Mobile World Congress extends its contract and will stay in Barcelona until 2030

BarcelonaThe board of GSMA, the telecoms business association that organises the Mobile World Congress, confirmed on Monday its decision to maintain the congress in Barcelona until 2030. The event's commitment was to stay in the Catalan capital at least until next year, when the current contract runs out, but in recent months the organisation and the various state, Catalan and municipal administrations (as well as the Fira de Barcelona) have been negotiating to extend this agreement for six more years.

"We are excited to announce that the Mobile World Congress will continue in Barcelona until 2030," celebrated GSMA CEO Mats Granryd in a statement. The executive has remarked that, after the last two years of obstacles caused by the pandemic, the "strength" of its relationship with local stakeholders has been a "critical element in our ability to bring the event back." "In fact, Barcelona is so intertwined with the MWC experience that it's hard for me to think of one without the other," he added.

The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, celebrated the fact the MWC will remain in the city until 2030 and pointed out that this consolidates a "successful" relationship. In statements to Catalunya Ràdio, she explained that the work was done with great discretion and that difficult moments have also been overcome thanks to the "unity" between the administrations and GSMA. In this sense, she assured that the links have become stronger and that Barcelona's status as a leading tech city has strengthened.

In turn, the president of Fira, Pau Relat, also thanked the GSMA for confirming "its trust in our collaboration" and argued that the "excitement" generated by the congress also extends to the city through activities organised by Mobile World Capital Foundation, whose board of trustees includes the three levels of government. The most visible face of the GSMA, its CEO, John Hoffman, also insisted that "Barcelona is much more than the city where MEC takes place" and assured that the telecommunications industry event made an effort to include the entire city's technological ecosystem.