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Light Reading heads home from MWC23 in Barcelona, leaving behind a show that, as networks converge, has seen its audience reach industries well outside mobile and telco tech.
Mobile World Congress used to be the telco industry's big event.
Now even the organizers of MWC Barcelona have signaled that their annual gathering is becoming CES Europe, a general tech event with ever-increasing size and scale.
Glass half full: Even though it's huge, MWC23 did include and does reflect the converging nature of the communications industry and all it touches.
Glass half empty: It's a show about everything, which makes it a show about nothing.
"No theme is the theme," tweeted Tantra Analyst's Prakash Sangam, as he attempted to summarize a busy week in a single post.
"There were more than 88,500 attendees, of whom 56% came from sectors adjacent to the mobile ecosystem," the GSMA boasted in its press release wrapping up the show.
That said, a crowded show about everything is visually interesting. The MWC organizers noted that they had more than 2,400 exhibitors, sponsors and partners participating. Here's a very small look at a very big show, in just 16 photos shared by our Light Reading editors and the Alamy editorial team.
Air taxis and emotional robots
Figure 1: Attendees at Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona.
(Source: Meng Dingbo/Xinhua/Alamy Live News)
MWC is a study of contrasts. Inside, well-dressed delegates were networking and coming to grips with when and how to use robots in our daily lives. Outside, protestors aimed to remind the world that every massively-profitable industry is built on some level of human suffering.
Figure 2: 'Buddy - the emotional robot' greets people on the trade show floor.
(Source: Matthias Oesterle/Alamy Live News)
Figure 3: SK Telecom's presence at the show.
(Source: Matthias Oesterle/Alamy Live News)
Figure 15: The AWS lounge.
(Source: Kelsey Ziser/Light Reading)
Figure 4: Half a hundred workers gathered in front of the Fira de Barcelona to protest the death of a colleague.
(Source: Marc Asensio Clupes/ZUMA Press Wire)
Figure 11: Befriending robot dogs.
(Source: Kelsey Ziser/Light Reading)
Openness and fancy new fonts
More contrasts abound as telcos talk about openness in every part of their networks, while networking suppliers guard their stands and, in some cases, might be following their visitors a little too closely.
Figure 5: A visitor walks past Amdocs' advertising.
(Source: Matthias Oesterle/Alamy Live News)
Figure 13: Chema Alonso, Telefónica's Chief Digital Officer.
(Source: Telefonica)
Figure 6: Nokia's exhibition stand.
(Source: Matthias Oesterle/Alamy Live News)
Figure 7: Hostesses guard the entry at the Huawei stand.
(Source: Matthias Oesterle/Alamy Live News)
Figure 12: Luis Maestro of Nokia shares updates on Nokia's LTE connected moon rover.
(Source: Kelsey Ziser/Light Reading)
Figure 8: Trying out some electric karting.
(Source: Meng Dingbo/Xinhua/Alamy Live News)
Figure 14: Sadayuki Abeta, VP, head of open RAN for NTT Docomo, delivers open RAN keynote.
(Source: Kelsey Ziser/Light Reading)
Figure 9: The Ericsson stand.
(Source: Matthias Oesterle/Alamy Live News)
Who wore it better?
The industry has upped its game in terms of specialty coffee. And, if you put your logo on it, that's savvy, delicious targeted advertising.
Figure 16: Branded coffees were all the rage.
(Source: Kelsey Ziser/Light Reading)
As our team rides off into the sunset, please check our show recap to learn about the things our editors saw and heard while on the ground at MWC Barcelona.
Figure 10: Watching the sun set over Barcelona.
(Source: Marc Asensio Clupes/ZUMA Press Wire)
Related stories and posts:
Light Reading's MWC23 coverage
Light Reading's latest podcasts
— Phil Harvey, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading
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