GSMA Outlines New Developments for 2017 Mobile World Congress

GSMA Outlines New Developments for 2017 Mobile World Congress

GSMA Announces 16 New Keynote Speakers for Conference, Along with Additional Programmes and Participating Companies

BARCELONA--(BUSINESS WIRE/ME NewsWire)-- The GSMA today provided further updates on the 2017 Mobile World Congress, announcing newly confirmed keynote speakers for the conference, as well as additional programmes and participating companies. Mobile World Congress will be held 27 February – 2 March 2017 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, with events also taking place at Fira Montjuïc.

“With less than a month left until Mobile World Congress, the event is set to be one of the most varied and exciting ever, from the conference programme to the exhibition to partner programmes and more,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “Over the four days of Congress, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the leaders that are driving innovation in mobile and experience the latest mobile developments first-hand. We look forward to welcoming the mobile world to Barcelona later this month.”

Additional Keynote Speakers Announced

The GSMA confirmed more than a dozen new keynote speakers for the four-day conference programme, representing companies across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industry sectors, as well as government organisations, including:

• Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman, Econet
• Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, European Commission
• Alejandro Agag, CEO, Formula E Holdings Ltd.
• Eric Xu (Xu Zhijun), Deputy Chairman of the Board, Rotating CEO, Huawei
• Ted Livingston, Founder and CEO, Kik Messenger
• Mike Friese, President and CEO, Liberty Global
• Takeshi Idezawa, CEO and President, Line Corporation
• Paul Hainsworth, CEO, Open Garden
• Stéphane Richard, CEO and Chairman, Orange
• Anthony Levandowski, Founder and CEO, Otto
• Alexey Moiseenkov, Founder and CEO, Prisma Labs, Inc.
• Denis Sverdlov, CEO, Roborace and Charge
• H.E. Dr. Aisha Butti Bin Bishr, Director General, Smart Dubai
• Masayoshi Son, Founder, Chairman and CEO, SoftBank
• David Nabarro, Special Adviser of the United Nations Secretary-General on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Ajit Pai, Chairman, U.S. Federal Communications Commission
• João Barros, Founder and CEO, Veniam

For more information on the conference, including the keynote programme and the full agenda, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/conference/.

Exhibition Showcases Innovators and Pioneers

The exhibition at Mobile World Congress continues to gather together the foremost players from across the mobile ecosystem, as well as adjacent industry sectors such as automotive and consumer electronics. Taking part for the first time is automaker BMW, who will be running a driverless car experience in the outside exhibition space between Halls 3 and 5. BMW joins more than 2,200 companies who will exhibit at Mobile World Congress 2017, including major brands such as AOL, Cisco Systems, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Ford, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HTC, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Lenovo, LG, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, NEC, Nokia Solutions and Networks, Oracle, Orange, Peugeot, Philips Lighting, Qualcomm Incorporated, Samsung Electronics, SAP, SEAT, Sony Mobile, Telefónica, Vodafone and ZTE, among others.

MMIX Summit – New Digital Media and Entertainment Dynamics

Back for 2017, the MMIX Summit will be held on Wednesday, 1 March in Theatre C, Hall 8.0 NEXTech, and will explore the exploding global demand for multi-screen media and entertainment and the unprecedented pace of innovation and disruption fuelling the market today. It will feature live interactive and immersive original content and will bring disruptive platforms, strategies, technologies and partnerships to the fore, with sessions from leading sports, media and entertainment players. Companies represented in the programme include MMIX Summit Sponsor Active Ticketing, as well as All3Media, ATC Management, BT Sport, CCS Insight, EE, Eurosport/Discovery, Google, Jukin Media, Live Nation, Mubi, Telstra and YouTube, among many others.

MMIX Party Returns to Mobile World Congress

The official MMIX Party will take place on the evening of Tuesday, 28 February at the Luz de Gas club in central Barcelona. It will feature an exclusive performance from one of the UK’s hottest young Indie bands – Glass Animals – recently described as ‘international streaming sensations’. Tickets to the party are open to all registered Mobile World Congress attendees, but are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees can apply for tickets to the MMIX Party through the MMIX Summit web page at www.mobileworldcongress.com/events/mmix/ or via email at mmix@mobileworldcongress.com.

