Mobile World Congress 2023: OpenNet, 6G, reality +, metavers… everything to expect from the event
Europe’s largest cell phone and telecommunications conference is back! Every year at the same time, Barcelona will host the Mobile World Congress (MWC) from February 27 to March 2, dedicated to the world of mobility. A must-attend event for young start-ups and major developers, which brings together nearly 75,000 participants to discover all the new products planned for 2023.
Four days to fill up with announcements of smartphones, connected objects and other technologies related to mobile networks: this is the traditional program of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This 2023 edition could sign the revival of the show after several editions, lead by the global health crisis. The show will take place from February 27 to March 2 in the Catalan capital.
5G – 6 G
Obviously, the mobile conference will put 5G in the spotlight, with the promise of a “5G standalone” finally ready. Today, in many countries, 5G relies on a 4G core network, which limits its capabilities. Very soon, it should switch to the next generation network, to show what it is really capable of.
5G will be a major focus of the conference, with the fifth-generation mobile network already bringing more data – and faster – to millions of devices across Europe.
And while 5G is still in development, its successor is already attracting attention. The sixth-generation 6G mobile network will be necessary for our increasingly connected world, with expanded use in autonomous (or flying) vehicles, smart cities, virtual and augmented reality, and space exploration.
Smartphones
For the 2023 edition of MWC, smartphones are once again the stars of the event. Brands like Honor, Xiaomi, OPPO or OnePlus take advantage of this showcase to launch new products.
The program looks rich at this level, since the biggest names will be present at the fair. Among them, Samsung is expected, whose announcements (the Galaxy S23 series) were made in early February, but also and especially Xiaomi, whose conference is planned for February 26, and which should allow discovering the Xiaomi 13 series.
Other brands are also planning to make their voices heard. Honor, for example, has already announced its intention to hold an event on February 27 at 1:30 p.m. to announce its Magic 5 series and talk about the Magic Vs, which was announced last year but has not yet been launched on the European market. We should also mention Realme, which will hold an event dedicated to its GT3, with a 240W charge, on February 28 at 2:30 pm. Finally, let’s not forget OnePlus, which has promised to show more of its mysterious 11 Concept, unveiled at its European conference in early February, dedicated to the OnePlus 11.
AI and virtual reality at MWC 2023
Beyond the smartphone, all technological fields are represented, from connected objects to connectivity, AI or augmented/virtual reality.
If ChatGPT arrived too late to be the star of CES, the AI battle is now much bigger. Will there be hundreds of startups with projects based on generative models, like OpenAI’s? It is quite possible. Last year, it was the metaverse that was everywhere.
In conclusion, the MWC 2023 promises to be rich in meetings, exchanges, innovation and big announcements, probably back to the level of pre-covid editions.
