MWC Barcelona 2019 Preview

MWC Barcelona 2019 Preview

Back with a brand-new name MWC Barcelona 2019 (formerly known as GSMA Mobile World Congress) will showcase some of the most exciting advancements in mobile technology at the end of February. Discover all about this year's upcoming event, explore the exhibition's history and enjoy a sneak peek at the expected attendees below.

What is MWC Barcelona?

MWC Barcelona has been running since 1987 and is known worldwide for being the biggest exhibition in the mobile industry. An annual event that's grown significantly over the past 32 years, it's the place to be if you want to be the first to learn about upcoming devices.

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MWC Barcelona has been organised by the GSM Association since its origin - hence its previous name, the GSMA Mobile World Congress. The minds behind the GSM Association are responsible for creating the GSM standard, a cellular service which is used by around 90% of mobile networks across 219 different countries.

Since 2006, MWC Barcelona has been held at Fira de Barcelona. Before this however, you could find it at Cannes. Based on stats from 2018, more than 100,000 attendees are predicted to turn up to the exhibition in 2019 with 2018's total attendance coming in an estimated 107,000 people.

When is MWC Barcelona 2019?

MWC Barcelona usually takes place at the end of February, but occasionally the event runs into March.

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For 2019, MWC Barcelona will begin on Friday 25th February, at 8:30am, running for three days until 28th February.

Who's at MWC Barcelona this year?

The question you should be asking is who isn't as MWC Barcelona this year. Companies from all around the world will be attending, showcasing everything from advancements in AI and AR to brand new apps, advancements in mobile gaming and wearable tech.

More than 2,400 exhibitors are expected to attend MWC Barcelona 2019. Among the list, you can expect the likes of:

Acer Incorporated
Amazon Web Services
Baidu Inc
BlackBerry Mobile
Huawei
Honor
HTC
LG
Nokia
OnePlus
Oppo
Sony
Xiaomi
Vivo

You can view a list of confirmed attendees over on the official MWC Barcelona official website.

Will Samsung be attending MWC Barcelona?

Samsung, one of the world's biggest smartphone manufacturers will be at MWC Barcelona 2019 - but it's uncertain what they'll be revealing.

What we do know is that Samsung are set to hold Galaxy Unpacked, its very own special event, on February 20th - that's five days before MWC. Galaxy Unpacked kicks off at 7pm UK time, and you can watch the event from the comfort of your own home via a live stream.

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No one knows for certain what's on the way at the event, but one major hint comes from the official event invitation, which features a large number 10.

Can't wait that long for a new handset? You'll find a huge array of cutting-edge handsets available for a great price, either SIM free or on contract, at Mobiles.co.uk.