MWC Tours: Maximising Attendance at Mobile World Congress

Building on the success of the inaugural programme in 2016, the GSMA announced the focus areas for the expanded 2017 MWC Tours series: 5G and Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV); Connected World (IoT); Content and Media; Emerging Tech; IoT Security; Mobile Advertising and Apps; and Retail and Digital Commerce. The tours are designed to help Mobile World Congress attendees navigate the venue and identify the exhibits, activities and programmes that meet their individual requirements.

Tours can also be tailor-made for executives and government officials seeking to advance their organisations’ mobile and technology strategy. The tours will be conducted by industry experts from Award Solutions, Consumers in Motion, Duchamp Inc., Entertainment Intelligence, eStudio 34, ikomobi, International Policy Group, Mocentric, Richard Knowlton Associates Ltd., and TPN Retail. Further information about the MWC Tours programme can be found at www.mobileworldcongress.com/events/mwc-tours/.

New Partner Programmes

The GSMA announced several additional companies participating in a range of Partner Programmes in Barcelona. Over the four days of Mobile World Congress, Verizon will be hosting a dynamic Operator Marketplace and an engaging speaker series, showcasing products and solutions that are disrupting the technology industry. See first-hand and learn from top leaders about how innovation in platforms, content and advertising will shape the future on a global scale.

On Monday, 27 February, Olay will offer a half-day programme and on Wednesday, 1 March, Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., Flipkart and Neustar will also present half-day programmes. GameLab Mobile, a full-day, exclusive summit showcasing the convergence of entertainment, technology and media, will take place on Thursday, 2 March. The GSMA also announced that Amplitude has joined the companies hosting Power Hour sessions on Thursday, 2 March. For more information on Partner Programmes, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/events/partner-programmes/.

SDGs in Action App Challenge

The GSMA announced a new update to its ‘SDGs in Action’ mobile app, which was launched with the United Nations and Project Everyone to increase awareness of and engagement with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Newly integrated augmented reality functionality will enable Mobile World Congress attendees with the app to collect SDG ‘goals’ from various image targets situated throughout Fira Gran Via. The goals can be collected throughout the course of Mobile World Congress, with the game culminating in the GSMA’s Innovation City in Hall 4. Prizes will be awarded on a daily basis to participants randomly selected from a drawing of those completing the challenge, with grand prizes to be awarded at the end of each day. The SDGs in Action app is available for download on iOS or Android devices; to play the game and enjoy exclusive content, visit: www.sdgsinaction.com/.

Updates to Women4Tech Programme

The GSMA announced several new updates for the Women4Tech programme at Mobile World Congress. First, the GSMA confirmed additional speakers for the Women4Tech Summit, which will be held on Thursday, 2 March. New speakers include:

• Bob E. Sell, Group Chief Executive, Communications, Media and Technology, Accenture
• Lucy Quist, Managing Director (CEO), Airtel Ghana
• Christina Miller, ýPresident, Cartoon Network
• Lorena Boix-Alonso, Head of Unit, Converging Media and Content, DG CONNECT, European Commission
• Fuencisla Clemares, Country Manager Google Spain and Portugal, Google
• Arancha González, Executive Director, International Trade Centre (ITC)
• David Krupp, CEO, North America, Kinetic Worldwide (WPP)
• Catherine Ladousse, Executive Director of Communication EMEA, Lenovo
• Erica Lockheimer, Senior Director of Engineering Growth and Women in Tech, LinkedIn
• Patricia Milligan, Senior Partner and Global Leader, Multinational Client Group, Mercer
• Rimma Perelmuter, CEO, Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF) and Global Advisory Board Member, Women in Wireless (WiW)
• Anand Ramesh, Head of Publisher Partnerships, Americas, Twitter / MoPub

Accenture is the Official Sponsor for the Women4Tech Summit, and Syniverse is the sponsor for the GSMA Women4Tech Glomo Award, which will be presented at the Summit.

