Mobile World Congress ban Russian firms from tech show
The GSMA will ban some Russian companies from exhibiting at Mobile World Congress 2022. While the wireless industry association didn’t say which companies were barred from attending, it said there would be no Russian Pavilion to showcase that country’s mobile products. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now affecting technology trade shows.
The GSMA, which hosts the world’s largest trade show, Mobile World Congress, has announced that some Russian companies will be barred from attending the event. In light of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, the GSMA has limited Russian companies’ participation to some extent. The Mobile World Congress will be held in Barcelona from February 28 to March 3, 2022. MWC is expected to attract over 1500 exhibitors this year, including AWS, Lenovo, Samsung, Realme, Intel, and others. MWC has been plagued by exhibitor cancellations due to the ongoing Covid pandemic, but this year’s event will feature more tech companies than in 2020 and 2021.
There are no plans to cancel or delay MWC 2022 itself, the organization said on its website. The measures allow mobile devices to be sent to Russia, but only as long as they aren’t sent to Russian government employees.
Russian companies, such as the carrier VimpelCom, can buy dedicated show floor space, as with some trade shows, to give them a presence. The main ban will primarily affect companies relying on the Russian Pavilion for a presence.
The bans come at a time when technology is increasingly becoming a battleground for Russia and its Western adversaries. Meta’s Facebook and Twitter have taken steps to protect Ukrainians and those tracking Russian military movements, respectively. In retaliation for actions restricting four Russian media outlets, Russia has limited access to Facebook. Whether it wants to or not, the GSMA is getting involved in politics that will have an impact on the mobile world as a whole.
