Back to business, back to Barcelona for the world's mobile ecosystem
6 May 2021, London: The GSMA has today announced event highlights for MWC21 Barcelona. The theme of this year's event is Connected Impact. The programme will explore how AI, 5G, Big Data, and IoT will shape the future and continue to transform lives. It's time to reconnect, rebuild - and reimagine a more connected world.
Organisations, brands, startups, consultants, investors, and telecom operators will gather to encourage thought leadership, discover ground-breaking innovations, and connect with the industry's most important decision-makers.
They say that times of crisis accelerate progress and innovation. The impact of this global pandemic has proved no exception to that thinking. The rate of change is phenomenal, and this will be a feature in the MWC programme. said John Hoffman, CEO GSMA Ltd. There's nothing that beats building relationships in person, and I am consistently encouraged by the collective desire to come back together.
MWC21 includes world-class speakers, the Ministerial Programme, leading-edge exhibitors, start-up innovation at 4YFN, and the Diversity4Tech Summit. The multi-layered health and safety plan, Committed Community, combined with a virtual platform means the global mobile ecosystem can come together safely for networking, collaborating, and deal-making.
Sustainability- ahead of the curve in the mobile industry
The 2021 event aims to be carbon-neutral, much like the 2019 edition, which was officially certified by AENOR International. That certification secured the event as the world's largest carbon-neutral tradeshow. The GSMA is working to further reduce the event's environmental impact and carbon footprint as part of its overall leadership on climate action.
Thought Leaders
With over 600 keynote and conference speakers, the GSMA is excited to welcome leaders representing a wide range of industries to the MWC21 stage, including mobile, healthcare cloud, and finance :
Julie Sweet, CEO, Accenture
Shuky Sheffer, CEO, Amdocs
Zina Jarrahi Cinker, Director General, AMPT
Yang Jie, Chairman, China Mobile
Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA
Arvind Krishna, CEO, IBM
Eugene Kaspersky, CEO, Kaspersky
Ana Maiques, CEO, Neuroelectrics
Sarah Wilkinson, CEO, NHS Digital
St phane Richard, Chief Executive and Chairman, Orange
Cristiano Amon, President and CEO-Elect, Qualcomm Incorporated
Mathew Oommen, CEO, Reliance Jio
Nik Storonsky, Founder & CEO, Revolut
Anne Boden, CEO, Starling Bank
Danielle Royston, CEO, TelcoDR
Caroline Casey, Founder & Creator, The Valuable 500
Hans Vestberg, Chairman & CEO, Verizon
Rima Qureshi, Board Deputy Chair, GSMA and Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Verizon
Raffaele Annecchino, President & CEO, Viacom Networks International
Nick Read, CEO, Vodafone Group
Xu Ziyang, Executive Director & President, ZTE
Meet the leaders who will redefine what it means to be connected this summer at MWC21.
Diversity4Tech Summit
The GSMA is proud to partner with Accenture to bring you this year's Diversity4Tech programme. Building on the success of Women4Tech, expanding conversations to include the indisputable case for diversity and inclusion in business. The Diversity4Tech Summit is packed with talks, panels, and awards creating a unique opportunity to influence and accelerate the change needed whilst inspiring the mobile ecosystem to demonstrate authentic leadership.
The Centre of Policy Debate
At the heart of the event, the GSMA Ministerial Programme will convene policymakers to discuss digital inclusion, network resilience, and maximising the potential of 5G. The world's political, regulatory and telecom leaders recognise that it has never been more critical to come together to discuss policies for a robust recovery and targeted investment in our digital future. MWC21 will host dozens of delegations from countries and international organisations around the world.
With much of the world gradually emerging from the Covid-19 crisis, now is the moment to reflect on policies that support digital connectivity, innovation and, critically, economic recovery, said John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer at the GSMA. The Ministerial Programme at MWC Barcelona always delivers timely, meaningful dialogue and debate - and we are glad to be back.
The Most Influential Startup Event in the World
This year 4YFN moves to the heart of MWC at Fira Gran Via. Over 400 international startups will exhibit their latest products within the Innovation Market' and 150 speakers will share insights that will drive the ecosystem forward. In the 4YFN Discovery Area, 200 startups will pitch, hoping to attract the attention of leading funds, VCs, and CVCs.
New this year, the Investors Programme features a summit dedicated to knowledge sharing among the investor community. Recent trends such as investments during COVID-19, fund-IPOs, and tokenization will be discussed. The programme also includes an exciting new impact partnership with UNDP and the Impact Awards, aiming to find the best digital startups driving positive impact towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The world's biggest connectivity event goes fully hybrid
While there's nothing that can beat face-to-face interaction to build solid relationships, the addition of digital products that aid virtual attendance allows connecting to become easier, more accessible, and even smarter. From technicians and regulators to founders and government delegations, MWC21 offers even more ways to seal the deal with the most influential attendees.
MWC21 will still be the place where our industry gathers to create Connected Impact for a thriving society. But now, it's also the place where you can connect with industry decision-makers attending in-person or onl
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
21/08/2026
Hardware-style timing shifts for software instruments
Following on from the release of Omniclock, Rapid Flow have launched a new sequencer plug-in that can ...