The GSMA also announced that the W4T Hack_D_Gap Global Challenge at 4YFN, which is designed to generate innovative solutions, products or services that drive gender diversity and equality in the tech industry, received over 60 entries from 16 countries. Finalists in the Challenge include Adalab (Spain); Blunder (Spain); Emerj (Israel); Fuelling (Netherlands); TeamEQ (Spain); and Work Wide Women (Italy). The six finalists will have a demo pitch in front of a live jury and audience, with the winner being announced Tuesday, 28 February at 11:00 am, 4YFN, Hall 8 Nestle Stage, Fira Montjuïc.

Finally, the GSMA has introduced Women4Tech Topic Tours taking place in Fira Gran Via, including the ‘Emerging Technology’ Tour on Monday, 27 February at 14:00, the ‘Consumer IoT Tour’ on Tuesday, 28 February at 14:00 and ‘Women4Tech Experience Programme’ on Wednesday, 1 March at 14:00.

For full information on the Women4Tech Programme, including the agenda for the Women4Tech Summit and registration for the Women4Tech Tours, please visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/events/women-for-tech/.

Youth Mobile Festival Barcelona – Fashion Tech Show ‘ECOcyborg’

As part of the newly launched Youth Mobile Festival (YoMo), the GSMA and the Mobile World Capital Barcelona announced a new event, the IED Barcelona Fashion Tech Show ‘ECOcyborg’, which will showcase the future of fashion. The show is promoted by IED Barcelona Design University creative director Alexandra Murray-Leslie and Fashion School Director Julia Weems. During the four days, wearable technology designed by IED students will be displayed in live art performances that will take place twice a day at 11:30 and 12:30 in the YoMo Theatre, Fira Montjuïc.

YoMo Barcelona, which will be held 27 February – 2 March 2017 at Fira Montjuïc, has been created to inspire young people to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering, art/design, and math (STEAM) disciplines. More information on YoMo, including how to register interest in attending and to participate in other ways, is available at www.yomobcn.com.

4YFN – Launch of ‘4YFNetwork’, an Entrepreneurs Matchmaking App

4 Years From Now (4YFN) Barcelona 2017, sponsored by the European Commission, promotes interaction between participants and this year has launched a matchmaking app called ‘4YFNetwork’. The app will be used for the first time to bring entrepreneurs closer to potential corporate partners and investors. Additional networking opportunities this year include specialised sector networking for start-ups, entrepreneurs, investors, corporations and potential clients within the ‘Founders and Investors’ area, as well as Start-up Pitching Sessions and Industry Networking Sessions.

4YFN Barcelona 2017 will host more than 100 talks by more than 270 industry leaders including speakers such as Terry von Bibra, Global Manager EMEA at Alibaba; Fernando Fanton, CTO of Just Eat; Michael Spiegelman, Director of Product Innovation for Growth & Acquisition at Netflix; and Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP Group. Additionally, respected investors will be present at 4YFN, such as Tim Draper, Founder of the seed investment company Draper Associates, and Dov Moran, one of the inventors of the USB memory stick and Managing Partner at Grove Ventures. Further information can be found by visiting www.4yfn.com.

Get Involved at Mobile World Congress 2017

For more information on Mobile World Congress 2017, including how to attend, exhibit or sponsor, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com. Follow developments and updates on Mobile World Congress on Twitter @GSMA using #MWC17, on our LinkedIn Mobile World Congress page https://www.linkedin.com/company/gsma-mobile-world-congress or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mobileworldcongress/. For additional information on GSMA social channels, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/about/contact/social-media/.

The Mobile World Congress is the cornerstone of the Mobile World Capital, which will be hosted in Barcelona through 2023. The Mobile World Capital encompasses programmes and activities that span the entire year and will benefit not only the citizens of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, but also the worldwide mobile industry. For more information on the Mobile World Capital, visit www.mobileworldcapital.com.