Scaled-down mobile congress returns to Spain

Madrid: A smaller version of the world’s biggest mobile fair opens Monday in Spain under tight virus controls, with top firms avoiding an in-person presence after the pandemic derailed last year’s edition.

The four-day Mobile World Congress (MWC), one of the first big technology conferences staged in Europe since the start of the pandemic, comes as global smartphone sales are rebounding after slumping in 2020 due to the economic havoc caused by the health crisis.

It will take place both in-person at Barcelona’s main conference centre as well as in digital form, with a live performance by US rock legend Jon Bon Jovi and an online appearance by tech billionaire Elon Musk.