The Mobile World Congress is one of the primary shows that shape the mobile technology space in any particular year. This time around, that is 2020, the show, as we have come to expect, will be attended by major OEMS, but a substantial number of them have pulled out from the conference due to the events surrounding the Coronavirus threat.
Having released strict health guidelines towards the end of last week, the GSMA, which is MWC’s organizer has been working hard to ensure that the show floor is as safe as possible. The guidelines, which include a no-handshake policy, continue to be echoed from time to time, but this does not mean that all manufacturers will send their execs to the meet.
Among several tech companies that will not be part of the teams in Spain include vivo, the Chinese phone maker that is under the BBK umbrella. vivo, which started selling its phones in Kenya just the other day, says it will skip the show for the reason given above.
It is also worth noting that the manufacturer has been pioneering key innovations in mobile technologies. It is the first OEM that spurred in-display fingerprint sensors. MWC 2020 was also the stage it was supposed to showcase the APEX 2020 concept phone. However, vivo says the device will go live at a separate event after MWC.
Besides vivo, the following companies have since confirmed they will not be at Barcelona:ZTE, TCL, SONY, Nvidia, MTK, LG, Facebook, Apple and Amazon.
Lastly, we suspect the show will be underwhelming, but that is the price tech enthusiasts will have to pay as the world tackles Coronavirus.
