Following dozens of cancellations from the largest companies in the telecom industry, the GSM Association announced today it has canceled this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

"With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and the host country today, the GSMA has canceled MWC Barcelona 2020 because the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel concern and other circumstances, make it impossible for the GSMA to hold the event," said John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd. (the branch of the organization that runs its events), in a statement.

The dominos started to fall even before February 7, when Ericsson, one of the show's largest exhibitors and one of the world's largest telecom gear suppliers, pulled out of MWC Barcelona due to coronavirus concerns. At that point, the GSMA had already been taking precautions in anticipation of worried delegates. On February 5, Light Reading asked the question that hung in the air: How Badly Will Coronavirus Hurt MWC?

Here's how the story progressed from there:

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— Phil Harvey, US Bureau Chief, Light Reading