You know that feeling when you attend an awesome event that gets you completely hyped for all the things happening in your industry (and all the things to come)? That’s us after attending MWC Barcelona 2022—the world’s largest mobile technology event for thought leaders and trailblazers in the connectivity industry. It’s been weeks, and we’re still reeling from excitement about all the trends and developments we’re seeing in the mobile world. And because we can’t stop thinking about it, we decided to share some of our biggest takeaways with you:
1. It’s (still) all about 5G and AI.
We’ve been excited about 5G for a while, and it’s good to see our friends at MWC Barcelona are right there with us. From the keynotes and seminars to product announcements, it’s clear that the world is getting very serious about both the commercial and consumer benefits of 5G and how important it is to roll out even more quickly.
And to take things up a notch, influencer companies like Qualcomm, AT&T, and others are merging the benefits of 5G and AI, creating an even more enhanced user experience—like fast, reliable, and affordable access to connectivity.
Imagine downloading an entire movie to your smartphone in under 30 seconds. Or being able to test out furniture or try on new clothes virtually in your living room (in a more seamless and natural way than the somewhat clunky existing manifestations of these visionary capabilities). That’s the kind of innovation and opportunity we’re talking about. And that means so much more possibility for the mobile app world.
And speaking of 5G…
2. Mobile is expanding to more products.
Another trend we’ve seen at MWC Barcelona is the expansion of mobile capabilities for PCs and 2-in-1 devices. In a big reveal, Qualcomm showcased two modules with plans to take 5G “beyond the smartphone” and establish it as a standard in PCs and laptops.
In general, it seemed like there was a much larger showing of "non-mobile-phone products" this year at MWC. And with this new direction and the idea that more devices can be made for mobile, we’re excited about what that could mean for the app industry.
3. FinTech is the future.
Fintech has been a hot topic for a while now yet this year, it showed up as ‘Next Level.’ MWC Barcelona also featured a panel of Crypto and NFT (non-fungible token) experts to share their insights and forecasts for FinTech. Their take is that money of the future will be programmable and decentralized, offering a lot more opportunities for the digital and mobile industries. The banking world could also be impacted positively, experiencing increased efficiency and trust through the automation of programmable money.
The panel touched on NFTs, stablecoins, and other digital assets and cryptocurrencies that could transform the way consumers and organizations do business. Because we’re in the early stages of this cryptocurrency world, there’s still a lot to learn—and a lot to look forward to.
Finally, a MAJOR kudos to the MWC Barcelona 2022 Team.
Like we said, we’re still stoked about our experience at MWC Barcelona. And the event tech is a major reason why, in and of itself. The conference stepped up its digital game, showing off its mobile know-how through a myriad of technologies and mobile apps—like the digital badge, which could be accessed through the MWC app.
The digital badge didn’t just provide our contact info and access to the conference. It also drastically increased our networking opportunities by recommending folks to each other based on their LinkedIn profiles. Have you ever seen a printed name tag do that? #Impressed
And to meet the safety precautions of mingling in these unprecedented times, all entrances were keyed into our digital badges using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. We set up our health verification and photo before the show, and all the entering and exiting was permitted via face verification. No paper cards. No IDs. Just your freedom and your face. The future is a beautiful thing…and it is here today.
So, what did we think? Inspiring. Informative. Invigorating. And beyond successful. Those are just some of the ways we’d describe MWC Barcelona. And we can’t wait to go back next year.
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