Amazon, Nvidia, Sony and Ericsson will no be attending the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona tradeshow due to concern over the coronavirus.
MWC is one of the most important tradeshows for mobile communications companies and this year’s show was expected to be a blockbuster due to the roll out of 5G and numerous new 5G smartphones and other devices expected to debut along with other innovations such as 5G standalone networks and more.
In fact, numerous companies at CES 2020 in January stated they planned to announce their 5G products and plans not at the world’s largest tradeshow but instead at MWC. This is due to several factors including the enormous size of CES where their announcement may get lost or not received as well. The other reason MWC is preferred for such announcements is that it is considered more of the hotspot for innovative ideas in the wireless communications market.
Ericsson said it was adhering to the recommendations from national authorities and international bodies such as WHO, and taking precautionary measures by withdrawing from MWC Barcelona. The company stated that with thousands of visitors to its booth each day of the show, even at a low risk of infection, it cannot guarantee the health of its employees.
“The health and safety of our employees, customers and other stakeholders are our highest priority,” said Börje Ekholm, president and CEO of Ericsson, in a statement. “This is not a decision we have taken lightly. We were looking forward to showcasing our latest innovations at MWC in Barcelona. It is very unfortunate, but we strongly believe the most responsible business decision is to withdraw our participation from this year’s event.”
The company will instead unveil new products during local market demonstrations that will take place later.
Amazon, LG Electronics, Sony and Nvidia all echoed this sentiment in its withdrawal, claiming it is not worth the risk to its employees given the fast spreading contagion.
According to Worldometer, which is monitoring the coronavirus outbreak, there have been over 40,000 cases of the virus resulting in 910 deaths, which exceeds the numbers for recent SERS and MERS outbreaks.
GSMA, which runs MWC, said while it understands the concerns from companies, it still plans to proceed with the show and is taking precautions to ensure the health and safety of the exhibitors and visitors.
These precautions include denying MWC admission to all travelers from the Hubei province in China and requiring all travelers from China to demonstrate proof that they have been outside of China 14 days prior to the event. Screenings will take place and the facility will be cleansed and disinfected at high volume touchpoints and other areas.
Given that these high-profile companies have already pulled out of the show, the door may be open for others to follow suit, which could make for a very quiet MWC.
