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 ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
15/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
15/05/2026
Rebranded show announced
Ahead of their 2026 return, Music Expo have announced that they have now officially changed their name to the MONO Music Conference...
15/05/2026
Fuzz pedal joins UK companys line-up
UK-based pedal makers Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices have recently unveiled their latest creation, the Bolster. Said to pay...
15/05/2026
Join Calrec at MPTS 2026 | May 13-14 | Stand A40 | Olympia, London We're looking forward to meeting up with customers and partners at this year's Media ...
15/05/2026
The six-part series is a co-commission with BritBox and Sony Pictures Television...
15/05/2026
Against that backdrop, IAB UK has added retail media to its Gold Standard. Jan Pitt, Commercial Director at ABC, spoke with Liv McCullagh, Retail Media Lead at ...
15/05/2026
Further to RT 's statement released yesterday and in the interest of full transparency, with the full permission of Derek Mooney, we are now publishing the ...
14/05/2026
At Spotify, we're focused on making every listening experience feel intentio...
14/05/2026
Spotify recently welcomed songwriters, artists, executives, and music students t...
14/05/2026
New articulations, ostinatos, Motion Scoring Articulation Sets & more
Sonuscore's flagship cinematic string library has just been treated to a significa...
14/05/2026
World-class studio opens on T rkiye's Aegean coast
P r Recording & Residence have announced their official opening, introducing a new world-class reside...
14/05/2026
Now supports channel layouts up to 9.1.6
Nugen Audio have just released an update for their AI-powered dialogue intelligibility and compliance tool. Set to ...
14/05/2026
New recordings & one-key chord tool
UVI have just announced the release of Orchestral Suite 2, a ground-up redesign of their all-in-one symphonic orchestra ...
14/05/2026
Two new arrivals & expanded factory content
Rob Papen's all-encompassing plug-in and virtual instrument collection has just been treated to another upda...
14/05/2026
Embed QR codes into DAW sessions
FSK Audio's latest plug-in doesn't process audio, but serves as an organisational tool that allows QR codes to be e...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz transforms spectrum complexity into situational awareness and ef...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Quantum Systems join forces to redefine EW and C-UAS-enabled...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases STANAG aligned ARDRONIS Counter UAS capability at NATO...
14/05/2026
Code of Silence has won the BAFTA for Best Drama Series at Sunday night's ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall.
The series, starring Rose Ayling-Ellis and w...
14/05/2026
Vivid Broadcast was embracing remote production long before it became the industry norm. Now, with Calrec's True Control 2.0-enabled Argo M and Type R conso...
14/05/2026
Comscore Reports First Quarter 2026 ResultsRESTON, Va., May 14, 2026 Comscore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a trusted partner for planning, transacting and evaluating...
14/05/2026
RT is today publishing the earnings of its top 10 highest-earning presenters for 2025, ahead of the publication of RT 's Annual Report 2025 later this year...
14/05/2026
What can I watch on UKTV and stream on U this week?
This week on UKTV and the free streaming service U, viewers can watch a range of new and returning programm...
14/05/2026
The high-stakes chase thriller from Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated writer Matt Charm...
14/05/2026
Back From The Brink airs Sunday 17 May and Sunday 24 May at 6.30pm on RT One an...
13/05/2026
13 May 2026
VEON Delivers Strong Start to 2026 1Q26: Revenue 17.0%, EBITDA 17...
13/05/2026
Thousands of props donated from Skys longest-running original seriesWednesday 13 May 2026
How a neon windmill from A League of Their Own ended up in a dogs'...
13/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 13, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that I...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
FOX Announces Schedule for 2026-27 Season FOX'S POWERFUL NEW SERIES PIPELINE FUELS A BREAKOUT SEASON WITH RETURNING HITS AND BOLD NEW STORYTELLING ACROSS ...
12/05/2026
Customer demand for data continues to grow in the first quarter of 2026 at Magya...
12/05/2026
The latest drama underscores Sky's continued investment in regional production and Welsh creative talent.Tuesday 12 May 2026
Wales takes the spotlight in S...
11/05/2026
As Eurovision fans gear up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the iconic song ...
11/05/2026
Pela primeira vez na hist ria, o Brasil figura entre os oito maiores mercados de...
11/05/2026
New desktop instrument focused on tactile performance
Bastl Instruments have announced the Kalimba, a new desktop instrument that combines physical modellin...
11/05/2026
Compact sampling workstation gains new features
1010music have announced the blackbox 2, a new version of their compact standalone sampler designed for DAWl...
11/05/2026
Performance-focused sequencer with microtonal control
Berlin-based KOMA Elektronik have announced Monoplex, a new 42HP Eurorack sequencer designed for hands...
11/05/2026
Boasts wireless control from mobile devices
The latest iteration of IK Multimedia's compact amp and effects modelling pedal expands on the capabilities ...
Back to business, back to Barcelona for the world's mobile ecosystem 
