Mobile World Congress showcases future of industry
| by Naim-Ul-Karim, Paul Giblin The annual GSMA Mobile World Congress, whose tenth edition started here Monday, always creates a buzz with this year being no exception. The Mobile World Congress (MWC) showcases the latest smartphones and devices aimed at producing a connected world, amid an estimated 90,000 visitors and about 1,900 global exhibitors, reports Xinhua. The 2015 MWC shows progress being made in connectivity across the board from teaching to transport, from shopping to sleeping. The cutting-edge technologies include the demonstration of an international coupon system which allows purchases to be made across the globe with a smartphone, via a one-tap, pay-and-redeem digital wallet which is being run by the Digital Commerce program. “WATCH” OUT Among the many gadgets revealed at the MWC was the Huawei Watch, the first Android wear watch with a sapphire crystal display on sale later this year. The GSMA Innovation City is a unique place to experience the technological strides the mobile industry continues to make, many of which are visible in the cutting-edge products and services on display and which will soon influence our daily lives. The Innovation City is all about experiencing and exploring the latest mobile technology in the context of an extensive virtual city, where amenities, services and businesses are transformed and given added functionality through mobile connectivity. Industry experts predict rapid growth in the number of connected devices, with analysts Machina Research estimating that by 2020, there will be 27.1 billion total connected devices across the globe, up from 12.6 billion in December 2014. CONNECTED WORLD Officials say the Innovation City will feature a demonstration of voice over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE) and Rich Communications Services (RCS) that enrich calling by using an all-Internet Protocal (IP) solution — a key objective of GSMA’s Network 2020 program. One demonstration shows a smart parking application using a profile swap, while a second demonstrates a connected car profile swap from the perspectives of both consumer and backend provider. “Demonstrations like these serve as a brilliant reminder of how mobile technology is making life easier and more convenient across the world,” said Michael O’Hara, chief marketing officer of GSMA. In his keynote speech, the chairman of the GSMA and president of the Telenor Group, Jon Fredrik Baksaas, expressed his hope that this year’s MWC would be as successful and effective for all participants as previous congresses. “We’re connecting billions of people to the transformative power of the Internet and mobilizing every device we use in our daily lives,” Baksaas said. “We’re on the edge of innovation,” he added. Enditem |