The GSMA has announced that the Mobile World Congress 2021 will be postponed. Instead of being held in February, the event will be postponed until the end of June. Will this decision affect new product launches?
Despite the fact that in Western countries the threat of the coronavirus was seen as something far away, many of the industry’s leading exhibitors and manufacturers decided last February not to go to MWC 2020 to ensure the health of their employees and customers.
The barrage of casualties led the GSMA, the association of operators and brands that organizes the event, to announce the cancellation of Mobile World Congress after several weeks of uncertainty. Although the decision was quite controversial at the time, in the past and after seeing the extent of the pandemic, it is abundantly clear that it was the most successful.
Despite the fact that next February is still a long way off, the GSMA did not want to be caught off guard this time and has already made a decision about the Mobile World Congress 2021 . Although we are not in the critical situation we experienced between the last months of March and May, covid-19 remains a threat whose control requires measures of social distance. For this reason, the organization has decided to postpone its celebration until next summer.
Specifically, the GSMA has rearranged its event schedule: it will hold MWC 2021 in Shanghai from February 23 to 25, and MWC 2021 in Barcelona will take place from June 28 to July 1.
“With an ever-changing global perspective and after consultation with our board, members and key exhibitors, we have made the prudent decision to reschedule MWC21 Shanghai in February and MWC21 Barcelona in June. The health and safety of our exhibitors, participants, staff and the people of Barcelona are of paramount importance,” said Mats Granryd, GSMA CEO, in a statement .
Does this decision now affect the launches of smartphones and other products for next year? The MWC in Barcelona is the most important cell phone exhibition of the year and all manufacturers take advantage of this window to launch their novelties. If its celebration is delayed until the end of June, will brands also delay their launches?
If we take into account the dynamics of virtual presentations that have emerged in the new standard, everything indicates that the manufacturers’ calendar will continue despite this shift. We will see what happens in the coming months.
