Place to B’ for networking and entertainment.

On a more serious note, the MWC Ministerial Programme will again convene ministers, heads of regulatory authorities and data protection authorities to meet with mobile industry CEOs and senior representatives of international organisations, share knowledge, and debate priority policy and regulatory issues.

The GSMA Pavilion will host the Mobile World Live Broadcast Studio with live panel discussions broadcast on screens throughout the venue and online at mobileworldlive.com and mwcbarcelona.com. Also at the GSMA Pavilion, visitors can enjoy a showcase of the latest innovations in mobile with demos and immersive experiences such as a mobile IoT football challenge.

And, of course, there’s a massive exhibition which last year attracted close to 2,000 exhibitors. MWC Barcelona is attended by global mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, vendors, and content owners – and you can expect to see many of them exhibiting at, or visiting, the Fira Gran Via this year.