Under the ‘Future First’ theme, Asia Pacific’s edition of MWC is set to be an unmissable experience
26 June 2024, Shanghai: GSMA MWC Shanghai 2024 was declared officially open during an Opening Ceremony at the Kerry Hotel Pudong, Shanghai today. Participants at MWC are set for for three days of discussion, debate and networking across keynote sessions, conference tracks, and a dynamic show floor spanning five halls at Shanghai New International Exhibition Center.
The ceremony was hosted by John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd., and Sihan Bo Chen, Head of Greater China at the GSMA, who welcomed to the stage Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA and dignitaries H.E. Wang Song, Vice Minister, Cyberspace Administration of China; H.E. Zhao Zhiguo, Chief Engineer, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; H.E. Chen Jie, Vice Mayor, Shanghai Municipal People’s Government; Yang Jie, Chairman, China Mobile; Ke Ruiwen, Chairman & CEO, China Telecom; Chen Zhongyue, Chairman, China Unicom.
John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd., said: “MWC Shanghai is at the frontier of cross-industry digitalisation, and across the five exhibition halls you’ll see the transformative impact of mobile technology on the world’s largest 5G market. MWC has something for everybody, whether it’s AI-embedded consumer electronics, AR glasses, or the newest AI solutions. So go out, explore – and experience the power of connection.”
During the ceremony, the GSMA also revealed Ernest L. Cu, Executive Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, Globe Telecom and Yang Jie, Chairman, China Mobileas winners of the Asia Mobile Award (AMO), ‘Outstanding contribution to the Asia mobile industry’. The AMOs recognise the individuals, teams and organisations across Asia that are striving to better the world through connectivity. The winners of the remaining four categories will be announced during the Innovation First keynote on 27 June.
Sihan Bo Chen, Head of Greater China at the GSMA, said: “With China’s AI sector undergoing a rapid transformation over the past year and 5G-Advanced momentum building for Chinese operators, China is an exciting market to watch and the perfect place to host the Asia-Pacific edition of MWC. The next three days promise to be an unmissable experience for anybody interested in the future of connectivity. Our warmest thanks to everyone who is participating both from China and around the world, making MWC Shanghai a truly international platform.”
Driving Open Gateway and 5G momentum
The GSMA also announced Chunghwa Telecom and CTM as the newest additions to the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, with Alibaba Cloud joining as channel partner. These latest additions mean 53 operators representing 245 networks and over two-thirds of global connections have now signed up to the initiative, with Globe Telecom and PLDT Enterprise also signing up last week.
MWC Shanghai will host the Open Gateway DevCon on day 3, focused on showcasing the value of network APIs for operators and enterprises. In addition to featuring keynotes and commercial API demos from the likes of AWS, Huawei and Glide API, the winner of the GSMA-Telecom Open Gateway Hackathon will be announced at Open Gateway DevCon. The 48-hour hackathon, which began on 25 June, saw leading developers compete to create new solutions that drive positive business and societal change using mobile services.
Launched at MWC Barcelona 2023, the GSMA Open Gateway is a framework of network APIs that provides developers with universal access to operator networks, designed to speed up the creation of new digital products and services.
The GSMA also published its ‘5G RedCap Use Case Collection’ white paper today, which provides detailed case studies of 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability) technology in areas including data collection, remote control and video surveillance. 5G RedCap has seen broad applications across the smart grid, smart city, and smart manufacturing sectors since its commercial launch earlier this year.
Driving cross-border progress
The Digital Leaders Programme (DLP) will be held on day 1, bringing together leading figures from the global connectivity ecosystem. Taking place under the theme “Accelerating digital transformation for sustainable development”, participants in the invite-only forum will share insights from across the mobile ecosystem and seek to find new models for cross-sector collaboration.
Four regional roundtables will be hosted separate to the DLP, convening industry leaders and policymakers to promote cross-border collaboration and accelerate digital transformation in APAC, LATAM, MENA & Central Asia and Africa.
