The last 12 months have been a learning experience for all of us. Many have suffered great hardship or made sacrifices, personally and professionally. It seems that each day brings a situation never encountered before that requires the adoption of new behaviours or to adjust to new restrictions on our usual way of doing things.
The GSMA has shared its health and safety plan, Committed Community, for MWC21 Barcelona. Committed Community takes a multi-layered approach to health and safety, and it impacts everyone involved in the event. Developed in coordination with and approved by Catalan health authorities, the plan relies on several partners with specialised expertise.
The GSMA and Fira de Barcelona are delighted to share that Quirónprevención is the official medical services provider for MWC Barcelona 2021.
The internationally trusted company is headquartered in Barcelona. It will work with the GSMA, Fira de Barcelona, and all MWC21 stakeholders to ensure everyone’s health and safety involved for MWC21. Quirónprevención will staff the onsite medical testing facilities and coordinate with Catalan health authorities.
The theme of this year’s event is Connected Impact. The programme will explore how AI, 5G, Big Data, and IoT will shape the future and continue to transform lives. It’s time to reconnect, rebuild ¬– and reimagine a more connected world. Organisations, brands, startups, consultants, investors, and telecom operators will gather to encourage thought leadership, discover ground-breaking innovations, and connect with the industry’s most important decision-makers.
“They say that times of crisis accelerate progress and innovation. The impact of this global pandemic has proved no exception to that thinking. The rate of change is phenomenal, and this will be a feature in the MWC programme.” said John Hoffman, CEO GSMA Ltd. “There’s nothing that beats building relationships in person, and I am consistently encouraged by the collective desire to come back together.”
Sustainability– ahead of the curve in the mobile industry
The 2021 event aims to be carbon-neutral, much like the 2019 edition, which was officially certified by AENOR International. That certification secured the event as the world’s largest carbon-neutral tradeshow. The GSMA is working to further reduce the event’s environmental impact and carbon footprint as part of its overall leadership on climate action.
Thought Leaders
With over 600 keynote and conference speakers, the GSMA is excited to welcome leaders representing a wide range of industries to the MWC21 stage, including mobile, healthcare cloud, and finance :
• Julie Sweet, CEO, Accenture
• Shuky Sheffer, CEO, Amdocs
• Zina Jarrahi Cinker, Director General, AMPT
• Yang Jie, Chairman, China Mobile
• Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA
• Arvind Krishna, CEO, IBM
• Eugene Kaspersky, CEO, Kaspersky
• Ana Maiques, CEO, Neuroelectrics
• Sarah Wilkinson, CEO, NHS Digital
• Stéphane Richard, Chief Executive and Chairman, Orange
• Cristiano Amon, President and CEO-Elect, Qualcomm Incorporated
• Mathew Oommen, CEO, Reliance Jio
• Nik Storonsky, Founder & CEO, Revolut
• Anne Boden, CEO, Starling Bank
• Danielle Royston, CEO, TelcoDR
• Caroline Casey, Founder & Creator, The Valuable 500
• Hans Vestberg, Chairman & CEO, Verizon
• Rima Qureshi, Board Deputy Chair, GSMA and Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Verizon
• Raffaele Annecchino, President & CEO, Viacom Networks International
• Nick Read, CEO, Vodafone Group
• Xu Ziyang, Executive Director & President, ZTE
4YFN
4YFN (Four Years From Now) 2021, the GSMA’s key innovation platform, will be in the heart of MWC Barcelona for the first time this year. Combining these two influential events recognises the critical role startups play in fulfilling the potential of mobile technology. Taking place at Fira Gran Via from 28th June to 1st July 2021, this move creates value and fosters broader networking for all attendees of the world’s largest connectivity event, connecting everyone and everything to a better future.
Mobile technology is central to futureproofing our economy, and innovation and startups are at the heart of this pursuit. Sir Ronald Cohen is among an impressive list of 150 speakers, including:
• Iker Marcaide – Founder and CEO, Zubi Labs
• Ana Maiques – Founder and CEO, Neuroelectrics
• Mattias Ljungman – Founder and CEO, Moonfire Ventures and co-founder, Atomico
• Aron Schwarzkopf – Co-founder and CEO, Kushki
• Oscar Hugland – Co-founder and CEO, Epidemic Sound
• Yossi Vardi – 4YFN Chairman
Over 400 international startups will exhibit their latest products in the Innovation Market and, 200 startups will pitch their ideas in the 4YFN Discovery Area, hoping to attract the attention of leading funds, VCs, and CVCs.
“The world is changing at unprecedented speeds. The mobile ecosystem must seize this moment to be a force for change – contributing to society and the planet so that we are proud of what we pass on to future generations,” said Pere Duran, 4YFN Series Director. “There are many inspiring examples of startups working to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues and, this year, the event aims to encourage a more inclusive tech ecosystem, to accelerate and to celebrate those startups poised to make a real positive impact.”
A new summit, the 4YFN Investor Programme, is dedicated to knowledge-sharing among the investor community. Also new for 2021, the 4YFN Impact Programme will include a dedicated summit and awards ceremony – the 4YFN Impact Awards Finale shining a spotlight on the best digital startups from around the globe making a positive contribution towards The Sustainable Development Goals.
This year, TIME joins Mobile World Live as its Official Media Partner in Barcelona, together with CNBC, Euronews, The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal’ Barron’s Group. MWC’s Featured Media Partners include C114, TechNave and The Record.
Its supporting media partners includes Amanz Media, CACF, Caixin Global, CIO Application Europe, CIO Review, ITP.net, Communications Today, Comnews, Connect World, Convergencia, Digital TV Europe, European Sting, The Fast Mode, Innovator Magazine, IoTNow, Jumpstart, Khronos, Mediaplanet, Microwave Journal, Mobile Business, Mobile Magazine, PhoneWorld Magazine, STL Partners, Telecom Review, Telemedia, Telesemana, Teletimes International, VanillaPlus and ZonaMovilidad.
