The Diplomat
King Philip VI presided yesterday in Barcelona the inauguration of the GSMA Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2022, the world’s leading trade fair for the wireless communications sector, which in this edition recovers its face-to-face format and consolidates itself as the world’s most influential event for the connectivity industry.
During the welcome dinner of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), held on Sunday night at the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, said that the celebration of Mobile represents “the best sign of the return of normality”, lost with the outbreak of the pandemic two years ago, and said that the digital sector has risen to the occasion, so he thanked the efforts of all companies to allow citizens to continue “working, learning, enjoying entertainment and culture, and communicating with family and friends”.
Sánchez also recalled that the current edition coincides with “dramatic times for Europe”, in reference to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Faced with such a critical moment as the one Europe is going through, where its security is threatened, the European Union and its allies, we must respond as we are doing, with unity, with determination, in the face of the threat to Europe’s security posed by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” he said.
“We are responding to President Putin with total forcefulness and also with humanitarian aid, also keeping such important appointments as Mobile because of the commitment he represents and also because of the values that inspire him”, continued the President of the Government. Europe and its allies, he said, have sent a “forceful” message to Russia with massive economic sanctions, sanctions that “will last until Putin does not return to the borders of the Russian Federation and therefore leaves Ukraine, all of Ukraine”.
Pedro Sánchez also stressed the importance of the Mobile World Congress taking place in “the Spain that is committed to peace” and in “the Catalonia of reunion”. “Mobile has represented many things throughout its years of life and I would like to focus on three that are even more topical today: coexistence, encounter and dialogue,” said Sánchez.
The President of the Government also highlighted that digitalization is one of the pillars of the Spanish Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and will capture almost a third of the total investment, some 20 billion euros. For this reason, the strengthening and extension of connectivity is a “priority” for the Government, which aspires for Spain to play “a leading role” in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, industry 4.0 or the data economy.
The event was also attended by the First Vice President and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño; the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto; and the President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès. Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2022 brings together 1,500 exhibitors and participants from 150 countries and addresses topics such as financial technology, 5G, artificial intelligence, cloud technology, the Internet of Things, climate issues and cybersecurity.
