5 Takeaways from MWC Barcelona 2023

The annual Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona has grown so big and so chaotic that it’s official name is now the (supposedly) shorter MWC Barcelona (even though that actually takes more syllables to say). Zinier’s Doug McCullen took in as much as humanly possible, given the constraints of time, distance, and his shoes. Here are some of the key takeaways he came away with:

• The concept of the metaverse is slowly but surely becoming a reality for the companies building and promoting the dominant global telecommunications infrastructure. Like the Internet of Things before it, we may not notice the exact moment when it jumps from being a trendy idea to being something we all take for granted, but it’s happening.

• The pressure to build out the next-generation infrastructure for the metaverse and other applications that will rely on 5G will create more jobs for skilled workers for at least the next decade. And that means that today’s tight labor market will get even tighter. Finding ways to leverage and retain scarce expert resources will become increasingly critical.

• On the other hand, there could be some easing for the demand for some in-home repairs if smart devices and augmented reality increase the potential for end-users to manage these repairs on a self-serve basis. But this will require creating applications and environments that provide more robust customer experiences.

• The demand for field service to install and maintain private networks will increase, with individuals or small companies providing these services. These private networks won’t simply be mini versions of their public network counterparts, but will be optimized for entirely different types of applications. This will also require field service management tools that can readily provide out-of-the-box functionality with the flexibility to scale and evolve.

• The need for comfortable shoes at events like MWC Barcelona will remain constant. It’s a kilometer between Hall 1 and Hall 8, so when you’re in Hall 1, never agree to meet someone in Hall 8 in two minutes.

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