https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2023 MSP 501 Application
    • 2022 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2022 NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • 2023 MSP 501 Application
    • 2022 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2022 NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2022 MSP 501
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2023 Call for Speakers
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • MSP Summit
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

Mobility & Wireless


Shutterstock

Coronavirus

Coronavirus Fears Cause GSMA to Cancel Mobile World Congress Barcelona

The decision was reached by organizers Wednesday after weeks of discussions about health concerns.

By Todd R. Weiss

The threat of coronavirus has killed the Mobile World Congress 2020 gathering in Barcelona, the world’s largest mobile technology conference.

In a terse statement to prospective exhibitors, attendees and to the host nation of Spain, John Hoffman, CEO of the GSMA, which has been hosting MWC in Barcelona annually since 2006, wrote that the gathering has now been canceled after weeks of efforts that were meant to increase safety for attendees.

“Since the first edition of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2006, the GSMA has convened the industry, governments, ministers, policymakers, operators and industry leaders across the broader ecosystem,” wrote Hoffman. “With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and the host country today, the GSMA has canceled 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.”

The city of Barcelona, which will lose a huge amount of tourist revenue due to the cancellation, respects and understands the decision, Hoffman said.

MWC 2020 had been scheduled for Feb. 24-27.

Organizers now will focus their attention on preparing for next year’s MWC and future GSMA events, according to Hoffman.

“Our sympathies at this time are with those affected in China, and all around the world,” he wrote.

A wide range of technology companies – including Amazon, AT&T, Ericsson, Facebook, Intel, LG, MediaTek, Nokia, Nvidia, Telekom, Sony, Sprint, Vivo and Vodafone – had already announced in recent days that they would skip MWC 2020 due to their concerns about coronavirus. Other companies remained on the fence or said they would bring limited numbers of people to the event.

Several IT analysts told Channel Futures that they were not surprised by the GSMA decision.

Gartner's Tuong Nguyen

Gartner’s Tuong Nguyen

“This is one of those situations where the smart thing to do is also the right thing to do,” said Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT. “Tightly packed humanity is and always has been a haven for disease transmission. All in all, it’s better that MWC’s leadership recognizes the extraordinary circumstances and has decided to opt for public safety.”

Another analyst, Avi Greengart of Techsponential, said it was a sensible precaution by MWC organizers to try to initially keep the event alive by excluding attendees who had been to mainland China without an incubation period, but that plan seemed to have unraveled.

“However, even after that decision, major vendors kept canceling,” said Greengart. “The GSMA likely felt like it had no choice but to close the show after its own member companies pulled out of the event.”

Could such circumstances happen with technology conferences here in the U.S. in the coming weeks and months?

“Ordinarily, I would not expect U.S.-based tech events to be affected, but we don’t know when the coronavirus will be fully contained,” he said. “Until then, the fear of liability has proven highly contagious.”

Analyst Tuong H. Nguyen of Gartner said it’s hard to say what will happen with similar tech events in the U.S.

“It really depends on how widespread the virus gets,” said Nguyen. “It also depends on where the scientific community gets with vaccines and figuring out how the virus gets transmitted, etc.”

Other factors that will determine if the outbreak affects U.S. tech events are how well information is communicated about the virus and how false or misinformation is suppressed, he said.

“The event needs to be something significantly large and drawing broad attendance — I’m thinking something like CES,” which was already held in early January in Las Vegas, Nguyen added.

“Part of it might be cultural as well,” said Nguyen. “I was at the Samsung event in San Francisco yesterday where they were handing out face masks for the virus. I thought it was interesting because the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control] recommends against face masks.”

Out of hundreds of people in the audience, about a dozen people wore the masks, he said.

“So either these people ignore CDC recommendations, don’t know about them, or don’t care,” said Nguyen.

A spokesperson for the CDC didn’t immediately respond to a Channel Futures request for information about how coronavirus might be inspiring any special procedures for conferences here in the U.S. at the present time.

The MWC 2019 event in Barcelona attracted nearly 110,000 attendees from almost 200 countries and territories, which was a 2% increase over 2018, according to the group’s post-conference report.

