MWC set to showcase latest in 5G technology advances, IoT and some high-profile device launches
The mobile telecom world is set to again convene in Barcelona, Spain, for the annual Mobile World Congress event, with this year’s festivities expected to feature a strong dose of 5G, talk on the “Internet of Things” and even a few device launches.
The GSMA, which puts on the annual mobile event, said last year’s show was its largest ever, touting more than 94,000 attendees, nearly 2,200 exhibitors, and covered by more than 3,800 international press and industry analyst. There is little doubt this year’s event will be any less epic.
As for what to expect from Mobile World Congress 2016, don’t be surprised by the number of announcement’s involving the still nebulous “5G” term. While the actual standards are still years away, telecom operators and vendors have been pushing forward with plans for the next evolution in mobile technology even if it’s just to make sure everyone is aware of their importance. And, what better place than in front of the world’s press to stake a claim.
At this year’s show, expect to see considerable attention from significant telecom operators like AT&T, Verizon Communications, Vodafone Group, China Mobile, Telefonica, NTT DoCoMo and SK Telecom about their plans to begin trialing 5G technology this year and promises for commercial deployments shortly there after.
Those carrier announcements are also likely to include vendor partners, with the likes of Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia Networks and Samsung having already made announcements in terms of planned 5G demonstrations. Many of those demos will include talk of various spectrum bands in support of services, the use of small cells to support increased capacity, and the use of virtualization technologies like network functions virtualization, software-defined networking and cloud to further boost network efficiency.
The move towards 5G is also being accompanied by growing interest in IoT and its blue-collar brother industrial IoT. Vendors like Cisco Systems and Ericcson have been very vocal in their claims that the IoT and IIoT markets will drive tens of billions of new mobile connections, quickly outpacing numbers from traditional mobile devices.
In staying at the forefront of 5G, IoT and IIoT coverage, RCR Wireless News recently honored the 50 most influential people across those spaces as part of our inaugural Top 50 Industrial IoT 5G Industrialists and Innovators.
Finally, what would an industry trade show be without some new devices? Samsung is set to headline the show with its planned “Unpacked” event scheduled for the day before MWC 2016 officially begins. Rumors indicate the device giant will unveil the next iteration of its Galaxy lineup, expected to be dubbed the Galaxy S7. Leaked specifications show the device will gain some features over the Galaxy S6 model, though the overall design could be similar as Samsung continues to battle with Apple over the high end of the smartphone market.
LG is also expected to unveil a new “X” line of smartphones, again packing all the features expected in high-end smartphones, though perhaps also again having to live in the shadow of larger rivals Samsung and Apple.
Of course, RCR Wireless News will be on hand at MWC 2016 to cover all of the news and launches as well as providing video updates from the event. Make sure to check back regularly to the RCRWireless.com site for continual updates from the show.
