An article written by Mr. Niranjan Gidwani, Consultant Director | Member UAE Superbrands Council | Founding Member Tie Dubai | Hbr Advisory Board
The Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona is one of the largest tech trade fairs in the world and a trend-setting event for the mobile communications industry.
After MWC 2020 was canceled in 2020, postponed in 2021 and held on a much smaller scale in 2022, this year’s MWC 2023 has caused a lot of excitement and is set to welcome over 80,000 visitors and over 2,000 exhibitors. Here are some key trends, pointers, and takeaways from MWC 2023: – Telecom industry is joining the AI race
Major chip companies, telecom operators, and more showcase technologies related to “Generative AI.”
The world will see proliferation of AI use cases across all industries with the success ChatGPT has seen through its release. – Foldable and other high-end smartphones are launched
Besides the two leading global brands that recently launched their flagship products, major Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi, Oppo and Honor also launched their latest flagship smartphones at MWC 2023.
According to IDC data, global smartphone shipments fell by 11.3% in 2022, with the most notable decline occurring in the final quarter of last year. The question, therefore, is whether flashy new launches can revitalize the smartphone market amid a global economic slowdown.
Foldable, while still niche and premium, has shown promise to drive the next phase of growth in the smartphone segment. Cumulative global shipments of foldable devices since Q2 2019 have surpassed 20 million by the end of Q3 2022. Deliveries are expected to reach 23 million units in 2023. (Source – Counterpoint)
But what happens with multiple global launches per year with the commitment to global sustainability? -5G and 6G
With more non-telecom companies joining the MWC each year, mobile communications technology is still the main attraction at the Barcelona show.
The main theme will be to see how 5G turns out to be a viable alternative to fixed connectivity in many cases. The era of 5G allows telecom operators to use different providers for different power supplies. This in turn opens up immense new possibilities.
6G, the sixth generation mobile system standard currently under development, is also attracting some interest at MWC 2023. -The era of ABIOT (AI, Blockchain and IoT)
The IoT is starting to gain traction. It plays a crucial role in collecting data from sensors, facilitating two-way communication and enabling superior action.
AI takes on the responsibility of “thinking” by analyzing the large data sets generated by the IoT and operating as if it were human-like intelligence.
And blockchain ensures a secure and transparent record to enable transactions. -IoT consolidation
This area should have picked up more. One of the main reasons is that it is highly fragmented, with several thousand players competing for market share and many products and companies forming silos where their products cannot communicate with each other.
Intense competition has reduced margins even before the technology has mass-scaled.
2023 is the start of defragmentation through mergers and acquisitions. -Internet security
Cyber security has become more important than ever due to the rapid digital transformation in all industries and the transition to Web 3.0. The legacy security architecture needs to be improved in a number of ways, making it woefully inadequate.
If an even faster transition is needed, this area will take center stage and gain significant importance.
-eSIMs
eSIM is now fast becoming the preferred mode of cellular connectivity.
In 2023, expect a significant increase in the adoption of eSIM technology as many more IoT modules will be equipped with this technology.
-Sustainability
As a race, we continue to deplete Earth’s resources at nearly twice its resupply capacity.
Good companies become aware of their resource consumption and the efficiency of their business processes. Companies are only now beginning to use technology to change the flow of processes to achieve greater efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint.
The question remains: is enough being done? -Chinese Tech
Chinese tech companies have been noticeably absent from MWC and many other major trade shows in recent years due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions that were only lifted in January 2023.
After being unable to meet overseas customers and partners for so long, Chinese leaders are eager to rebuild relationships and explore new markets. And with the US market raising the handicap level for companies like Huawei and ZTE, MWC Barcelona offers Chinese tech companies a window to try to win over the relatively friendlier European and other markets. -Geopolitics
In recent decades, organizations around the world have increasingly had to include geopolitics as a critical pillar in their strategic decision-making process.
Take this example – A page on the MWC website states that the GSMA and its subsidiaries “must comply with all applicable US, UK and EU trade sanctions.
Previously, the MWC was a prime opportunity for Huawei to market its consumer electronics business, with the company’s logo and smartphone promotions being distributed across the city during the event.
As governments around the world create new regulations, crack down for various reasons and create silos, geopolitics could be the main impediment to the growth of this industry in 2023.
By 2024, expect good Indian firms to be present at the MWC. This article was shared with Prittle Prattle News as a press release. Follow us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | LinkedIn | Pinterest | tumblr
