Artificial intelligence, the cloud and 6G are among the themes highlighted during this 17th MWC.
Before even projecting themselves into the future of 6G, operators will be keen to put on the table the question of the return on investment of 5G, a technology in which pharaonic sums have been injected, but which does not know the expected success.
Also on the MWC program is the demonstration of many foldable devices, the most tangible thing in terms of technological innovations for smartphones.
After Samsung and its Flip and Fold models, it’s the turn of other big companies, such as Huawei, Vivo and Xiaomi, to enter the arena of folding screen devices.
Chinese company Honor, for example, is exhibiting its Magic VS foldable smartphone at the show, which will retail for around $2,300 when it is released, the date of which is unknown for the moment in North America.
As for the Chinese company Oppo, it did not wait for the Mobile Show to unveil, on February 15, its foldable smartphone called Find N2 Flip, also intended for Western markets. The device is on display in Barcelona this week.
A troubled market
However, the Barcelona Mobile Show opens in a context of uncertainty. In 2022, global smartphone sales fell 11.3%, selling 1.21 billion units, the number lowest since 2013
according to the specialized agency IDC.
Moreover, the outlook remains gloomy for a large part of high-tech products. According to the American research firm Gartner, sales of mobile phones, tablets and computers are expected to fall again by 4% this year.
The sector is going through a complicated moment
, acknowledges Thomas Husson, Forrester analyst. This climate could to weigh
on the Mobile Show.
At the origin of these difficulties: the climate of uncertainty resulting from the war in Ukraine, which boosted inflation and reduced household purchasing power, but also more structural factors, which manufacturers of electronic appliances.
In some regions, such as Western Europe, […] renewal rate [des appareils] is getting longer, as people keep their phones longer
emphasizes Thomas Husson.
Optimism despite difficulties
Faced with these difficulties, aggravated by the large waves of job cuts announced by giants such as Alphabet, Microsoft and Ericsson, among others, the Salon nevertheless intends to display its optimism.
During the exchanges, emphasis will be placed on the need to cross [au mieux] this difficult time
projecting onto the inevitable return to growth
and progress related to l’innovation
predicts Ben Wood, of CCS Insight.
According to the Global Telecommunications Operators Association (GSMA), which organizes the event, 80,000 pros and 2,000 companies will attend the MWC, whose eight pavilions will be occupied for the first time since the pandemic.
This attendance remains far from the 2019 record, when nearly 110,000 people made the trip, but is higher than the 60,000 visitors in 2022. Attendance was then affected by the persistence of restrictions linked to COVID-19.
« We are on the way [du retour à la normale]. »
Among the companies expected are telephony giants Samsung, Xiaomi, Ericsson, Orange, Deustche Telekom, but also tech heavyweights, such as Qualcomm, Airbus and Microsoft.
China in the spotlight
The dynamism of this event is also linked to the strong comeback of Chinese groups after the reopening of the borders announced at the end of December by Beijing.
The largest exhibitor this year will be the Huawei group, a figurehead in Chinese telecommunications, which will have an area of 11,000 m2 – a record in the history of the show, according to the GSMA.
This is an opportunity for the equipment giant made in China to display its resilience to US sanctions
which have greatly weakened its telephony branch without stifling its innovation capacity
in business services, says analyst Thomas Husson.
The Mobile Fair is held until Thursday in the Catalan capital.