The coronavirus hangs over the Mobile World Congress (MWC) of Barcelona, ​​which is scheduled to be held later this month. The mobile telephony sector remains "waiting", according to different sources participating in the forum consulted by EL MUNDO who trust that the epidemic has been palliated by then, although they recognize that under current conditions it would be impossible to develop normally the largest world forum in the sector.

The GSMA, organizer of the event, argues that the Mobile "will be developed as planned", that is from February 24 to 27, although "the measures are already underway." In fact, the GSMA contemplates that absences may occur, as it undertakes to "guide exhibitors who are not able to travel to the MWC in Barcelona to local escorts and services that would have the capacity to meet their needs on site ".

Of the 109,000 visitors of the 2019 edition, 6% came from China, according to the GSMA's own calculations, above 6,500 professionals . The proportion of citizens of that country has been increasing in recent years - it was estimated at 5% in 2018 - but the positive trend is likely to be interrupted in 2020.

Next week the holidays corresponding to the lunar new year, extended by the Chinese Government as an extraordinary measure to resolve the epidemic crisis, will conclude. Displacement management would then be underpinned, with options that have been reduced.

Iberia has stopped flying between Madrid and Shanghai, three flights a week suspended "during the month of February". British Airways and Lufthansa, among other airlines, have also paralyzed their routes with the continental territory of that country. Air China, China Eastern, Hainan Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways, the latter from Hong Kong, continue for the moment connecting the Asian country and Spain, either through Madrid or Barcelona.

The Chinese industry is fundamental for telecommunications and also, therefore, for Mobile, in which they take on special prominence: Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo are three of the five leading smartphone manufacturers in the world, only surpassed by Samsung, South Korean, and the American Apple.

The iPhone company prefers to concentrate the presentations on its own events and not in forums such as Mobile. However, Apple, which presented results last week, admits that the coronavirus creates uncertainty in its business over the coming months.

Last week, Huawei said that the Chinese firm carried out "a fairly strict control to ensure that all employees are healthy," said Pablo Wang, Consumer Director of Huawei Spain last week. Only that company, the world's largest provider of telecommunications equipment, mobilizes hundreds of professionals in the Catalan event.

The independence threat

A few months ago, Mobile did not feel threatened by the coronavirus, but by the independence demonstrations in Barcelona, ​​which took on a violent character last October. The meeting mobilizes a total of 473 million euros and 14,000 temporary jobs , so there would be no lack of candidates to shelter the event, for which Madrid has been nominated as stated by the president of the Community, Isabel Díaz Ayuso.

The GSMA has already announced several extraordinary measures for this edition of the Mobile: a reinforced cleaning program with disinfected in critical areas such as catering or railings, greater presence of medical staff in the Fira de Barcelona site, a campaign preventive, sanitary materials of free access, training to all employees and associates of the forum, specific attention to exhibitors and communication with those responsible for public and private transport, hotels, restaurants and catering services of the Catalan city.

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  • Barcelona
  • Madrid
  • Huawei
  • Samsung
  • Xiaomi
  • iPhone
  • Mobile World Congress
  • Lufthansa
  • Isabel Díaz Ayuso
  • Iberia
  • Spain
  • British Airways

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