Yesterday we received the news that Ericsson would not attend this year’s MWC that will be held, in principle, in early summer in Barcelona and now two companies are following in its footsteps, Nokia and Sony.
The Swedish company did not want to risk the health of its employees and, months before the event, has withdrawn from the event. Nokia has been the second company to announce that it will not physically attend MWC 2021, something that had been rumored for a few hours, especially since Ericsson’s announcement.
Unlike Ericsson, Nokia is looking into the possibility of collaborating online with the GSMA, with non-face-to-face events. Nokia is, together with Ericsson, one of the most important companies in the development of 5G networks, and both are the only European companies in this sector.
In 2021 the focus that MWC will have, or would have had, would not be the same as in other years because media attendance will be limited and attendance will be more akin to that of a strictly professional congress.
However, this event has always been a showcase for mobile manufacturers, and Sony is the first to get out of it.
Moreover, the words of a company spokesperson hint that the future of this type of event is perhaps darker than the GSMA would like: “As the world shifts more and more towards digital and online opportunities to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus (Covid-19), Sony Mobile will communicate in a way that can deliver our exciting product news to a wider audience.”
It is more than likely that in the coming weeks, if not days, we will hear news of more cancellations. The question is whether they will be more heavyweights, which would put the event in serious jeopardy.
