GSMA Announces New Keynote Speakers, Programmes and Events for Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2016

Executives from Alibaba, China Financial Asset Exchange, Ericsson, LeEco, Qualcomm and Volkswagen Confirmed for Keynote Programme; The MMIX Asia Summit, Graphene Summit and Exhibition Tours Debut

Hong Kong: The GSMA today provided further updates on the GSMA Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2016, including new keynote speakers, programmes, events and participating companies. Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2016 will take place 29 June – 1 July 2016 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).

“We are now just one week away from Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2016, our largest and most ambitious event ever in Asia,” said Michael O’Hara. “Over the three days of Mobile World Congress Shanghai, we will showcase how mobile is transforming everyday life for billions of people around the world, through the conference, the exhibition and the many additional events and programmes produced by the GSMA and leading companies across the industry. We’re excited to welcome the mobile world to Shanghai.”

New Keynote Speakers Confirmed
The GSMA announced additional keynote speakers for the 2016 conference programme. These executives will join previously announced keynote speakers from the world’s leading mobile operators, infrastructure providers and device makers, including AT&T Mobility, Baidu, China Mobile, China Telecom, HTC, KDDI, NTT DOCOMO, Oberthur Technologies, Telenor Pakistan and ZTE. Recently confirmed keynote speakers include:

  • Zhang Chunhui, President, Alibaba OS Business Group
  • Wang Naixiang, Chairman, China Financial Asset Exchange
  • Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson
  • Zhang Zhao, Vice-Chairman, LeEco and CEO, LeVision
  • Cristiano R. Amon, President, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies and EVP, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
  • Dr. Volkmar Tanneberger, Head of Electrical and Electronic Development, Volkswagen

Beyond the keynote programme, the conference at Mobile World Congress Shanghai will feature sessions exploring topics such as 5G, automotive, cyber security, digital commerce, gaming, the Internet of Things (IoT), hardware innovation, mobile media and content, and smart cities. Senior business executives and industry experts confirmed to speak in the two-day conference include:

  • Guangyi Liu, CTO, Wireless Department, China Mobile Research Institute
  • Sergio Salvador, Global Head, Gaming Partnerships and Head, Mobile Partnerships APAC, Google
  • Zeshan Qureshi, CEO, Haier Mobile
  • Cathy Yeh, Director, IoT, Innovation Center, Microsoft
  • Seizo Onoe, CTO and EVP, NTT DOCOMO
  • Céline Le Cotonnec, Head of Connected Services, Digital and Mobility, PSA Peugeot Citroen China
  • Ashvin Kumar, CEO, Tophatter

For more information on the conference programme, including agenda and speakers, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/agenda/.

The MMIX Asia Summit and Graphene Summit Debut in Shanghai
The GSMA announced the addition of two new programmes for Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2016: the MMIX Asia Summit and the Graphene Summit. The MMIX Asia Summit draws on the success of the MMIX Summit held at Mobile World Congress in February and will bring together key players in the mobile film, TV and broadcast, video, brand and media sectors to explore and enhance the global mobile entertainment experience. The MMIX Asia Summit will be held on Wednesday, 29 June at the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel and is supported by Headline Sponsor Huawei.

The Graphene Summit will be held on Thursday, 30 June at the Kerry Hotel. Professor Sir Konstantin Novoselov FRS, from the University of Manchester and a winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, will headline as a keynote speaker; Novoselov and other experts will showcase developments in graphene-related technologies, highlighting products that will benefit from the unique characteristics of graphene, such as flexible phones, faster data communications, ultra-thin sensors and ultra-fast batteries, among others. Mobile World Congress Shanghai attendees will also have the opportunity to experience graphene firsthand in the Graphene Pavilion, located in Hall N3 at the SNIEC.

The GSMA also announced several new partners and sponsors for additional GSMA programmes including:

  • Connected Vehicle Summit – Volkswagen (Supporting Sponsor), Auto China, Car Connectivity Consortium, CTVT and Niuche.com (Supporting Partners)
  • Digital Transformation Forum – Huawei and Viettel Group (Headline Sponsors)
  • Global Device Summit – Shenzhen 3nod Acousticlink Co., Ltd (Knowledge Sponsor)
  • Mobile Security Forum – FreeBuf, VULBOX (Supporting Partners)

For more information, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/gsma-programmes/.