21/08/2026
Highly anticipated synthesizer ships in October 2026
Iceland-based Love Synthesizers have announced that their highly anticipated synthesizer is now availab...
21/08/2026
Masterpiece PBS The Forsytes has expanded its cast as its begins production in ...
21/08/2026
The BBC has unveiled first-look pictures from The Witch Farm, a new ghost story and mystery set in the Welsh countryside, coming soon to BBC iPlayer and BBC One...
21/08/2026
The BBC and BritBox have revealed the first look of Edward Bluemel as Hercule Poirot in the forthcoming six-part series Hercule from Mammoth Screen and Agatha C...
21/08/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
21/08/2026
** MEDIA ALERT **
VIZ Media Takes Over Anime NYC with BLEACH, BLACK TORCH, M...
21/08/2026
Tell us a little bit about your job I'm a Marketing Manager and work across a mix of clients and projects. No two days are ever quite the same, which defini...
21/08/2026
Beat The Lotto dives into the plot behind the 1980s National Lottery scandal
24 August 2026 at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player
Beat The Lotto is the story o...
21/08/2026
The countdown to the most wonderful night of the year has officially begun!
Host Patrick Kielty is gearing up for another unforgettable Late Late Toy Show nig...
21/08/2026
Meet puppet duo Bellie and Whizz, who are about to explore all the big feelings ...
20/08/2026
Set up your own private remote collaboration infrastructure
SoundBridge have recently put together a tutorial video that provides users with a step-by-step ...
20/08/2026
New V-Control Pro features restore basic functionality
Neyrinck's V-Control software has long been keeping older Avid control surfaces compatible with n...
20/08/2026
TV, BritBox and Mammoth Screen have announced that filming is now underway on th...
20/08/2026
Thursday 20 August 2026
Nina Sosanya, Rizzle Kicks, Roman Kemp and Paul Whiteho...
20/08/2026
Wuppertal August 20, 2026
Transformation Church Elevates Production Communicat...
20/08/2026
The music between the notes Coming together In the middle of 2026, as conversations around artificial intelligence continue to raise questions about how musi...
20/08/2026
Arvato Systems Brings Together Digital Transformation Leaders in the Manufacturi...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
Company launch with stereo-imaging tool
Panoramic is the debut release from Panorama Labs, a new company formed by mastering engineer Nicholas Di Lorenzo. C...
18/08/2026
Control software now available for older interfaces
Focusrite have just announced the launch of an update that extends Control 2 software support for their ...
18/08/2026
Tuesday 18 August 2026
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious announce new partnership
Sky Sports and The Fast and the Curious have announced a new long-term...
18/08/2026
Wuppertal August 18, 2026
Riedel Brings Professional Live Production Into the Classrooms of ECURiedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan Universi...
18/08/2026
Apple today announced changes to its business terms for apps in the European Uni...
18/08/2026
THE HEALY RAES: BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS AIRS WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19 ON RT ONE AT 9:35PM
A new documentary The Healy-Raes: Blood, Sweat & Tears airs on RT One and ...
18/08/2026
Stunning Irish performances at European Athletics and Swimming Championships rea...
18/08/2026
The two-part series begins Sunday 23 August at 6.30pm on RT One and RT Player
...
17/08/2026
New MIDI processor & macro controller revealed
SHIK have announced that they have opened pre-orders for the S32, a standalone MIDI processor and macro contr...
17/08/2026
Cover extended on innovative motorised pot system
Melbourne Instruments have just revealed that the innovative motorised pot system used in their synths and...
17/08/2026
Latest firmware version now available
1010music have just released a free firmware update that brings some nice new features to their renowned Bluebox digit...
17/08/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases integrated defense and test solutions at DALO Industry...
17/08/2026
Calrec's ImPulseV Virtualised Audio Mixing Engine joins NEP Platform, the industry's largest ecosystem of trusted production software, bringing scalable...
17/08/2026
Visitors to IBC 2026 will see how FilmLight is reshaping the modern post pipelin...
17/08/2026
Visitors to Stand 1.C41 can explore innovations in areas such as addressable advertising, hybrid distribution, managed services and operational simplification.
...
16/08/2026
Virtual drummer joins line-up
The latest release from Gospel Musicians adds a virtual drummer to the company's line-up, combining a pair of meticulously...
15/08/2026
In-ear monitoring line-up gains new universal models
In-ear monitoring experts JH Audio have just announced a significant expansion of their Universal-Fit r...
14/08/2026
Latest instalment delivers disco-inspired grooves
The latest addition to UJAM's virtual drum line-up has been designed with contemporary pop, disco, dan...
14/08/2026
Elite range gains giant 24-inch powered sub
The latest expansion of Yorkville's Elite range introduces what the company say is the world's first act...
14/08/2026
Friday 14 August 2026
Breaking news! Sky releases trailer for The Paper, return...
14/08/2026
It's been one year since our client, Cotswolds Designer Outlet, opened its doors and we've loved seeing the scheme come to life. Together, we've hel...
Back to business, back to Barcelona for the world's mobile ecosystem 
