One of my LinkedIn contacts suggested me last year not to write more articles about the Mobile World Congress (MWC). However, a couple of weeks ago I was talking with another contact who did not attend this year who told me he was expecting my article. So here it is, my fourth MWC article in a row since 2015. Am I an MWC addict?
You can read previous articles here:
- 2015 “ MWC 2015: Everything Connected, Tapas and Jamon
- 2016 “ GSMA need to think how to reinvent MWC.
- 2017 “ MWC- The Great Illusionists Show!
Unfortunately, the Powerful GSMA rejected my ticket request as Analyst / Press (LinkedIn please help me next year) and, of course, I did not pay the prohibitive prices of Silver Pass, Gold Pass and Platinum Pass. In the end, conference sessions content is very generic, and I can read the content for free. I cannot justify the ROI to pay these tickets. Can you?
Avoiding the political issues between Catalonia and Spain, it was the first MWC where the snow was probably the biggest surprise of the show. The snow and the rain did not allow visitors to spend some time outside. A pain.
I do not know the final numbers, but I noticed this year fewer attendants than 2017. No doubt GSMA will try to find excuses, e.g. political issues, but the reality is that the cost of the show does not convince many usual large/medium/small companies. It is a fact that some big companies did not attend or send fewer delegates and used less square meters.
Again, visitors that attend 1 or 2 days do not have had time to move to other parallel events like 4YFN. Running from meeting to meeting, bad lunch as usual. I’m sure I’ve lost weight these days.
The MWC18 has been an evolution of what we saw last two years. Not a revolution. We need to wait another five years to see some notorious technological advances, although GSMA should continue to help to create a better future.
Before #MWC18
I was angry with the Search exhibitor page of the web. Please GSMA, you have one year to improve. No exhibitor has included any product in the category of Blockchain or Internet of Things. Duplicates filters, etc.
I read some LinkedIn posts and articles and talked with people to plan my visit and captured their feeling this year.
- Dean Bubley posted a few days ago 7 reasons he will not go to MWC anymore . For him, MWC is not productive, informative or fun.
- Matt Hatton, VP Research at Garner makes Predictions for MWC this year:
- Inappropriate use of blockchain;
- Inappropriate description of things as AI;
- Inappropriate use cases for 5GBetter focus on go-to-market for IoT;
- More apparent rigour applied to the whole POC process;
- Better specialization (rather than trying to sell end-to-end IoT )
- So essentially my expectation is that vendors of all shapes and sizes are looking better for commercial than technological issues. In sharp contrast with previous years. Funny old world.
- Part I covered Analytics, AI, new radio and antennas, Part II NFV, cloud and open source news, plus the 5G deluge. And part III, The third part takes a close look at the network edge, looking at some major industry moves and at the MEC demos.
- Blockchain Makes an Appearance at Mobile World Congress 2018 “ 5G will be less sizzle, more substance at MWC
- MWC is exploring Dubai or Paris as an alternative to Barcelona. But, the big operators are committed to the defence of Barcelona as the headquarters of the Mobile: It is the best place in the world .
- Ericsson launches marketplace to unlock the cellular IoT ecosystem
- IoT: Sensor-as-a-service, run by blockchain, is coming “ Nokia is launching a blockchain-driven Internet of Things (IoT) sensor network for its telco equipment users to sell on.
- Que es y Que no es Aura
During the #MWC18
- MWC Day 0 “ Halcyon days.
- Four Highlights from MWC2018 by Nick Hum
- MWC18 Highlights Mobile World Live
- MWC 2018 “ who are we trying to convince? “ Share with me the idea that Mobile World Congress can feel like a geeky take on Groundhog Day.
- Mercedes-Benz at the Mobile World Congress 2018: Focus on artificial intelligence
- Here the MWC18 Week in review
- MWC 2018 “ Reflections From An Airplane by Ingrid Wistrand, Deputy CEO of Tele2 IoT.
The euphoria of 5G has dropped “ More info about 5G at MWC18 here Intel, Qualcomm Talk About Accelerating 5G Efforts at MWC 2018
IoT “ The word that describes my feeling is a disappointment. Although expected, something sad because the word IoT begins to lose brightness and disappear from the stands. The Pavillion 8.0 dedicated to the IoT, did not start this year. Do you really deserve to be exhibitors at the MWC?
At least it was good to pulse the evolution and transformation of the IoT / M2M market. A new impulse will be necessary before 2020.
Unfortunately, I could not attend any of the Top 7 IoT Activities at Mobile World Congress. Please tell me if any of it was worth it.
It was funny to hear how Operators are trying to explain the use cases of Blockchain in Telco sector.
Artificial Intelligence, Connected Vehicles and Robots the starts of MWC18. It was interesting to discuss with some Operators about the practical potential of Machine learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robots in this sector. The conclusion in this article You Can’t Teach an AI to Run a Telecom Network ”Yet.
MWC18 was, in my opinion, the year of the Connected Intelligent Vehicle. Operators, Technology Vendors and Car Manufacturers need to cooperate to avoid a technology nightmare for future drivers/passengers.
After #MWC18
I cannot resist comparing this congress with the Groundhog Day festivities. I make no secret of my discomfort for the continuous decisions of GSMA to make this show useless for many. My unpleasantness for the prohibitive cost of the tickets, hotels in the town, and the arrogant executives who attend the event as movie stars and finally for the many parallel events that I have missed or meetings of 15 minutes because I had spent hours daily walking by the walk sides of Fira Halls and my frustration for not finding some companies in the labyrinth of the pavilions.
Like Bill Murray in the movie, I discover year after year that MWC’s events are repeating almost exactly. I feel I am trapped in a time loop that probably most of you are aware of.
I am glad if you have spent these days indulging in night parties, looking for new jobs or cheering you for the work you have in your great company. Luckily for me, I do not return depressed, but my mind does not escape for some days to the MWC loop. Am I an MWC addict?
