The importance of the telecom and mobile industry, and its role as The Next Element as GSMA puts it, is clearly manifested through the continuing growth of the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. Between February 27 and March 2, more than 108 000 persons from 208 countries attended MWC and more than 2300 companies were exhibiting. As being ranked among the world’s most innovative and digitalized countries in the world, Sweden and Swedish companies remain important participants providing pioneer solutions within many of the hot areas for this year; 5G, connected cars, IoT, virtual reality, new handsets (where several Swedish solutions are integrated), backend solutions, security and privacy protection etc.
The future is always present at MWC and the times when mobile and telecom industry was all about radio technology, transmission hardware, telephones and voice communication are far gone. In the centre off Ericsson’s pavilion in hall 2 e.g., the congress’ largest IoT device in the shape of a Scania truck was placed which demonstrates the power of 5G and the future of connected vehicles. Mobile is everything!
More than 220 Swedish companies were present at MWC17, whereof 40 Swedish companies were officially exhibiting and 22 of them did so in the Swedish Pavilion, hosted by Team Sweden through Business Sweden and the Swedish Embassy in Spain.
- We have been hosting the Swedish Pavilion for the last 15 years with a great interest from the congress’ attendees and media, but we have never received as big interest and audience in the Swedish Pavilion before as this year. It is a clear proof of success with our mission to promote Sweden and Swedish innovative solutions abroad in order to grow their international revenue, says Johan Snellman, Vice President Western Europe at Business Sweden.
Peter Eriksson, Minister for Housing and Digital Development together with the Ambassador of Sweden to Spain, Lars-Hjalmar Wide, and the Swedish Trade Commissioner to Spain, Malin Svensson during the inauguration of the Swedish Pavilion
Besides from getting a close look at the solutions within e.g. virtual reality, connected cars, security solutions, LTE network infrastructure, cloud, IoT showcased in the pavilion, congress attendees came as well to the Swedish Pavilion to listen to the presentations and seminars held. Two of the exhibiting companies, Earin and Maven Wireless took the opportunity to launch their new solutions on the pavilion’s stage.
On the afternoon of MWC’s second day, Mobile Institute Stockholm organised a light-version of their success arrangement IoT For Real where a number of Swedish companies within IoT get to present actual cases which their solutions has been part of in a very straight forward manner - problem, solution and the result. Light Flex Technology, H&D Wireless and Intunio are examples of companies who was presenting during the act.
The IoT For Real session was a very well visited and appreciated event and will return to Spain again in May. Sweden has been invited guest country partner to the Digital Enterprise Show (DES) this year and an IoT For Real session will be part of the main congress programme as part of highlighting Swedish leadership in the IoT industry. The arrangement of the Swedish Pavilion and the Swedish representation at DES is a Team Sweden collaboration between Business Sweden and The Swedish Embassy in Spain, which makes part of a larger project to highlight and promote Swedish innovation and IoT companies in Spain which will be rolled out during the spring of 2017. Digital Enterprise Show 2017 will take place between May 23 – 25 at IFEMA in Madrid. For more information, press here.