Tags: Agents EMEA Mobility & Wireless

Most Recent


  • network in the cloud
    Fortinet, Huawei, Palo Alto, VMware Lauded in Gartner Peer Insights SD-WAN Study
    Thousands of customers have weighed in on how their SD-WAN vendors have performed.
  • artificial intelligence focus
    Channel AI Breakthroughs: AT&T, Nvidia, GoTo, Twilio
    AT&T is the first telecommunications provider to explore the use of a full suite of Nvidia AI offerings.
  • Hock Tan: Broadcom-VMware ‘A Win-Win-Win’ for Channel Partners, Buyers
    Broadcom’s CEO continues to try to convince regulators to approve the $61 billion deal.
  • Cloaked hacker
    VEC Attack Tries to Steal $36 Million, Ferrari, Dole Hit with Ransomware Attacks
    Ferrari says it has no plans to pay the ransom demand.

One comment

  1. Avatar Drew Griffiths February 20, 2020 @ 8:52 am
    Reply

    Looks like they had little choice if half the attendees had concerns about attending.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Security shield on digital background
    VMware Security Connect Focused on Redefining Security, Increasing Threats
  • Fortune 500 2021 logo
    AT&T, Microsoft, Verizon, More Tech, Telco Companies Make Latest Fortune 500
  • security
    WatchGuard Rolls Out New Product Family Year After Panda Security Acquisition
  • handshake
    Managed IT M&A: Spectrotel Wraps Matrix Asset Purchase, Logicalis Buys Siticom

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

May 1, 2023 - May 4, 2023

Channel Partners Europe

June 13, 2023 - June 14, 2023

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Galleries

View all

8 Channel People Making Waves This Week at Lumen, Accenture, Amazon, Canalys, More

March 24, 2023

National Women’s History Month: Channel Women Have Stories to Tell

March 24, 2023

VEC Attack Tries to Steal $36 Million, Ferrari, Dole Hit with Ransomware Attacks

March 23, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

Selling Your MSP: Strategic vs. Financial Buyers

March 22, 2023

10 Strategic Smart Enterprise Drivers for 2023

March 16, 2023

Does Your Company Have a Virtual Water Cooler?

March 13, 2023

Webinars

View all

Equipping the Hybrid Workforce: What It Takes to Execute

March 28, 2023

Give Customers the Power: How MSPs Can Leverage Cloud Choice

April 4, 2023

DE&I Dialogue: How the Right DE&I Initiatives Can Propel Your Business

April 5, 2023

White Papers

View all

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them

February 1, 2023

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022

February 1, 2023

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success

February 1, 2023

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 121: Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Aryaka ‘Driving Value to the Channel Community’ with Throttle

March 24, 2023

Real-Life M&A: Advice for a Successful Channel Deal

March 13, 2023

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 120: Ronnell Richards

March 3, 2023

Twitter

ChannelFutures

Channel people making waves include: @jmcbain, @NetworkMoe, @ajassy, @JulieSweet, @Elvia_Valdes_M, @GovITDave… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 24, 2023
ChannelFutures

We delve into AI impacting the channel, this week featuring @nvidia, @GoTo, @twilio and more.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 24, 2023
ChannelFutures

[email protected]_Inc's Peer Insights are a treasure trove for partners looking to sell #SDWAN. dlvr.it/SlRDmk https://t.co/oElLXzOIbb

March 24, 2023
ChannelFutures

#CPExpo preview: @GlobalIndirect of @AryakaChannel with a preview of the next phase of the company's channel progra… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 24, 2023
ChannelFutures

U.S. competition regulators want to know if @AWSCloud, @Azure, @GoogleCloud, @OracleCloud hold too much market powe… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 24, 2023
ChannelFutures

📣 Join us on April 13th to hear from the 2023 Channel Influencers and get their insights on the state of the channe… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 24, 2023
ChannelFutures

#CPExpo preview: Learn about why @USWired accepted an #acquisition deal and what partners should look for in an M&A… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

March 24, 2023
ChannelFutures

.@Veeam lays off 200 workers to increase efficiency. #backupandrecovery dlvr.it/SlQWZW https://t.co/QTJx1NX69q

March 24, 2023

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X