Exhibition Tours Programme Comes to Shanghai
New for 2016, the GSMA is introducing the Exhibition Tours programme, providing tours to address the specific requirements of different audiences at Mobile World Congress Shanghai. Led by subject matter experts, Exhibition Tours will offer insights in key industry focus areas, with the IoT Tour, sponsored by Cisco, and the New Generation Devices Tour, sponsored by NUU Mobile. In addition, Exhibition Tours will conduct general tours of the Mobile World Congress Shanghai exhibition in Japanese, Korean and Mandarin. For more information on the Exhibition Tours programme, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/exhibition-tours/.

The GSMA also announced additional companies that will be participating in the Mobile World Congress Shanghai exhibition, highlighting the latest mobile products and services. Newly confirmed exhibitors include Aker Technologies, Coolpad, LaLiga, Neosoft Technologies, Onkyo, Tianchen, Tianshe, Vivo, Volkswagen and Wasam, as well as the Guiyang Pavilion. For the full list of exhibitors, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/exhibition.

New Developments at 4YFN
4 Years From Now (4YFN) will bring together more than 60 international investors at Mobile World Congress Shanghai. This group of investors, members of the 4YFN Investors Club platform and primarily from Asia and Europe, will actively participate in the multiple pitching sessions where 100 local and international startups will present their projects.

The exhibition area of 4YFN will host delegations from ChinaAccelerator, the European Young Innovators Forum, Hong Kong Cyberport, Jordanian Pavilion, MobileMonday, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Silk Ventures and the Tencent Pavilion, among others. 4YFN will feature an extensive line-up of talks by experts in innovation and the latest digital trends, including Yossi Vardi, Honorary Chairman of 4YFN; Ignacio Martinez Trujillo, Managing Director Innovation and Global Development of LaLiga; Saket Modi, CEO of Lucideus Tech, serial entrepreneur and member of Forbes Asia’s “30 under 30” list; and Adam Lashinsky, Editorial Director of Fortune Brainstorm Tech. 4YFN will also open up its main stage to the five most innovative projects who will be able to present their creations to win a space at 4YFN 2017 in Barcelona. For more information, visit  www.mwcshanghai.com/4yfn/.

Updates in Partner Programmes
The GSMA announced two new Partner Programmes for Mobile World Congress Shanghai. ZTE will host its “Connecting with the World – Brighter Future with RCS” summit on Thursday, 30 June at the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel. Also on 30 June, China Mobile will host “The China Mobile 4G+ Devices Summit” at the DaGuan Theatre at the Shanghai Zendai Himalayas Arts Centre and will also display their new products in the Device City at the SNIEC in Hall E7. For more information, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/events/partner-programmes/.

Bai Xuxu to Host Asia Mobile Awards
Mobile World Congress Shanghai will also see the launch of the first Asia Mobile Awards (AMO Awards), sister awards to the GSMA’s Global Mobile Awards, the mobile industry’s world-leading awards programme. The AMO Awards Ceremony and Dinner Reception, held at DaGuan Theatre in Pudong, Shanghai on Wednesday, 29 June, will be hosted by popular TV personality Bai Xuxu. Bai is known for hosting programs like Looking East and Star Space on the Dragon TV channel, as well as Cosmo Times on International Channel Shanghai (ICS). He rose to fame in 2007, when he took part in the talent show My Hero and won first place of the Beijing Division and Top 10 of the national finals, as well as the Talent Award. For more information, visit www.asiamobileawards.com.

New Official Media Partners
BBC World News and BBC.com, Bloomberg, Sohu Tech and The Wall Street Journal have been confirmed as Official Media Partners for Mobile World Congress Shanghai, joining previously announced partners C114 China Communication Network, Communications World and QQ.com. For the full list of Media and Association Partners, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/media-partners/.

Get Involved at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2016
For more information on the 2016 Mobile World Congress Shanghai, including how to attend, exhibit, partner or sponsor, visit www.mwcshanghai.com. Follow developments and updates on Mobile World Congress Shanghai through our social media channels – follow us on Twitter at @GSMA and use #MWCS16, get regular updates through our LinkedIn Showcase Page at www.linkedin.com/company/mobile-world-congress-shanghai, and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mwcshanghai. In China, you can follow us on Sina Weibo http://weibo.com/mwcshanghai or on the GSMA account on WeChat. For additional information on GSMA social channels, visit www.mwcshanghai.com/register-plan/networking/social-media.

-ENDS-

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About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with almost 300 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

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