GSMA LAUNCHES MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS SHANGHAI 2015

GSMA Rebrands Asia Event Under Mobile World Congress Banner, Providing Leading Global Showcase for Industry Players, Enterprises, Brands and Tech-Savvy Consumers

Shanghai: The GSMA today announced the first details of the 2015 Mobile World Congress Shanghai, which will be held 15-17 July 2015 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). Under the theme of “Mobile Unlimited”, Mobile World Congress Shanghai will focus on how mobile technology – from connected cars and wearable tech to mobile payments and smarter cities – is revolutionising and enhancing every aspect of individuals’ lives. Building on the success of its predecessor event Mobile Asia Expo, Mobile World Congress Shanghai will include a conference programme featuring CEOs and senior executives from leading companies in Asia and around the world; an extensive exhibition showcasing innovative mobile products and services; and a diverse range of seminars, educational programmes and meetings to address attendees’ specific interests and requirements, among many other events and activities.

“As we go into our fourth year in Shanghai, we’re continually focused on evolving and expanding our Asia event and rebranding it under the Mobile World Congress banner is part of this development,” said John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. “Asia is the largest mobile market in the world and Mobile World Congress Shanghai offers participating companies the ability to reach a global audience, while also enabling international brands to capitalise on opportunities in the fast-growing and dynamic Asian market. We’re excited to continue building Mobile World Congress Shanghai as a leading showcase for industry players, enterprises, brands and tech-savvy consumers.”

Focus on Innovation in Shanghai
Huawei is the Platinum Event Sponsor for the 2015 Mobile World Congress Shanghai and is also confirmed as an exhibitor at the show. The exhibition will spotlight the leading technologies, products and services that are shaping the future of the mobile industry, from network infrastructure to mobile handsets and devices to software and applications and much more. Additional confirmed exhibitors include Alcatel-Lucent, China Mobile, Gemalto, LeTV, Mozilla, SK Telecom, Suzhou Snail, Visa and ZTE, as well as regional pavilions from Berlin, Hong Kong, Israel, Korea and Taiwan.

The show floor will again include the Connected City Experience Centre, which will take attendees on a journey around the connected life of the future. With a unique selection of connected services, products and solutions from the world’s leading companies, attendees will experience the smart home, smart city, classroom, garage and retail space of the next generation. Also returning to Shanghai is the Showcase Stage, which will host showstopper events highlighting an array of mobile content such as music, fashion, gaming and health and wellness.

Attendees to the Mobile World Congress Shanghai exhibition will also have the opportunity to visit focused areas such as the Accessories Zone, Device Zone and Gaming Zone, the App Lab and Innovation Lab, as well as Start-up Alley. Additionally, the Theatre District will host a number of partner events, offering sessions addressing a range of topics. For more information on the Mobile World Congress Shanghai exhibition, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/see-do/exhibition/.

Mobile World Congress Shanghai Conference
The Mobile World Congress Shanghai conference programme offers an exciting mix of visionary keynotes and breakout sessions providing in-depth insights on current and future trends impacting the ever-changing mobile industry. The conference will feature C-level executives and industry experts from companies across the mobile ecosystem, as well as adjacent industry sectors. The conference programme will address a range of subjects such as digital commerce, enterprise mobility, innovation and start-ups, LTE and 5G, M2M and the Internet of Things, mobile identity and personalisation, network virtualisation and new business models for the mobile Internet, among other topics. The Call for Papers for Mobile World Congress Shanghai will be open through Friday, 27 March 2015. For more information on the conference programme, including the Call for Papers, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/learn/conference/.

Meetings and Events at Mobile World Congress Shanghai
Mobile World Congress Shanghai will also be host to a number of other meetings, partner events and seminars. The GTI Asia Conference is returning to Shanghai for its fourth year, and China Unicom will also be holding its International Partners Meeting at Mobile World Congress Shanghai. The International MVNO Summit will be held in partnership with MVNODynamics.com and will explore the opportunities and challenges enabled through the global MVNO ecosystem. The newly introduced Smart Home Summit will examine how the ubiquity of mobile is changing the consumer experience at home, focusing on consumer requirements, the latest solutions and services and future developments for the smart home.

Additional programmes at Mobile World Congress Shanghai include the Digital Commerce Summit, the Enterprise IoT Summit, the Global Device Summit, the Innovation Workshop, the Mobile Internet Summit and the Smart Cities Summit. For more information on these events, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/learn/.

Partners at Mobile World Congress Shanghai
The first Media and Association Partners confirmed for Mobile World Congress Shanghai include the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, Bloomberg, C114 China Communication Network, China Mobile Communications Association (CMCA), MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS, MobileMonday Shanghai, Shanghai TD-LTE Industry-cum-Technological Innovation and Strategy Alliance (SCIA), Technology Channel of Tencent Online Media Group and Yesky.

Registration for Mobile World Congress Shanghai Now Open
Registration to attend Mobile World Congress Shanghai is now open. Attendees wishing to purchase Gold and Silver Passes, which provide access to the conference, exhibition and priority reservation for a range of Mobile World Congress Shanghai meetings and events, can register now, while standalone Exhibition Visitor Passes will be sold starting in early 2015. For information on registration and pass types, please visit www.mwcshanghai.com/attend/register/.

