Mobile World Congress (MWC) is the most important show in the mobile calendar. It is an event that has launched a thousand handsets, and draws attendees from 200 countries. This is the place to pick up on emerging industry trends and technologies before they hit the mainstream.
Mobile World Congress (MWC) is the most important show in the mobile calendar. It is an event that has launched a thousand handsets, and draws attendees from 200 countries. This is the place to pick up on emerging industry trends and technologies before they hit the mainstream.
Cancelled in 2020 and a muted affair in 2021, this year saw a return to previous form, with over 61,000 delegates travelling to beautiful Barcelona, including a small team from Esendex. On their return, we asked them for the 3 things that everyone was talking about at MWC and how it might be relevant for our customers, who are already blazing a trail with mobile messaging…
1. 5G; the next generation is truly here
5G is rolling out in major towns and cities around the world as fast as operators can deploy it; and MWC saw a host of announcements around hardware designed to harness the new speeds, and make secure 5G networks available to businesses.
By the end of 2024 it is estimated there will be 1.5 billion 5G mobile subscriptions; and now that fifth generation speeds are in realistic sight, we’ll start to see lightning fast data speeds, low latency and a more reliable network.
For consumers the benefits are clear, and for anyone with a remit in marketing or CX, the expectation of smooth mobile journeys will become even higher; but with the benefit that 5G means our ability to create a uniform customer experience, even when people are on the move, just got even easier.
2. IOT is the buzz of Barcelona
With the rise of 5G bringing increased device connectivity, there was even more buzz than in previous years around connected devices and the Internet of Things (IOT). With Amazon, Apple and Google pioneering the use of IoT in our homes, it’s not just Siri and Alexa that are having an impact on our everyday lives. Ericsson reports that IoT has the ability to reduce carbon emissions by as much as 63.5 gigaton by 2030 – with solutions like controlling lighting in public spaces and adapting traffic flow measures at peak congestion times.
Less world changing, but important for our feline friends, Purrsong used MWC to launch their range of IoT connected products for cat owners– with a mobile connected litter box, activity metre and water dispenser. And whilst the IoT has a huge range of uses from beating climate change to making sure Tigger is fed and watered, for consumers, it means our mobile phone usage will become even more a part of our everyday lives.
For businesses, increasing the use of mobile journeys and experiences is vital – when we live in a world where we can feed our pets remotely, it will be increasingly frustrating not to be able to complete simple tasks using our phones. Businesses that are enabling mobile journeys for bill payments, appointment bookings and to get customers fast answers to quick questions, are already serving mobile experiences customers want, and we predict that demand is only going to increase.
3. WhatsApp remains the most talked about mobile messaging format
Whilst we weren’t checking out the latest gadgets, we spent a lot of time talking to customers and partners about what they are most excited about within the mobile messaging world. Whilst the hype of MWC was around metaverse, when we managed to tear off the VR headsets at the HTC booth, and get back to our current reality, Meta’s WhatsApp is the technology that businesses are most interested in harnessing.
For businesses the ability to connect to customers in an app they’ve already widely adopted and are using for family and friends has huge benefits; for both building brand and supporting a wide range of business operations from customer support, to customer service, marketing and more. Whilst 5G and IoT may take time to roll out and be even more widely adopted, customers are already sending 100 billion WhatsApp messages daily, and in a world where we’re increasingly connected, what we’re hearing is that businesses value the ability to converse with customers, quickly and efficiently. Here at Esendex we’re excited to help our customers bring WhatsApp to the forefront of their messaging solutions; no 5G connection or VR headset required!
