The Mobile World Congress (MWC), as an international event, is always exposed in global turbulenceThis year's edition has been impacted by the war against Iran, resulting in 4,000 fewer delegates compared to previous years. with last yearAttendance reached nearly 105,000 attendees "despite the disruptions to travel worldwide," as explained by the GSMA, the organizer of MWC, in its summary of this year's event. Following the US and Israeli attacks the previous weekend, just days before the Mobile World Congress began, some attendees faced difficulties reaching Barcelona due to the cancellation of numerous flights caused by the closure of Middle Eastern airspace. This affected not only travelers from the Near and Middle East, but also those with layovers, as is the case with many flights originating in Asia. It's worth noting that some of the main companies at this congress (Xiaomi, Huawei, LG, Samsung, and SK Telekom) are Asian. They will likely face similar difficulties returning home. The impact was especially noticeable in the first few hours of the first day, Monday, but it diminished as attendees filled the stands and pavilions of Fira Gran Via. "That's 105,000, a slightly lower figure than last year; therefore, we must assume that there were obviously some visitors who came from certain regions or who were affected by the airspace closure and ultimately couldn't attend," said the CEO of Fira de Barcelona, ​​Constantí Serral. However, Serrallonga assured that they are very "happy" with the results, since anything that involves exceeding 100,000 visitors is a "spectacular figure." Thus concludes the twentieth edition of MWC in Barcelona, ​​which has consolidated itself year after year as the most important trade show held in the Catalan capital. “Twenty years in Barcelona and MWC continues to surprise and exceed expectations. From the beginning, the GSMA and the host city's organizations have shared a common vision: to build something that matters to the world,” reaffirmed GSMA CEO John Hoffman, who praised the infrastructure, ecosystem, and commitment. With 2,900 exhibitors and more than 1,700 speakers, Mobile World Congress revolved around the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology, the future of the space economy, and the 6G horizon. This is yet another example of how the event has evolved from the Mecca of mobile phones to become the global showcase for advances in connectivity and new technologies, with 58% of attendees coming from sectors other than mobile.

A little more than usual, but the GSMA, the telecommunications trade association in charge of organizing the Mobile World Congress (MWC), has explained the first details of what the 2026 technology congress will be like, which will be held between March 2 and 5 at the Fira de Barcelona. The IQ EraAn event that will focus primarily on advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and the ethics surrounding this technology, as well as robotics, connectivity, and the quantum industry.

New step to retain the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. The fund has been reduced to €8 million annually until 2030, as previously promised. from the MWC until 2030 and with the intention of permanence. Until now, the financial contribution from each of the sponsoring entities was €5 million per year, a figure set in 2012. It was agreed to increase this figure to €8 million per year starting in 2025. The MWC, held in Barcelona since 2006, is very important for the economy and job creation in Barcelona and Catalonia, "in addition to placing the city and the country at the forefront of advanced digital technologies," according to the executive.

The big signing of the week is once again for the banking sector, with Amparo Moraleda as the new vice president of CaixaBank, making her the first woman to hold this position. However, the week has been busy in terms of executive recruitment, primarily in the banking sector, but also with significant moves at Atresmedia, the GSMA, VidaCaixa, and Telefónica. These are the week's highlights:

The 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.