Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020, the world’s largest mobile phone show event which scheduled from February 24 to 27, has been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
(Image: MWC Barcelona 2020)
John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA, organizer of MWC, announced the cancellation in the event of February 12. Since last week, several industry leaders have withdrawn their participation of the event, including Amazon, Facebook, Intel, LG, NVIDIA, Sony and more due to the coronavirus epidemic.
“With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and the host country today, the GSMA has cancelled 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,” noted GSMA.
It is the first time that GSMA cancelled the event since its original version started in 1987, which was then called “Pan Europe Digital Cellular Radio” and was held in Brussels. The event evolved over the years and turned into “GSM World Congress” in 1990, “3GSM World Congress” in 1996, before it moved to Barcelona and become Mobile World Congress in 2006.
