MWC 2017 is being held. The slogan is "The Next Element."

 

The Mobile World Congress (MWC), one of the world's largest mobile industry exhibitions, was held in Barcelona, Spain, from February 27 to March 2. Approximately 2,300 companies exhibited across 9 indoor halls and 11 outdoor venues. Over 100,000 people from 208 countries and regions participated.

While every technology imaginable was on display—connected cars, virtual reality (VR), new mobile phones and innovative apps, 3D printing, privacy protection, backend solutions—this year's MWC seemed to live up to its slogan, "The Next Element," by looking one step ahead.

Sabina Rodriguez, Head of Social & Content at Dentsu Inc. Aegis Network (DAN), who attended MWC, stated:

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At MWC 2016, "Mobile is Everything" was the rallying cry. But at MWC 2017, we discovered that mobile is something even bigger.

The title of the opening keynote, "Mobile. The Next Element," says it all. MWC has evolved from a trade show for mobile carriers and device manufacturers into an event encompassing the entire digital economy. The sheer breadth of technologies on display, from AI and automation to drones and connected cars, was overwhelming.

Mobile has transformed not just our lives, work, and entertainment, but entire industries. This year's theme, "The Next Element," is fitting for this reality. Mobile is becoming an element we simply cannot live without.

The GSMA, MWC's organizer, categorizes the "next element" mobile envisions into four key areas:

Next Technologies: LTE, 5G, SIM, ID, Data, IoT, VR, LPWA, Voice, AR, Encryption, Spectrum, SDN, GSM, AI, Smartphones

Next Economy: GDP, Innovation, Opportunity, Capital Investment, Business, Growth, Subscribers, Employment, Competition, Equal Opportunity, Connectivity, Revenue, Investment, Integration, VC, Incubators

Next Society: Robotics, Healthy Living, Clean Energy, Sustainable Cities, Quality Education, Decent Work, Responsible Consumption, Poverty Eradication, Gender Equality, Infrastructure, Climate Action, Hunger Eradication, Clean Water, Reduced Inequality, Marine Life, Life on Land

Next Industries: Productivity, Health, Transportation, Live Events, Utilities, Logistics, Digitalization, Transportation, Logistics, Wearables, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Advertising, Drones, Manufacturing, Ecosystem