Leaders from AVG, BBVA, Mozilla, Peel, TAPTAP Networks, Thinfilm and Wikipedia Confirmed to Keynote; AT&T, Jasper, KT, Oral-B, Sierra Wireless and Vodafone to Exhibit in GSMA Innovation City

LONDON - Tuesday, October 21st 2014 [ME NewsWire]

Mobile World Congress 2015

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The GSMA today provided updates on the 2015 GSMA Mobile World Congress, including the addition of new keynote speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and participants in partner programmes at the annual mobile industry event. Mobile World Congress will be held 2-5 March 2015 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, with events also taking place at Fira Montjuïc.

“We’re very excited to add these keynote speakers, several of whom are making their first appearance at Mobile World Congress, to an already strong conference agenda,” said Michael O’Hara. “The conference will showcase many of the new and innovative technologies and services that are changing the face of mobile today, and this is mirrored across the event as a whole, in the exhibition, our partner programmes and GSMA programme activities.”

New Keynote Speakers Announced

The GSMA announced the addition of several keynote speakers for the conference programme, which features leaders from across the mobile industry, as well as adjacent industry sectors such as automotive and finance. New keynote speakers include:

    Gary Kovacs, CEO, AVG Technologies
    Francisco González, Chairman and CEO, BBVA
    Mitchell Baker, Executive Chairwoman, Mozilla Foundation
    Thiru Arunachalam, Founder and CEO, Peel
    Alvaro del Castillo, Founder and CEO, TAPTAP Networks
    Dr. Davor Sutija, CEO, Thinfilm
    Jimmy Wales, Founder, Wikipedia

These executives join previously confirmed keynote speakers, including:

    Anne Bouverot, Director General, GSMA
    Raja Teh Maimunah, MD, CEO and COO, Digital and Transactional Banking, Hong Leong Islamic Bank
    Ken Hu, Deputy Chairman and Rotating CEO, Huawei
    Jeanie Han, CEO, LINE Euro-Americas
    Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO, Renault-Nissan Alliance
    Marcelo Claure, CEO, Sprint
    Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and CEO, Telenor Group and Chairman, GSMA
    Charles Scharf, CEO, Visa

Beyond the keynote programme, the conference will also include in-depth track sessions on topics such as big data, connecting the underserved, digital societies, emerging devices, enterprise mobility, financial inclusion, the future of networks, HetNets/small cells, the Internet of Things, LTE-Advanced and 5G, mobile commerce, mobile identity, privacy and security, among others. For more information, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/learn/conference/conference-overview/.

Mobile World Congress Exhibition Expands

Responding to unprecedented demand, Mobile World Congress will now feature an additional exhibit hall in Fira Gran Via. In addition to serving as home to the Theatre District, which hosts a range of partner programmes and events, Hall 8.0 will include the Brazil country pavilion, as well as exhibition stands from organisations including SIGFOX, Verizon Wireless and Westell Technologies and many others. Overall, more than 1,900 companies are expected to exhibit at Mobile World Congress, including recently confirmed brands such as China Mobile, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Gemalto, General Motors, MasterCard, Mozilla, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO and Visa. For more information, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/see-do/exhibition/.

The GSMA confirmed the first companies exhibiting in the GSMA Innovation City, which expands upon the highly successful Connected City that has been a major highlight of Mobile World Congress for several years. AT&T, Jasper, KT Corp., Oral-B, Sierra Wireless and Vodafone will be showcased in the Innovation City, which will offer a number of exciting, immersive experiences for visitors to Mobile World Congress 2015. This unique space will enable attendees to experience technology in context and see how mobile-connected products and services can improve the daily lives of citizens and businesses across automotive, health, home, retail and other applications, in both urban and rural settings.

Partner Programmes at Mobile World Congress

The GSMA announced the addition of several new companies participating across a range of partner programmes at Mobile World Congress. AppNexus, Inc., Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the Linux Foundation and Schneider Electric will all host partner events, while Microsoft has also signed on to host an app developer conference in App Planet. These events will be held in the Theatre District in Hall 8.0 at Fira Gran Via. For more information, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/learn/partner-programmes/.

Supporting Mobile World Congress Carbon Neutral Initiatives

In addition to its participation in the partner programmes, Schneider Electric has signed on as a Supporting Sponsor for the Environmental Programme and as the “Social and Economic Development” Category Sponsor in the Global Mobile Awards. Mobile World Congress 2014 became the world’s largest tradeshow certified to have a zero carbon footprint, having been certified as carbon neutral through the internationally recognised PAS 2060 standard. In 2015, the GSMA is focused on further reducing the environmental impact and carbon footprint of the event, offsetting any outstanding emissions as necessary. For more information, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/about/about-mwc/carbon-neutral-initiatives/.

Mobile World Congress Media Welcome Reception

The GSMA will host the official Mobile World Congress Media Welcome Reception from 17:00 to 19:00 on Sunday, 1st March at Fira Gran Via. This networking cocktail reception will offer accredited press and industry analysts the opportunity to meet with leading players from across the mobile ecosystem and preview the week’s activities in relaxed social environment. The reception will feature a select number of exhibition showcases and demonstrations. For more information, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/interact/press-analyst/.

Get Involved at Mobile World Congress 2015

For more information on the 2015 Mobile World Congress including how to attend, exhibit or sponsor, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com. Follow developments and updates on Mobile World Congress on Twitter @GSMA using #MWC15, on our LinkedIn company page http://gsma.at/GSMALinkedIn or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gsma.

The Mobile World Congress is the cornerstone of the Mobile World Capital, which will be hosted in Barcelona from 2013 to 2018. The Mobile World Capital encompasses programmes and activities that span the entire year and will benefit not only the citizens of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, but also the worldwide mobile industry. For more information on the Mobile World Capital, visit www.mobileworldcapital.com.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators with 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

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Contacts

For the GSMA

Charlie Meredith-Hardy,

+44 7917 298428

CMeredith-Hardy@webershandwick.com

or

Núria Picas

+34 93 236 09 00

NPicas@webershandwick.com

or

GSMA Press Office

press@gsma.com

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