©Mark Ollig
“Creating a better future” was the technology theme for the Mobile World Congress 2018 (MWC) convention in Barcelona recently.
MWC is the mobile industry’s most highly-attended yearly conference, and is organized by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).
Woman4Tech hosted several events during MWC 2018, including keynote addresses by prominent women in the technology industry and those leading and working within high-tech companies.
“It’s going to take progress through technology. We know the next set of changes are going to have to be the same kind of leapfrogging in improvements that we see here at this show,” explained Kathy Calvin, president and CEO of the United Nations Foundation, during her MWC keynote address.
As I mentioned in last week’s column, the buzz about the upcoming 5G (fifth-generation) wireless broadband technology and its applications were discussed by many of the guest speakers during MWC.
Industry executives reportedly said North America and northeast Asia, including China, Japan, and South Korea, are leading in 5G development, and that Europe has “some catching up to do.”
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai announced during his MWC keynote address, the US intends to host an auction of radio spectrum in the 28 GHz band, starting in November.
Pai added, following the 28 GHz auction, another will take place for radio spectrum in the 24 GHz radio frequency band.
The mobile cellular attendees cheered Pai’s announcement, which will push the development of new 5G, networking systems, smartphones, computing tablets, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and more.
MWC 2018 took place last month, and saw more than 107,000 people from 205 countries in attendance, including 7,700 technology industry leaders and company executive officers.
Total official delegates representing various countries surpassed 2,000, and the number of press and media passes covering the MWC event was more than 3,500.
More than 2,400 exhibits were on display during MWC 2018.
Technology and social media leaders, such as IBM, Intel, AT&T Facebook, and Google, along with SK Telecom, which demonstrated its 5G network during the recent Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, also attended the MWC convention.
Demonstrations showed how 5G technologies would improve the operation of robotics, building security systems, autonomously driven cars connected to the internet via 5G, and the energy management systems within smart homes and businesses.
MWC demonstrated real-world applications of using 5G technology within rural agriculture applications, such as remotely controlling farm machinery, and using information-gathering aerial drones.
IoT, social media content usage, facial recognition devices, and internet online policy and regulations were topics discussed during MWC 2018.
MWC 2018 also called attention to the insulating, yet superconducting honey-comb-like-shaped material called graphene, and its importance in future mobile devices and other electronic components.
An area within the MWC venue, called NEXTech Hall 8.0, featured virtual and augmented reality VR/AR technology, robotics, cognitive computing, and artificial intelligence (AI) exhibits.
The next Mobile World Congress convention will take place Feb. 25-28, 2019, in Barcelona, Spain.
Visit the MWC website at http://www.mobileworldcongress.com.
As we draw closer to 2020, let us explore how 5G and future technologies will enhance and create a better future for all of us living on this planet, and someday, beyond it.
(Image royalty license-to-use paid)