Get Involved at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2015
For more information on the 2015 Mobile World Congress Shanghai including how to attend, exhibit or sponsor, visit www.mwcshanghai.com. Follow developments and updates on Mobile World Congress Shanghai through our social media channels – use #MWCS15 on Twitter and follow us at @GSMA, or get regular updates through our LinkedIn Showcase Page. In China, you can follow us on Sina Weibo http://weibo.com/mwcshanghai or on the GSMA account on WeChat.

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Translation
Chinese

About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai and the Mobile 360 Series conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.
Media Contacts
For the GSMA:

Zhao Qing (Beijing)
+8610 8569 9916
[email protected]

Will Zhang (Beijing)
+8610 8569 9855
[email protected]

Ava Lau (Hong Kong)
+852 2533 9928
[email protected]

GSMA Press Office
[email protected]

Industry Support for Mobile World Congress Shanghai

Liu Jian, Vice Chairman, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization
“Mobile technology has given rise to the development of smart cities, driving innovation and improvements in transportation, education, retail, energy, public utilities and other aspects of people’s daily lives. The three mobile operators in China, alongside a number of mobile companies, are constantly launching new services, bringing Chinese mobile technology to the world, and ushering in new global trends in the world’s largest mobile market. We are honoured to participate in this world-class event in China, to share information, exchange experiences and promote new technology across the world with a view to enhance the long-term sustainable development of the industry and amelioration of people’s lives.”

Cheng Meihong, Deputy Director, Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration
“As the host city of Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2015, we would like to express our warm welcome on behalf of the Shanghai Municipal Government and the city’s 24 million residents to this world-class event. We are committed to working with the GSMA and Mobile World Congress Shanghai to jointly promote the development of mobile technology in China, all while showcasing China’s modernization and travel attractions in Shanghai. We look forward to meeting mobile experts, practitioners, media, and technology enthusiasts from around the world in Shanghai.”

Julia Hu, Senior Vice President, Corporate and Marketing Communications, Alcatel-Lucent
“The mobile industry has undergone tremendous change over the past few years, with new developments in network technology, rich data services, as well as the growing popularity of intelligent devices. Operators, content providers and device manufacturers are all looking to capitalise on these new market opportunities, but at the same time face tough technical challenges. We are very pleased to see the GSMA rallying industry players from across the globe to discuss these same opportunities and challenges, and working collaboratively to promote mobile technology.”

Li Yue, Chief Executive Officer, China Mobile
“As a long-term partner at Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo, we are pleased to see mobile communication development entering a new era, where the mobile Internet is driving a new round of industrial innovation. We look forward to working together with industry partners during Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2015 to promote the adoption of 4G networks and accelerate 4G service interoperability and international roaming. At the same time, we are focused on continuing to reduce international roaming tariffs in order to achieve the new era communications as a base for the rapid development of converged communication, and to open up new prospects for the development of global mobile communication.”

Yang Jie, President and Chief Operations Officer, China Telecom
“We look forward to the Mobile World Congress Shanghai in China. At this global industry event, we will share best practice in the mobile Internet era, discuss the technologies and applications that provide the best service and experience to our customers with industry partners to build an exciting world of mobile internet together.”

Lu Yimin, President, China Unicom
“In recent years, the rapid development of mobile communications has profoundly changed the way that people work and live, as well as how they now spend their leisure time. The series of successful events that the GSMA has held in China and around the world have showcased these innovative trends in the mobile development. Asia, particularly China, is leading the development of mobile communications globally, and we look forward working with GSMA together to embrace this world-class event. We also look forward to demonstrating more innovative technologies and services, in addition to sharing key business strategies with leading entrepreneurs, industry experts, media and technology enthusiasts to jointly promote the rapid development of the mobile industry.”

Jan Signell, Head of Ericsson North East Asia
“Ericsson is committed to driving a Networked Society where everything that can benefit from a connection will be connected. Through continuous innovation in collaboration with operators and industries around the world, our communication technologies and mobile services are inspiring people, business and society to reach their full potential and to shape the future of sustainable growth. Ericsson shares the aspiration of the GSMA in its brand new world-class event. Let’s work together to demonstrate the transformative power of the Networked Society to China and rest of the world.”

Ryan Ding, Executive Director of the Board, President, Products & Solutions, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
“Over the last three years, Mobile Asia Expo has been the most influential event in Asia, promoting dialogue within the industry and enhancing the development of the entire mobile technology industry. In the last three years, we witnessed and led the rapid growth of the mobile and ICT development together with our global customers and partners. We believe that with the upcoming Mobile World Congress Shanghai, the GSMA will bring a more influential event with bigger scale, larger impact and even greater value. We look forward to meeting again with existing partners around the world as they convene in Shanghai and at the same time, knowing that new partners will be joining us to demonstrate our innovation and strength to the world.”

Shi Lirong, President, ZTE Corporation
“The rapid development of mobile technologies and the creation of smart cities are bringing unprecedented opportunities to global communications. For decades, mobile communications technology has not only fundamentally changed the way humans communicate, it has changed the entire world even more extensively. The boundaries between ICT are rapidly dissolving, accelerated into the era of mobile ICT. The GSMA and its members have played a prominent role in the development of the global communications industry. As a member of the GSMA, ZTE hopes to work together with our partners to make the world a better place through its experience and technology innovations in the mobile ICT era and at the newly rebranded GSMA event in Shanghai.”