Last week saw the return of Mobile World Congress Shanghai, with more than 53,000 unique visitors from 104 countries and territories attending the 2016 event, making it the largest Mobile World Congress Shanghai yet. Mobile World Congress Shanghai hosted nearly 550 exhibitors, including 18 pavilions, and was a truly international showcase, with 64 per cent of exhibiting companies coming from outside of China. The conference programme attracted more than 4,100 attendees, with over 57 per cent of delegates holding C-level positions, including over 300 CEOs. Read the official press release here.
The three-day event attracted executives from the industry’s largest and most influential mobile operators, device makers, equipment providers, software and internet companies, as well as tech-savvy consumers. ‘Mobile is Me’, the theme for this year’s event, highlighted how mobile technology – everything from connected cars and wearable tech to the Internet of Things and smarter cities – is transforming every aspect of individual’s lives for a better and more personalised experience.
At MWC Shanghai 2016, the spotlight was on innovation – not only across the Asia mobile market but also internationally. The event showcased the world’s leading mobile players and brands throughout the exhibition and conference, and introduced a range of new elements such as 4 Years From Now (4YFN) and consumer-facing features including the Virtual Reality Zone, Drones, The Youth Mobile Festival, Skateboarding and Mobile Gaming Zone.
The work of the GSMA was also on centre stage at Mobile World Congress Shanghai. The GSMA Innovation City returned to Shanghai for a fourth year, with 50% more participating companies than in 2015. Attendees experienced a real-life city setting with interactive demonstrations showcasing applications of innovative technologies. The Innovation City highlighted how mobile-connected products and services are improving people’s daily lives in industrial applications, home, automotive, health, agriculture and others with live demos from the GSMA
programmes including Connected Living, Digital Commerce, Network 2020 and Personal Data. Captured below are the highlights from each of our programmes and their presence at MWC Shanghai 2016.
Personal Data Programme
The spotlight for the Personal Data programme was very much on Mobile Connect. Mobile Connect is the new standard in digital authentication and works by combining people’s unique mobile number and PIN to verify and identify themselves online, enhancing their experience and giving them control of their personal data.
Alongside a range of demonstrations from global service providers such as Visa, the showstopper, was the demonstration of a proof-of-concept that illustrated how Mobile Connect can be used to log in to Microsoft’s Azure Active Directory. Read Personal Data’s full story from MWC Shanghai here.
Network 2020 Programme
The Network 2020 programme hosted their summit focusing on opportunities with Rich Communications Services and preparation for 5G. It included debate from industry leaders and experts, particularly around value-added services such as the business directory from China Mobile. There were two main announcements during the event, one showing the momentum building for the RCS Universal Profile, and the other reporting on mobile customers’ desire for operator-led IP communications services.
There were six interactive demonstrations illustrating developments in the Universal Messaging Platform, as well as the evolution from 4G to 5G, including real-world scenarios using virtual and augmented reality. You can find out more about the key takeaways, announcements and demonstrations on the Network 2020 blog here.
Connected Living Programme
The Internet of Things was a central feature at this year’s MWC Shanghai as it continues to underline economic and social improvements across Asia. Attendees had the opportunity to experience a range of demonstrations, exhibitions, conference sessions and seminars, all designed to enrich their understanding of the IoT, including LPWA networks, IoT security guidelines and how operator-led smart city initiatives are accelerating region’s burgeoning IoT market.
Attendees at the GSMA Innovation City had the opportunity to experience pet monitoring solutions, next-generation waste management, advances in city lighting, and more. Read more about the other interactive demonstrations and use cases of IoT on Connected Living’s blog here.
Digital Commerce Programme
The Digital Commerce Summit addressed key topics such as internet finance, digital payments, mobile identity and authentication. The Summit spanned a full day, featuring leading industry experts from companies including Huawei, MasterCard, Samsung Pay, Visa and WeChat Pay.
Executives urged vendors in the mobile payments industry to focus on building stronger ecosystems around the technology to drive further uptake. More in-depth insights from the Summit are available here.
As we look back at a resoundingly successful show, we would like to thank everyone that got involved with MWC Shanghai 2016. We look forward to returning next year and building on our success with Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2017. It will be held the week of 26 June 2017.
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For news coverage and video highlights from Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2016, please visit Mobile World Live here. Replays of the Mobile World Congress Shanghai keynote presentations are also available on Mobile World Live.