Mobile Madness or Modesty? 7 Things to Watch for at MWC Barcelona 2019

With MWC Barcelona - formerly known as Mobile World Congress - 2019 rapidly approaching, all eyes are turning towards Barcelona for ideas about how the wireless industry will evolve in the coming year. Well over 100,000 mobile industry leaders – from CEOs to engineers and everything in between – will come together at MWC Barcelona to showcase and debate the technologies, products, and strategies that will headline the mobile industry in months to come.

Here are some of the key headlines to keep an eye out for at MWC Barcelona and beyond.

5G or Not 5G, That Is the Question

Undoubtedly, 5G technology is going to be the hottest topic throughout the halls in Barcelona. With the 5G New Radio (NR) standard having been finalized, Software Defined Networking (SDN) capabilities rolling out, initial network deployments underway in several markets, and 5G-capable mobile devices beginning to be unveiled, the industry is now turning its attention to the business of 5G and how to make it a commercial success.

A recent study of US consumer sentiment towards 5G conducted by PwC US showed that only a third of consumers are willing to pay any sort of premium for a 5G connection, resulting in only a 10% average uplift in willingness to pay. That’s a clear indication that the market doesn’t yet know what additional capabilities and use cases will be enabled by 5G, and a gap that the industry must close. Look for much debate on this subject in Barcelona, as well as numerous demos and discussions on how carriers and others plan to close the gap.

The Smaller the Cell, the Bigger the Count

Even as the deployment of 5G networks commences, the industry continues to struggle with the balance between traditional, macro cell site centric approaches and more contemporary, small cell focused strategies. For many operators, small cells represent the next generation of networks, though new hardware, software, and operating models are needed to manage what can be hundreds of thousands or even millions of new sites.

At MWC Barcelona the floors will undoubtedly be flooded with hundreds of new small cell models, ranging from pole-mounted boxes to in-building showpieces. The larger debate, however, will be on how to accelerate the speed of deployment while simultaneously lowering the cost in order to make the small cell model work. A small cell revolution may well be needed to make 5G work.

Mobile is Getting Fixed, One Millimeter at a Time

Another major source of debate at MWC Barcelona may well not be mobile at all. For perhaps the first time in the history of wireless technology, a fixed application of mobile technology, in this case 5G, is promising to be a potential competitor – and even perhaps a replacement – to traditional wireline technologies. As initial trials in the United States have shown, fixed 5G can be an effective means for delivering wireless broadband and even high-definition streaming video, threatening cable and competing with fiber in some areas. (Source: FierceWireless)

To be sure, there is still a long way to go before the viability of 5G fixed wireless technology and business models are proved out. The release of large swaths of millimeter wave spectrum, such as recently-conducted and upcoming auctions in the United States will be required in many cases by regulators around the world. The introduction of additional spectrum, such as the 3.5 GHz CBRS band, using new, enabling technologies such as Spectrum Access Systems (SAS) to enable spectrum sharing will also help to make fixed 5G a reality.

Phone Innovation Bets Are Ready to Fold

For several years now, MWC Barcelona has arguably seen a severe drought of mobile device innovation. Higher-resolution cameras, bigger screens, and cool color cases may be interesting, but none have represented true breakthroughs in industrial design, functionality, or even battery life that would capture the masses of consumers and business users alike.

If the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is any indication, this year’s portfolio of mobile device introductions displayed in Barcelona may be the most interesting in some time. After years of promises, foldable smartphones with large, bold, uninterrupted displays enabled by advances in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology are expected to beam from booths across the show floor, along with dual-screen devices and others looking to draw in users and turn around declining smartphone replacement rates.

Things by the Millions

While phone innovation may have been lacking in recent MWC events, all eyes in 2019 will continue to be on the Internet of Things (IoT) and the plethora of new devices and use cases being showcased. Whether enabling employee safety or enhancing customer experience, IoT solutions will be center stage in many stands.

The key for IoT in this year’s show will be to look for those solutions that deliver real, meaningful value using wireless connectivity. In particular, those geared towards large-scale enterprise needs should garner significant interest from potential customers and channels.

Trust, But Verify

As the world of technology and telecommunications continues to collide with the world of content and information, how to protect that data from theft, copyright infringement, and privacy threats is increasingly a focus. In recent years MWC Barcelona has seen announcements on new data protection technologies such as blockchain and biometrics, as well as numerous industry consortia aimed at furthering trust in the applications and services that keep us all connected.

For 2019, expect to see questions of privacy and trust come even more into the spotlight, with layers of security being promoted on devices, in networks, and within applications themselves. While there may just be a bit of subtle finger-pointing with a touch of “see, it’s not my fault” in all of this, the mobile industry will clearly acknowledge that it has a major role to play in protecting end-users and enterprises alike.

Tariffs, and Taxes, and Trade – Oh My!

The final big story to watch for in Barcelona may not be a well-promoted headline in any booth, but is sure to be the center of numerous discussions in the closed conference rooms. With the mobile industry depending heavily on equipment, software, and devices originating from low-cost countries such as China and Mexico, issues of foreign trade, tariffs, and taxes will dominate commercial dialogues.

What will operators say about the ongoing controversy surrounding Chinese suppliers? (Source: CNN) How will the fast-changing trade and tariff environments with countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom impact suppliers and customers? Technology aside, these issues may well decide just how much business gets done this year in Barcelona. Only time will tell!