Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach

MWC Barcelona 2023 is the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event. There were more than 88,500 attendees from 202 countries of whom 56 percent came from sectors adjacent to the mobile ecosystem.

“MWC Barcelona is back in full force. The level of energy and support from partners, businesses and policymakers has exceeded our hopes and expectations,” says GSMA Ltd’s CEO, John Hoffman. “I am continuously awed and humbled by the sense of community, innovation, excitement and business generation at MWC Barcelona. Anecdotally, exhibitors and partners are reporting that their expectations have been surpassed and, in some cases, have beaten 2019. On behalf of the GSMA, I would like to express our sincerest thanks to all new and returning attendees, exhibitors, speakers, partners and sponsors, without whom this gathering would not be possible.”

MWC Barcelona March 2023 in numbers

• Over 88,500 people attended in-person, 56 percent from industries adjacent to the core mobile ecosystem
• Attendees from 202 countries and territories
• More than 2,400 exhibitors, sponsors and partners
• Over 1,000 speakers and thought leaders
• Over 40 percent keynotes speakers from adjacent industries, with more than 40 percent female keynote speakers
• Over half of attendees at director level and above, of which 21% were C-suite and 26 percent female attendees

“I am delighted to see so much positive momentum, with halls bustling with energy for four full days. As digital technologies continue to develop, there is new excitement in the air that MWC captured so well. The transition to Web 3.0 will trigger a new explosion in network traffic and it is critical that we work together to prepare. Consumers living in a data-driven world need increasing amounts of capacity at the edge of the network to extend the capabilities of cloud computing and our industry is well placed to do it,” says GSMA’s Director General, Mats Granryd.

MWC creates a unique platform for the amplification of industry announcements and thought leadership. As digital transformation flourishes around the world, attendees came to be inspired by curated content from the father of the cell phone, Martin Cooper, honoured as the first recipient of the GLOMO Lifetime Achievement Award, to the pioneers, thought leaders and innovators of Web 3.0.

The event theme “Velocity” was brought to life in key themes discussed across multiple platforms. These included 5G, AI, the fair sharedebate and public policy, as well as cross-sector collaborations, including the GSMA’s Open Gateway initiative. The GSMA also launched a dedicated zone at MWC Barcelona to raise awareness of the usage gap, an under-reported global issue which prevents 3.2 billion people worldwide from reaping the benefits of access to digital services.

Thanks to its increasingly diverse nature, the show provides an excellent platform to foster innovation and debate, network and make new connections, and deliver the key decision-makers necessary to make deals.

Unlocking the power of connectivity

MWC Barcelona is the first event of the 2023 MWC series, and the team is hard at work planning the subsequent iterations of MWC and launching the Mobile 360 series in 2023. Join us as we continue our journey to unlock the full power of connectivity at MWC Shanghai, which is scheduled for 28-30 June 2023; MWC Las Vegas 26-28 September 2023; MWC Africa 17-19 October 2023.

In addition, the Mobile 360 event series will kick off 16-17 May with the M360 Eurasia in Baku. Further editions include M360 LATAM returning to Mexico City 31 May-1 June; the first-ever M360 UK, focused on Industry & Security, will take place in London between 11-12 July; M360 Asia Pacific in Seoul in September; M360 MENA will take place in Riyadh in November; and we will finish the year back in London with the second iteration of M360 UK in November, Connectivity for Good and addressing humanitarian challenges.

The date for next year’s MWC Barcelona 2024 will take place 26-29 February 2024. All keynote sessions from MWC Barcelona 2023 are available on-demand on Mobile World Live. News and updates from MWC Barcelona, as well as b-roll and photography, are available on the event press zone.

About GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com