3GSM World Congress Grows In Size And Stature

15th February 2007 - Barcelona, Spain: The world’s premier mobile event, the 3GSM World Congress 2007, has enjoyed a second successful year in Barcelona with an increase in both the quantity and quality of visitors. An estimated 55,000* visitors from across the globe gathered at the Congress to do business and discuss the hottest trends in the mobile phone industry.

One in four attendees surveyed** said they have initiated contract negotiations at the Congress and one in 10 said they have concluded contract negotiations. Eighty-two per cent of the respondents said the Congress is the most important event in the entire global telecommunications industry and 75% said the Congress is the most important event for mobile entertainment. This year the Congress, organised by the GSM Association, hosted 1,300 exhibitors."These findings underline the positive anecdotal feedback we have had from both visitors and exhibitors," said Bill Gajda, Chief Marketing Officer of the GSM Association. "They indicate we have struck the right balance between growing the size of the event and maintaining the Congress’ long-standing reputation as the annual forum where senior executives from across the globe have the time and space they need to meet, discuss industry trends and initiate and conclude deals."

The 3GSM World Congress 2007 featured CEO and board-level speakers at both the keynote and breakout sessions and the number of visitors attending the conference sessions is estimated to have risen 10% to more than 9,200. This year delegates were addressed by mobile and media industry leaders such as Arun Sarin (CEO, Vodafone), Patricia Russo (CEO, Alcatel-Lucent), Edgar J Bronfman jr (CEO, Warner Music Group) and Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Observing, analysing and reporting on these developments were 2,250 international print, Web and broadcast media. "The city of Barcelona has coped well with a further increase in the size of the Congress," added Mr. Gajda. "The transport system has run smoothly and there has been good security around the Fira. The hotels and restaurants have also done a good job of hosting our international visitors. We would like to thank the city, Catalonia, Fira and all our Barcelona partners for being such welcoming and accommodating hosts."

Mobile entertainment and content formed a major theme throughout the show with an entire hall (Hall 7) dedicated to multimedia content for mobile devices. In addition, the Mobile Entertainment Summit session addressed hot industry topics such as mobile TV and mobile music delivery.

That theme is set to continue at the 3GSM World Congress Asia, which takes place in the vibrant city of Macau in November. Only 10 months before the Olympics in Beijing, the 3GSM World Congress Asia will explore the best way to deliver sports, movies and other entertainment content to mobile users.

*This figure is an estimate based on attendance from the first three days of the Congress. The equivalent figure for 2006 was 50,000.

**More than 550 people were surveyed at the Congress

About 3GSM World Congress

The world's biggest mobile communications conference and exhibition, the 3GSM World Congress is the annual event where top executives from mobile operators, equipment vendors, IT companies and entertainment providers meet to do business. Presented by the GSM Association, the 3GSM World Congress 2007 will take place at the Fira de Barcelona, Spain, between 12th and 15th February 2007. The 2006 event attracted 50,000 visitors, 962 exhibitors and 2,200 journalists.

About the GSM Association

The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 217 countries and territories of the world. In addition, more than 180 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association's initiatives as key partners. The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while creating new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association's members serve more than 2 billion customers - more than 80% of the world's mobile phone users.

Source: GSM Association