2006
Barcelona becomes the home of MWC
Event evolution
- The earliest iteration of MWC, the 3GSM World Congress (formerly held in Cannes), settles in Barcelona
- Hosted at Fira Montjuïc
- Begins transforming Barcelona into a global tech meeting point with the number of attendees rising from 34,000 the year before to around 50,000
Definitive moments
- Early 3G handsets and mobile-internet-capable devices dominate (Nokia N-series, Sony Ericsson Walkman phones)
- This was still the pre-iPhone era, feature-rich ‘smart’ phones rather than true smartphones
2007
Barcelona established as the annual convergence point for the mobile industry
Event evolution
- Growing attendance and visibility with 55,000 visitors and 1,300 exhibitors
- Momentum builds for a permanent Barcelona presence
Definitive moments
- Nokia E90 Communicator revealed, a milestone in business-class mobile computing
- Early mobile email devices and multimedia phones showcased
- Attention is focused on the monetisation of mobile broadband and video on mobile
2008
‘Mobile World Congress’ name adopted
Event evolution
- Rebranding to Mobile World Congress accelerates international recognition
- “Attracting visitors from the information technology, entertainment and financial services industries, as well as the mobile industry, the Congresses provide forums for the cross-pollination of services, ideas and business models.”
Rob Conway, former CEO of the GSMA - The GSMA announces that GSMC, its subsidiary that runs the congresses, has appointed John Hoffman as CEO
- Mobile entertainment and content forms a major theme throughout the show with an entire hall dedicated to multimedia content for mobile devices
Definitive moments
- Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 unveiled, one of the earliest ‘touch-centric’ smartphone lines
- First major wave of touchscreen-style phones begins to appear following iPhone’s impact
2009
Industry recovery amid economic slowdown
Event evolution
- Leaders from companies including AT&T, China Mobile, China Unicom, Ericsson, Microsoft Corp., MySpace, Nokia, Telefónica, Telenor, Verizon Communications and Vodafone gather to address the challenges presented by the global economic slowdown and outline strategies for sustaining growth
- “We’re extremely pleased with the turnout that we’ve seen this week. The strong level of attendance, particularly among the C-suite of the world’s leading communications companies, demonstrates that Mobile World Congress continues to be the place where the industry comes to do business,” commented John Hoffman, CEO
Definitive moments
- Samsung demonstrates the Omnia HD, the first phone capable of 720p video recording
- HTC Magic previewed, helping cement Android’s rise
2010
Smartphone era expands rapidly
Event evolution
- More than 60,000 visitors attend MWC Barcelona
Definitive moments
- Samsung Wave introduced with the first Super AMOLED screen
- Microsoft’s new mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7 Series, revealed
- Integration of gaming (Xbox) and music (Zune) with a focus on social networking
- HTC Desire and Legend unveiled, influential early Android models
2011
GSMA selects Barcelona as “Mobile World Capital”
Event evolution
- Barcelona wins a successful bid over Paris, Milan and Munich
- GSMA commits to Barcelona hosting MWC from 2012 to 2018
- City positioned as a technological and cultural centre to boost industrial development
- Xavier Trias, then mayor, states that becoming Mobile World Capital consolidates Barcelona’s leadership in new technologies
- Vision of a ‘networked society’ articulated by industry leadership
Definitive moments
- Samsung Galaxy S II unveiled
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) announced
2012
Record attendance; move to Fira Gran Via announced
Event evolution
- 67,000 attendees from 205 countries and territories
- 3,500 CEOs attend
- Final year at Fira Montjuïc before expansion
Definitive moments
- Nokia 808 PureView announced with a 41-megapixel sensor
- LG Optimus 4X HD unveiled, early quad-core smartphone
- HTC One X introduced
2013
First year at Fira Gran Via
Event evolution
- More than 72,000 visitors
- 1,700 exhibitors
- Expanded show footprint
Definitive moments
- Mozilla announces Firefox OS devices for emerging markets
- Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 showcased
