The last week of February is dedicated to the Mobile World Congress and as usual, the expectation levels are high on what to expect and what new technologies will be revealed during the event. For sheer size in terms of participation, 2300 companies will be showcasing their best offerings and over 100, 000 visitors are expected to attend.
This year as well, rumors and speculations abound on the exciting stuff that will come out of the event. Some feel the smartphone segment may see the two giants, Samsung and Sony, vying for eyeballs, going by the information available in the public domain.
Smartphones
The Samsung Galaxy S9 will see the light of day at or just before the event. Sony could also be launching a new Xperia model that will be its flagship for the year 2018. The other big release could involve HMD Global with its new Nokia range phones. Obviously, there will be other gadgets and devices, like smartwatches and even drones seen at MWC this year.
Apart from the devices and technologies, a lot of deal-making also takes place on the sidelines of the big event. There are predictions that a lot of mergers and acquisitions may be reported from companies across Europe.
AI, AR, VR and more
On the technology front, both the hardware makers and the user segments will be eager to know how the latest technologies like artificial intelligence AI and virtual reality VR, can bring in more difference to their products and make them cheaper/easier to use. The application of AI, for example in replacing humans with chatbots in some of the customer service areas to cut costs will be watched with interest, according to some experts.
Blockchain technology might also see its utility being expanded to areas beyond and the mobile phone technology can also become a candidate for such applications.
Besides these, one will want to hear more on the development on the introduction of 5G, the current target being by 2020. The big question being posed is what can be seen on 5G that one has not experienced before.
Internet of Things or IoT will also be of enormous interest, with most top tech companies launching devices and appliances that will end up speaking with each other and the technologies surrounding this development.