The technological congress Mobile World Congress (MWC) opened its doors this Monday in Barcelona with the expectation of receiving some 95,000 participantsfigure close to the pre-pandemic editions, and the artificial intelligence (AI) as the main protagonist, followed by progress in 5G technology.
With growing doubts about the success of the metaverse, the Generative AI (used to create content, whether textual or audiovisual) is the sector’s big bet this year to increase mobile phone sales, which have been declining for several months.
GSMAthe organizing company was also enthusiastic about being able to recover in this edition (the 18th) the Asian participants who had not participated in the Congress since the outbreak of Covid-19.
The fair occupies the eight pavilions of FIRA on Gran Via in Barcelona, which will bring together in four days (until Thursday) more than 2,400 exhibiting companiesand more than 750 operators and manufacturers in the telecommunications sector, such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Orange and Vodafone. Huawei, focused on technological development 5.5G, It was once again the one that takes up the most space.
Tech heavyweights such as Microsoft, Google AND amazon. Apple, as usual, is the big absentee.
MWC 2024: the main news
King Felipe VI of Spain observes a flying car prototype during the opening day of MWC 2024. (Photo: EFE)With the mobile phone market slowing down in recent years due to a lack of impactful news, this edition of the MWC comes at a time when the sector hopes to begin its comeback driven by the development of artificial intelligence.
Numerous manufacturers announce their technological advances in this field, such as the American chip manufacturer Qualcomm or the Chinese company Honor, which presented a camera with performance improved by artificial intelligence.
On the inaugural day alone, almost twenty talks and round tables on AI were scheduled, and some of the most important names in the sector attended, including Demis Hassabisco-founder and CEO of Google DeepMindconsidered one of fathers of artificial intelligence.
Cyberdog, the robot dog, was also present. (Photo: Bloomberg)Hassabis assured that users only see the file “surface” of what will happen in a few years, and I anticipated it that could change in the next five years the way to understand portable devices such as phones.
Brad Smithpresident of Microsoft, one of the major shareholders of OpenAI (ChatGTP) and one of the main architects of the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence in the business world, has ensured that we are faced with the emergence of a new economic sector in itself.
Among the innovations presented on the market this year, devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy S24 stand out, with artificial intelligence systems that offer simultaneous translation of callsplus tools to improve text message writing and retouch photos.
The models that are already reality coexist with conceptual proposals that anticipate the future of the sector, such as the mobile prototype of Deutsche Telekomwith an intelligent assistant that replaces all applications which must be installed on current smartphones.
Among the most evocative, the prototype of the Motorola ultra-flexible folding cell phonewhich bends enough to be worn on the wrist.
Motorola’s ultra-flexible concept. (Photo: Reuters)Furthermore, there are many real use cases of 5G, a technology already widespread in editions of the MWC in the last five years but which has not finished taking off due to the large investments it requires. To this we now add the solution with its new evolution: the 5.5Gkey to the growing demand for data transfer, with virtual and augmented reality as the protagonist.
Tech giants are also stepping up their efforts to improve battery performance. A new challenge for the sector, called at the same time to reduce its environmental footprint.
Greater autonomy, faster recharges, less dependence on strategic metals, all manufacturers try to have more efficient batteries. The margin for progression is still very large given that the capacity of the batteries – which, for the most part, highlights a autonomy of one day and useful life of a few years– it is one of the weak points of cell phones, subjected to increasingly intense use.
Source: Clarin
Linda Price is a tech expert at News Rebeat. With a deep understanding of the latest developments in the world of technology and a passion for innovation, Linda provides insightful and informative coverage of the cutting-edge advancements shaping our world.