GSMA Announces Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Paris as Finalists Competing to Become the Mobile World Capital

LONDON, January 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

The GSMA today announced that Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Paris have been selected as the short list of cities vying to become the "Mobile World Capital(TM)". These four cities will now move to the next stage of the selection process which will culminate in the winning city being named the Mobile World Capital for the five-year period from 2013 to 2017. Launched in November 2010, the concept of the Mobile World Capital includes not only the industry-leading annual Mobile World Congress event, but also a range of academic and business development opportunities, cultural festivals and programmes, and the creation of a centre for the industry.

"We congratulate Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Paris as they move forward in the last phase of the evaluation process to become the Mobile World Capital," said John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. "The quality of the proposals from the candidate cities to date has been outstanding, making our decision that much more difficult. The four finalists announced today each have a clear, multi-faceted vision for how they will make their city the Mobile World Capital, and we look forward to seeing these visions unfold as we move through the process."

The GSMA's concept of the Mobile World Capital includes:

    
    -- The Mobile World Centre, which will be located in the heart of the 
       city and will be the flagship element of the Mobile World Capital. The 
       Mobile World Centre will include technology exhibits, museum features, 
       a retail area, a mobile cafe, office space and more.
    -- The Mobile World Festival, a range of festivities that will be 
       targeted to the general public and will take place separate from the 
       Mobile World Congress. Dispersed around the Mobile World Capital city, 
       the Mobile World Festival will incorporate mobile-driven festivities 
       including concerts, music and movie festivals, application 
       competitions and awards, and dialogues and debates, among others.
    -- The Mobile World Congress, which is widely considered the industry's
       "must-attend" event and is expected to draw more than 50,000 visitors 
       at the 2011 Mobile World Congress next month. The four-day conference 
       and exhibition attracts executives from the world's largest and most 
       influential companies across the mobile industry and adjacent sectors, 
       as well as government delegations.

"Barcelona is very honoured to have been selected among the four remaining cities to bid for the Mobile World Capital 2013-2017," said Jordi Hereu, Mayor of Barcelona. "We believe that our city is the perfect location to develop a permanent platform for the innovative mobile industry and for the new concept of a mobile festival and legacy. We look forward to the next steps of the bid process and to the challenge of making our project a reality."

"Milano is honoured and proud of having been selected among the finalists for Mobile World Capital 2013-2017," said Letizia Moratti, Mayor of Milan. "Both long-standing residents and newcomers in this truly multi-ethnic and global city stand ready to contribute with their enthusiasm to make the Mobile World Capital not only a must-attend event, but a continuous five-year long flow of learning and networking opportunities, inspiration and innovation - a common dream which we all share with the worldwide international mobile community."

"We are delighted at the decision of the GSMA to make Munich one of the four finalists in the bid for the Mobile World Capital," said Martin Zeil, Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology and Deputy Minister-President of Bavaria. "By placing it on the short list for the final round, the GSMA is confirming Munich's international reputation as a high-tech location. This is both an honour and an incentive for the final. Politics, industry and science offer the GSMA an ideal home for Mobile World Capital."

"Paris is very proud to be considered as a host for the new Mobile World Capital by the GSMA," commented M. Bertrand Delanoe, Mayor of Paris. "With the help of our lively ICT and mobile community, we are committed to expanding the magic of our city to the fantastic future of the mobile world."

The GSMA began its search for the Mobile World Capital by first evaluating more than 30 cities, narrowing the list to six candidates in August 2010, and has now arrived at Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Paris as the finalists to move forward in the bid process. The GSMA expects to complete the evaluation process and to announce the Mobile World Capital in mid-2011. For more information on the Mobile World Capital, please visit http://www.mobileworldcapital.com.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile communications industry.

For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the new online portal for the mobile communications industry, at http://www.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at http://www.gsmworld.com.