Mobile Industry CEOs to Keynote at GSMA Mobile World Congress

LONDON, Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The GSMA today announced that the CEOs of AT&T, Ericsson, Qualcomm and Viber are confirmed to deliver keynote presentations at the 2013 GSMA Mobile World Congress, taking place 25-28 February 2013 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona. The GSMA also introduced new features on the exhibition floor, including the GSMA Connected City, along with new sponsors, partners and event elements, and announced that registration for the 2013 Mobile World Congress is now open.

"Over four days, more than 70,000 attendees of Mobile World Congress 2013 will gather to discuss and debate the latest trends and issues in mobile," said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. "Throughout Mobile World Congress, attendees will have the opportunity to experience the power of mobile firsthand, through our exhibitors' stands, event features such as the Connected City, our conference programme and seminars, and much more."

Industry Leaders to Take the Stage at Mobile World Congress
The GSMA announced that CEOs from several of the world's leading mobile companies have recently been confirmed to speak in the Mobile World Congress keynote programme, including:

• Randall Stephenson, Chairman, President and CEO, AT&T
• Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson
• Paul Jacobs, Chairman and CEO, Qualcomm
• Talmon Marco, Founder and CEO, Viber Media

These industry executives join previously announced Mobile World Congress keynote speakers:

• Rene Obermann, CEO, Deutsche Telekom
• Franco Bernabe, Chairman, GSMA and Chairman and CEO, Telecom Italia Group
• Suk-Chae Lee, CEO, KT Corp.
• Gary Kovacs, CEO, Mozilla
• Susan Whiting, Vice Chair, Nielsen
• Stephen Elop, President and CEO, Nokia
• Kaoru Kato, President and CEO, NTT DOCOMO
• Lars Nyberg, President and CEO, TeliaSonera
• Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive, Vodafone Group

The keynote programme will feature insightful and thought-provoking sessions such as "Mobile Operator Strategies", "The Future of Communications", "Vertical Disruption", "Operating in the Cloud" and "Mobile in Media". For more information on the Mobile World Congress keynotes, as well as the full conference programme, visit http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/conference/.

Mobile World Congress Exhibition to Showcase Connected City
At Mobile World Congress 2013, the GSMA is expanding upon its highly popular "Connected House" exhibit to create the "Connected City." In partnership with mobile operators including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, KT, Telenor and Vodafone, the GSMA will showcase a range of mobile connected products and services, providing Mobile World Congress attendees the opportunity to experience the Connected Life.

In addition, the GSMA today announced that the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) will be hosting the WBA Wi-Fi Zone at Mobile World Congress. The WBA Wi-Fi Zone will focus on key themes such as next-generation hotspot migration, Wi-Fi roaming and offload, Wi-Fi and heterogeneous networks, and operator, vendor and device manufacturer engagement. For more information on the Mobile World Congress exhibition, visit http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/exhibition/.

Car Connectivity Consortium to hold App Developer Conference
In App Planet, mobile industry leaders and the application development community will participate in programmes focusing on the explosive growth in the mobile apps market, as well as exhibition, product and service demonstrations, networking and workshops. The Car Connectivity Consortium has just joined App Planet as an App Planet Supporting Sponsor and will hold a full-day programme on 26th February. The Official App Planet Sponsor is Generalitat de Catalunya - Government of Catalonia, and other App Planet Supporting Sponsors include Inneractive and Wireless Industry Partnership (WIP). For more information, visit http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/app-planet-overview/.

AVG Technologies and Juniper Networks to Participate in Mobile Security Forum
In its third year at Mobile World Congress, the Forum Series is a sponsored programme that brings together industry players to discuss and debate a range of topics in focused sessions. AVG Technologies and Juniper Networks are the latest companies to sign on to participate in the Forum Series, joining AdaptiveMobile in the Mobile Security Forum. Other Forum Partners include Metaswitch Networks in MNO Developer Cloud Forum and ZTE in the LTE Forum and the MNO Developer Cloud Forum. For more information, visit http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/forum-series/.

GSMA and Leger Marketing to Present Results of Consumer Research Study
As part of the mPowered Brands Programme at Mobile World Congress, the GSMA and Leger Marketing, the global polling, research and strategic marketing firm, have designed and are currently implementing a 50-country citizen assessment of mobile's importance in consumers' lives, focusing on issues such as quality of life, individual productivity and shopping behavior, among others. The results will be shared and explored with audiences in the mPowered Brands Theatre at Mobile World Congress. Another new addition to the mPowered Brands Programme is InternetQ, which will be presenting in the mPowered Brands Theatre. For more information on mPowered Brands at Mobile World Congress, visit: http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/mpoweredbrands.

Global Mobile Awards Open for Entry
 The Global Mobile Awards 2013, which recognise excellence and innovation within the mobile communications industry, are currently open for entry and will accept submissions through 30th November. The Global Mobile Awards include 37 awards and will be presented at Mobile World Congress on Tuesday 26th February 2013. The GSMA today announced that McAfee is the Global Mobile Awards Category Sponsor for the "Apps of the Year" category. For more information on the Global Mobile Awards, including entry details, please visit www.globalmobileawards.com.

Mobile World Congress Media Village: New Opening Hours, Welcome Reception
For the first time, the Media Village at Mobile World Congress will be open to press, industry analysts and exhibiting companies on the day prior to the official opening of Mobile World Congress. The Media Village will be open on Sunday, 24th February, from 11:00 to 17:00. Accredited press and industry analysts will have access to dedicated working facilities, and meeting rooms will also be available to Mobile World Congress exhibitors wishing to hold press conferences or briefings.

In another Mobile World Congress first, the GSMA will host the official Mobile World Congress Media Welcome Reception from 17:00 to 19:00 on Sunday, 24th February at Fira Gran Via. This networking cocktail reception will offer accredited press and industry analysts the opportunity to meet with leading players from across the mobile ecosystem and preview the week's activities in relaxed social environment. The reception will also feature a select number of exhibition showcases and demonstrations. For more information on the Media Village at Mobile World Congress, please visit http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/press/.

Mobile World Congress Registration Now Open
Registration for Mobile World Congress 2013 is now open; attendees wishing to register should visit http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/register/. For more information on Mobile World Congress including details on how to attend, exhibit or sponsor, please visit www.mobileworldcongress.com.

The Mobile World Congress is the cornerstone of the Mobile World Capital, which will be hosted in Barcelona from 2013 to 2018. The Mobile World Capital also includes the Mobile World Centre, the Mobile World Festival and the Mobile World Hub, programmes and activities that will span the entire year and will benefit not only the citizens of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, but also the worldwide mobile industry. For more information on the Mobile World Capital, please visit www.mobileworldcapital.com.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators with more than 230 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com or Mobile World Live, the online portal for the mobile communications industry, at www.mobileworldlive.com