GSMA Selects Barcelona as the First Mobile World Capital Until 2018

The GSM Association (GSMA) has just announced that the city of Barcelona has been selected as the Mobile World Capital until 2018.

The city where the Mobile World Congress was held until February 2011 has just been re-elected as the home of the most important mobile industry event in the world.

GSMA's decision comes after an 18-month search and puts an end to a fierce competition among the four finalist cities, Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Paris.

It appears that Barcelona was by far the favorite winner of the competition since the beginning, because of its combination of outstanding exhibition and conference facilities, its transportation and hospitality infrastructure, as well as the strong support of the public and private sectors.

“Becoming the Mobile World Capital was a strategic bid for Barcelona, and consolidates our leadership as a benchmark city for new technologies. This will give a significant boost to the image of our city brand associated with a sector, that of mobile communications, which will experience strong growth in the next few years,” said Xavier Trias, Mayor of Barcelona.

Starting in 2013, the Mobile World Congress will be held at the new Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, while the dates for the 2013 Mobile World Congress are 25-28 February 2013.

Those who wish to prepare their trip to Barcelona for the next year should know that the Mobile World Congress 2012 will remain at Fira de Barcelona Montjuic and will be held between 27 February and 1 March.

In addition to the Mobile World Congress, Barcelona will also feature two additional elements: the Mobile World Centre and the Mobile World Festival.

The Mobile World Centre will comprise permanent and temporary exhibitions which will meld culture and technological innovation, facilities for the development and incubation of mobile solutions, and retail and hospitality venues.

The Mobile World Festival, which is targeted to the general public, will incorporate a range of activities including sporting events, music and art festivals, film awards, applications and technology fairs and more.