LEADERS OF WORLD'S LARGEST COMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES TO ADDRESS CRITICAL BUSINESS CHALLENGES AT THE 2009 GSMA MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS
9th December 2008, London: -- The GSMA, the global trade body for the mobile industry, today announced that it is bringing together executives of the world's largest and most influential mobile operators, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies and media and entertainment organizations at the 2009 GSMA Mobile World Congress to be held February 16-19, 2009 in Barcelona. CEOs from companies including AT&T, Microsoft Corp., MySpace, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Telefónica, Telenor, Verizon Communications and Vodafone will address head-on the challenges presented by the global economic slowdown and will outline strategies for sustaining growth.
"We are living in an era of unprecedented and rapid change. Set against a backdrop of the financial crisis, wildly-fluctuating stock markets and a broad economic slowdown, the 2009 edition is set to be the most compelling Mobile World Congress yet," said Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board of the GSMA. "By bringing together the leaders of companies across the broad communications sector, we'll be able to gain further insight into the significant challenges presently facing our industry, but more importantly, we'll focus on how we can leverage mobility to create new opportunities, and drive productivity and prosperity going forward."
Under the theme of "Think Forward", the Mobile World Congress will explore the impact of the economic crisis, as well as focus on issues critical to the development of the communications industry, including the adoption of advanced mobile broadband technologies, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), the shift to an open mobile ecosystem, and the proliferation of mobile entertainment and advertising services. Widely recognised as the mobile industry's must-attend event, the Mobile World Congress will showcase mobile products and services from approximately 1,300 companies.
Keynote speakers for the 2009 Mobile World Congress include:
Last week, the GSMA announced that Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey will also deliver a keynote at the Mobile World Congress, and that he will host the MOFILM Mobile Short Film Festival as part of the Congress.
MobileWorld Congress Garners Broad Industry Support
"The upcoming Mobile World Congress will provide a great opportunity to take an in-depth look at the critical role that communications technologies can play in helping companies address the difficult economic issues we face today," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft Corp. "But even with the ongoing economic uncertainty as a backdrop, this is also a particularly important time for leaders from the communications, media, and IT industries to come together to discuss strategies that will enable us to drive future innovation and ensure long-term success."
"We have an unprecedented opportunity to fully realize the potential of mobile technologies to drive economic growth. The Mobile World Congress will help showcase that opportunity by highlighting innovative mobile products, applications and services capable of boosting the productivity and efficiency of both individuals and companies worldwide," said Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.
"A truly global event, the Mobile World Congress is an invaluable and very efficient way to meet with industry leaders and government officials from across the world," said Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and CEO, Telenor Group. "I am looking forward to discussing how our industry and regulatory authorities can work together to further enhance the positive role that mobile services can play in driving economic growth."
"Increasingly international and local communities are benefiting from the power of mobile broadband to communicate faster and more effectively," said Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive of Vodafone. "Mobile operators are uniquely placed to contribute more to society, whether it is helping the unbanked to make secure payments, ensuring that businesses gain and maintain a competitive edge or simply enriching the lives of customers and their families."
The GSMA today also announced LG Electronics as the Platinum Event Sponsor for Mobile World Congress 2009. For more information on the Mobile World Congress, please see: www.mobileworldcongress.com [1]
About the GSMA
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing more than 750 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries and territories of the world. The Association's members represent more than 3 billion GSM and 3GSM connections - over 86% of the world's mobile phone connections. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association's initiatives as key partners. The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while creating new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers.
For more information, please visit www.gsmworld.com [2]
For further information, please contact:
David Pringle
GSMA
Email: press@gsm.org [3]
Links:
[1] http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/
[2] http://www.gsmworld.com/
[3] mailto:press@gsm.org