- First waves of smart-connected wearables appear
2014
Big-tech CEOs; internet and cloud take centre stage
Event evolution
- Mark Zuckerberg and IBM’s Virginia Rometty headline keynotes
- MWC evolves into a global tech summit
- 4YFN, MWC’s startup show, launches
Definitive moments
- Samsung Galaxy S5 revealed
- YotaPhone 2 dual-screen concept shown
- Nokia X announced
- Oral-B launches an interactive Bluetooth-enabled electric toothbrush
2015
Nearly 100k attendees; global policy discussions expand
Event evolution
- World Bank, EU regulators and global operators participate
- Strategic geopolitics and connectivity discussions grow
Definitive moments
- Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge unveiled
- HTC One M9 launched
- LG G4 teased
- Early 5G concept demos
- AT&T and Audi announce 4G LTE integration in Audi 2016 models
2016
Attendance surpasses 100,000
Event evolution
- Focus shifts from hardware to IoT, networks and virtualisation
- Donation Room launches to recover and donate event materials
Definitive moments
- LG G5 modular smartphone unveiled
- Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge launched
- Xiaomi makes its first MWC appearance
- VR headsets and 360 cameras proliferate
2017
5G era gains visibility
Event evolution
- 108,000 visitors attend
- 5G trials and live-network demos showcased
- GSMA releases “The 5G Era: Age of boundless connectivity and intelligent automation”
- Mobile IoT becomes a central theme
Definitive moments
- Nokia relaunches the 3310
- LG G6 unveiled
- Sony Xperia XZ Premium introduces the first 4K HDR smartphone screen
- VR, AR and connected-car prototypes demonstrated
2018
5G devices and connected ecosystems
Event evolution
- Automotive, industrial IoT and AI presence grows
- 107,000 attendees
- GSMA Ministerial Programme hosts 181 delegations
Definitive moments
- Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ announced
- First 5G-ready devices previewed
- Asus ZenFone 5 introduced
2019
Mobile World Congress becomes: MWC
Event evolution
- Theme of “Intelligent Connectivity”
- Innovation City showcases AI, 5G and IoT convergence
- Official rebrand to MWC
Definitive moments
- Huawei Mate X foldable phone unveiled
- Nokia 9 PureView announced
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G showcased
- First commercial 5G network equipment demos
2020
Event pivots online due to pandemic
Event evolution
- GSMA cancels MWC Barcelona 2020 due to health concerns
Definitive moments
- Planned announcements shift to online events
- Virtual reveals become standard
2021
Physical summer edition returns
Event evolution
- Smaller, hybrid-format show
- Gradual return to physical attendance
Definitive moments
- Major brands participate
- 5G devices mainstream
- Early private 5G solutions debut
2022
Barcelona confirmed MWC host until at least 2030
Event evolution
- Attendance rebounds
- Long-term GSMA and Barcelona contract renewed
Definitive moments
- Realme GT 2 Pro showcased
- Honor Magic 4 Pro launched
- Consumer 5G mmWave devices emerge
- Lenovo introduces ThinkPad X13s
2023
Return to scale; legacy celebrated
Event evolution
- Martin Cooper receives major recognition
- Over 2,400 exhibitors
- Sports Tomorrow Congress co-locates with GSMA and FC Barcelona
Definitive moments
- Xiaomi 13 series global debut
- OnePlus 11 European reveal
- Motorola rollable phone concept demonstrated
- Robotics, drones and AI-edge devices showcased
- Chunghwa Telecom and Ericsson sign 5G-Advanced and 6G MoU
2024
Record economic impact (€502M); 101,000 attendees
Event evolution
- Cumulative economic impact reaches approximately €6.3B
- Focus on AI, sustainability and smart cities
- 4YFN celebrates 10 years
Definitive moments
- Honor Magic 6 Pro showcased
- Lenovo transparent laptop concept demonstrated
- Huawei unveils new foldables and 5.5G infrastructure demos
- AI phones and edge AI laptops surge
- Huawei and Barcelona City Council sign smart city alliance
2025
MWC hits new high: 109,000 attendees; €561M impact
Event evolution
- Two-decade peak in attendance and economic impact
- Talent Arena launches
- Over 1,000 startups participate in 4YFN
Definitive moments
- Samsung Galaxy S25 series showcased
- Early 6G research devices shown
- Foldables and rollables mature
- AI compute and vRAN-focused chipsets revealed
- Device-level consumer AI assistants dominate demos