GSMA names first keynote speakers for MWC 2017

The GSMA on December 16 provided an update on the 2017 Mobile World Congress (MWC), including the first keynote speakers for the conference, as well as new programmes, events and sponsors.

Mobile World Congress will be held 27 February – 2 March 2017 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, with events also taking place at Fira Montjuïc.

“We are focused on continually evolving Mobile World Congress to reflect the transformative impact that mobile has on individuals, economies and societies around the globe,” the Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA, Mr Michael O’Hara, said.

“As part of this evolution, we have developed focused initiatives to better address the requirements of specific audiences, such as the new Women4Tech programme that we are launching today, or the Youth Mobile Festival announced last month. We’re excited about these new programmes and look forward to engaging with attendees through these platforms,” he said in a statement on GSMA website.

CEOs to take the stage in Barcelona

The GSMA today announced the first confirmed keynote speakers for the four-day Mobile World Congress conference programme, including: John Stankey, CEO–AT&T Entertainment Group, AT&T Services Inc.; Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA; Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and CEO, Kaspersky Lab; Chang-Gyu Hwang, Chairman and CEO, KT Corporation; John Hanke, Founder and CEO, Niantic

Rajeev Suri, President and CEO, Nokia; José María Álvarez-Pallete López, Chairman and CEO, Telefónica; and Arnaud de Puyfontaine, CEO of Vivendi Group.

Keynotes and track sessions

Across the keynotes and track sessions, the conference will examine topics such as connecting the unconnected, digital commerce, digital content, disruptive technologies, enterprise mobility, financial services, IoT and connected living, mobile identity and privacy, next-generation networks and security, among others.

Introducing Women4Tech

The GSMA also unveiled an important new programme designed to address the persistent gender gap in the mobile industry: Women4Tech (W4T). Comprising a series of events and activities over the four days of Mobile World Congress, Women4Tech focuses on increasing the inclusion of women in the mobile industry and showcasing best practices and industry action for female leadership in the digital age. Women4Tech supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

A central element of the programme is the Women4Tech Summit, which is scheduled for Thursday, March 2 and will explore four key themes: “Women Empowering Technology”, which looks at gender equality and career development; “Women Encouraging Technology”, which centres on mentoring and youth education; “Women Transforming Technology”, which focuses on women in communication and vertical sectors; and “Women Innovating in Technology”, which examines women as entrepreneurs and innovators. Accenture has been confirmed as the Headline Sponsor for the W4T Summit.

Beyond the Summit, the W4T programme includes activities such as Women4Tech Speed Coaching and Networking sessions; the Women4Tech Glomo Awards for “Outstanding Achievement in Mobile Industry Leadership”; specialised MWC Tours; a Women4Tech panel on Mobile World Live TV; and Women4Tech initiatives at 4YFN. For more information, including submission details for the Women4Tech Glomo Awards, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/events/women-for-tech/.

4YFN focus areas

This year, the Four Years From Now (4YFN) programme will showcase distinct themes for each day of the event: Disrupted by Mobile, which addresses how mobile improves society and people’s lives, is the focus for Day 1 (February27); the Internet of Things, which is designed to help enterprises to improve through mobile innovation and data analysis, is the Day 2 theme (February28); and Digital Media, which focuses on education and communication, is the theme for Day 3 (March1). 4YFN will also include a range of featured activities, such as the Demo Days by the Starupbootcamp IoT & Data and Numa Barcelona acceleration programmes, an open space for Telefónica Open Future, and the “EU Mobile Challenge Final” European apps competition, among others.

New partner and technology training events

The GSMA further announced additional companies leading partner events and training sessions. In Partner Programmes, PwC will again be hosting the “Digital Revolution Summit”, where representatives from leading industrial and technology companies and operators will address the Internet of Things, focusing on topics from network infrastructure to secure and compliant data collection. Technology Training Partner Award Solutions is returning for its fifth year at Mobile World Congress, offering technology training sessions on service, network and resource orchestration, performance in virtualised networks, and the advances in enabling technologies on the road to 5G.

Strong support for Mobile World Congress

The GSMA said several new sponsors for Mobile World Congress. Generalitat de Catalunya has been confirmed as the App Planet Official Sponsor, while Adobe, Android, Citibank, N.A., EY, PayPal, Twitter, Xaxis’ Business Light Reaction and Visa have all signed on as Supporting Sponsors for the Networking Gardens at Fira Gran Via, which provide attendees outdoor space to gather with colleagues, hold impromptu meetings and relax during the event.

The Mobile World Congress is the cornerstone of the Mobile World Capital, which will be hosted in Barcelona through 2023. The Mobile World Capital encompasses programmes and activities that span the entire year and will benefit not only the citizens of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, but also the worldwide mobile industry.