5 Key Takeaways from #MWC19

MWC went by so fast that you may have missed some of the highlights. Luckily, we’ve compiled the following takeaways from the Barcelona conference. 

With apologies to Don Adams, it really is time to Get Smart!

From Smart Cities and Smart Homes, to Smart Mobility and Smart Wellness, you might think that we’ve moved out of a world of “dumb” software. However, the first key takeaway from MWC 2019 is that the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning-powered products have not empowered Big Data Analytics to smartly solve everything…yet. Sure, Telecom OSS has been intelligently reducing alarm storms for years and dynamic “what if” scenarios are helping telcos and advanced SON systems plan network expansion and benchmark traffic patterns respectively. Alas, there is still more work to be done as various industries will need to “Get Smart” to keep up and deliver solutions that truly leverage AI and ML to instantly capture, analyze, and act upon ever-changing data to maintain QoE expectations from consumers.

Everyone loves things that fold.

There has been a long running dilemma when it comes to mobile devices in the digital age – do I upgrade to the “latest and greatest” new phone, or do I pick up a nice new tablet for an easier mobile shopping experience, bigger screen, and more? Well, Samsung has put that question to bed with the unveiling of the Galaxy Fold, a new mobile innovation that combines both devices in one. When folded, the device features a 4.6” HD+ Super AMOLED Display (21:9) that serves as a decent, albeit thick phone. The magic happens when the phone unfolds into a beautiful 7.3” QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED Display (4.2:3) for your web surfing pleasure. The folding phone trend was also picked up by Huawei who revealed their own device as well. Be on the lookout for more innovation in this space! Watch the Galaxy Fold unveiling video here.

It’s not a bird or a plane – it’s a flying car!

MWC19 showcased a number of connected cars, ranging from uber cool (pun intended) futuristic designs that are still in development to newly released models that are already available on the market. Connected cars promise to increase safety and reduce pollution by connecting to ultra-reliable 5G network slices, which alludes to the new and perhaps unreliable nature of the current 5G offerings, but I digress. The major highlight here was Ooredoo, a Qatar based telco that took this concept to the skies with what they are claiming is the first 5G Aerial Taxi. Does this mean that we will start to see 5G antennas pointing to the skies? And instead of cells we will have spheres, or domes of communications? Where did I put my folding sphere-phone? Check out a brief demonstration of the 5G Aerial Taxi here.

Terminology means different things to different people.

If you’ve been involved in the telcom/cybersecurity scene for a while, you may have picked up on several commonly used terms such as “IoT”, Machine Learning”, “threat intelligence”, and more. MWC proved that just because all of us are using the same terminology, we aren’t all referring to the same things. As the tech evolves and different companies from countries around the world work to develop innovation, the meaning of these terms has entered a grey area. One lesson we are taking with us to MWC 2020 is that better research in advance will help us (and you) target the right booths with the right products and services to fit your needs.

For a good time, go to hall 8 – the hall of innovation.

That was the word on the metro back after the first day. Hall 8 had a considerable gathering of digital media companies competing with each other for attention in what was already the most remote of the eight halls. All of these companies did a fantastic job capturing the attention of conference attendees with flamboyant displays and demonstrations. We are giving the award to AppsFlyer, who got their message out with a rave or what has come to be known as the Mobile Mangafest. We still aren’t sure exactly what their message was but the key takeaway is that even the most technically complex companies know how to have a good time.