The GSMA today reported that more than 75,000 unique visitors from over 100 countries and territories attended MWC19 Shanghai, held 26-28 June in Shanghai. This included 7,000 consumers who attended the Global 5G Immersion Experience Exhibition organised by China Mobile Migu. The three-day event attracted executives from the largest and most influential organisations from across the mobile ecosystem, as well as companies from a wide range of vertical industry sectors. Covering seven halls, MWC19 Shanghai hosted around 500 exhibitors, with almost half coming from outside of China.
The conference programme attracted over 4,000 attendees, with more than 55 per cent of delegates holding senior-level positions, including more than 350 CEOs. More than 1,100 international and Chinese media and industry analysts attended MWC19 Shanghai to report on the many industry developments highlighted at the show.
“Under the theme of ‘Intelligent Connectivity’, 5G was front and centre of everything at MWC19 Shanghai with 5G-enabled handsets launched, new products and services and 5G demos in every hall – it was exciting for attendees to be part of so many interactive 5G experiences,” said John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. “Today we celebrate another highly successful MWC19 Shanghai, which convened representatives from across the global mobile ecosystem. Our industry continues to make strong progress with 5G and MWC Shanghai continues to showcase the best and most impactful elements of our connected world.”
MWC19 Shanghai officially opened on Wednesday, 26 June with a ceremony attended by representatives from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Shanghai local government authorities and the Pudong New District Municipal Government, among other distinguished guests.
MWC19 Shanghai Conference: Intelligent Connectivity
Over the three days, MWC19 Shanghai’s conference programme outlined the powerful combination of flexible, high-speed 5G networks, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, marking the beginning of a new era defined by highly contextualised and personalised experiences, delivered as and when you want them. Keynote speakers represented organisations including: Adriel, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Huawei, JPMorgan Chase, Qualcomm, Reliance Jio, Telenor Pakistan, YOFC and ZTE.
Attendees Experienced the Power of 5G
Attendees experienced fully immersive 5G services across all seven exhibition halls at MWC19 Shanghai, supported by the Chinese mobile operators and their partners. This enabled exhibitors to perform 5G-enabled demonstrations and activities at the event including:
- A live 5G-enabled tele-mentored surgery was performed over a 5G connection supported by AIS, China Mobile and Mediapro. Live guidance was provided by Dr Antonio de Lacy, Head of Gastrointestinal Surgery at the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona and co-founder of AIS Channel from the venue to the operating room in Shanghai East Hospital, with the full consent of the patient;
- Diamond Event Partner China Mobile demonstrated a number of interactive 5G experiences across the exhibition halls and delivered ultra-HD 5G connectivity to all attendees at the event, across sports, performing arts and culture.
- Connectivity Event Theme Sponsor Ericsson shared their insights on how to plan and execute a smooth transition to 5G.
Highlights of the Partner Programmes that explored the future of 5G included;
- At the launch of China Mobile’s 5G+, the GSMA joined government officials, international industry partners and key ecosystem players as China Mobile outlined its exciting plans for all 340+ cities in China to be covered by its 5G network next year;
- China Unicom International Partners Meeting ‘5G’ Empowering Intelligent Connectivity’, which discussed opportunities, trends and best practices in the telecoms industry; and
- GTI Summit’s ‘5G+X, Beyond Connectivity’, which discussed 5G industrial maturity and explored how new businesses created by 5G will reshape society in the future.
Industry Leaders Convene at MWC19 Shanghai
The GSMA, through its newly introduced Digital Leaders Programme, convened visionary leaders across the wider ecosystem, who are at the forefront of their industries in exploring and leading the digital transformation of their businesses. Companies such as ABB China, CBC Capital, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Haier, Huawei, JP Morgan Chase, Neusoft Hanfeng, Nokia Shanghai Bell, Qualcomm China, S.F. Holdings, Synchronoss and ZTE discussed challenges, future business opportunities and innovative solutions that will collectively drive a sustainable digital future.
The Artificial Intelligence Accelerate Programme brought together stakeholders including policymakers, industry leaders, AI specialists, academia and start-ups, to discuss key policy formulation, how to stimulate new innovations and explored how AI can be applied throughout the digital economy. Additionally, the GSMA partnered with INSEAD, one of the world’s leading graduate business schools, to provide attendees with the first Masterclass Programme at MWC19 Shanghai which examined and identified barriers to change as well as ways to overcome them.
Innovative and Entrepreneurial Startups Showcased at 4YFN
4 Years from Now (4YFN), one of the most influential start-up event platforms in the world, focused on connecting and building the startup ecosystem. This year the GSMA introduced the Discovery Area, with its Investor Club, where startups connected with investors through meetups and networking activities. More than 100 investors attended the event including companies such as Cathay Innovation, China Mobile Fund and Shenzhen Valley Ventures. Connected China, a dedicated IoT demo space, highlighted some of the innovative advancements in IoT in the region. During the main conference session expert speakers tackled the key issues facing startups and the tech sector and throughout the exhibition space startups showcased their ground-breaking technologies.
The winner of the 4YFN Shanghai Awards 2019 was also announced as instant VAT refund company, RefundMe during a live pitch process in front of a panel of expert judges.
Showcasing the Future of Mobile
The event highlighted the technologies, products and services that are shaping the future of mobile. With seven halls, MWC19 Shanghai spanned almost 100,000 square metres of exhibition, hospitality and conference space – an almost three-fold increase since the launch of the event in 2012. Companies that showcased their innovations including AsiaInfo, China Information & Communication Technology Group (CICT), China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Ericsson, F1 Esports, Huawei, Intracom Telecom, Korea Information and Communication Technology Association (KICTA), Lenovo, New H3C Technologies, Nokia Shanghai Bell, Oppo, Qualcomm, Samsung LSI, vivo, Whale Cloud, YOFC and ZTE.
GSMA Innovation City
The GSMA Innovation City was a popular destination for MWC19 Shanghai attendees, who experienced the mix of 5G, IoT, AI and big data and saw how it is already positively impacting the lives of citizens and businesses around the world. Visitors had the opportunity to experience a number of hands-on demonstrations that illustrated how mobile impacts virtually every aspect of life, in sectors such as transport, health, agriculture, industry, home and retail. Leading brands including BICS, China Mobile Migu, G7 Networks, Huawei, myFC, Singtel and Shanghai Ratta Smart Technology participated in the City, alongside key GSMA programmes including Future Networks, Identity and the Internet of Things.
Women4Tech: Reducing the Gender Gap, Championing Diversity
At MWC19 Shanghai the GSMA continued its commitment to increasing the number of women at the event, with more than 20 per cent of keynote speakers at Women4Tech and a huge 77 per cent of all speakers across the entire Women4Tech conference programme, being women and all at Director, Vice President or C-level. The Women4Tech Programme returned to Shanghai with an expanded set of activities and events designed to address and reduce the gender gap in the mobile industry. Ericsson was Headline Sponsor at the Women4Tech Summit and senior executives spoke at the event from JPMorgan Chase Asia, KDDI, Lenovo, LinkedIn China, Mastercard, UNICEF and the University of Hong Kong.
“On behalf of the GSMA, I would like to thank all of our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors and partners who came together to make MWC19 Shanghai such a huge success,” added Hoffman. “We also extend our gratitude to the government of China and the city of Shanghai and we look forward to returning to Shanghai next year.”
