GSMA Announces New Keynote Speakers For Mobile World Congress 2014

- New Participating Companies at MWC Include Ericsson, Etisalat, Google, IBM, Microsoft and Ooredoo

LONDON, Oct. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The GSMA today announced that leaders from America Movil, Jasper Wireless, KDDI, Millicom, SK Planet, Tele2 and WhatsApp are confirmed to deliver keynote presentations at the 2014 GSMA Mobile World Congress. The company also announced new exhibitors and sponsors, as well as new event partners participating in a range of Mobile World Congress Featured Programmes. Mobile World Congress will be held 24-27 February 2014 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona.

"As always, the Mobile World Congress conference programme will establish a dialogue around the most pressing issues facing the mobile industry on a global basis," said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer. "The keynote speakers already confirmed for our 2014 event represent companies across the ever-expanding mobile ecosystem and from geographies around the world, offering attendees unique perspectives and insights into what's shaping the future of mobile. We look forward to seeing these leaders take the stage in Barcelona."   

New Keynote Speakers at Mobile World Congress
Several additional CEOs and senior executives from leading companies across the mobile ecosystem have recently been confirmed to speak in the Mobile World Congress keynote programme, including:

• Daniel Hajj, CEO, America Movil
• Jahangir Mohammed, Founder and CEO, Jasper Wireless
• Tadashi Onodera, Chairman, KDDI
• Hans-Holger Albrecht, President and CEO, Millicom
• Jinwoo So, President and CEO, SK Planet
• Mats Granryd, President and CEO, Tele2 Group
• Jan Koum, Co-Founder and CEO, WhatsApp

These speakers join previously announced keynote speakers including:

• Jon Matonis, Executive Director and Board Member, Bitcoin Foundation
• John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco
• Franco Bernabe, Chairman, GSMA
• Sirgoo Lee, Co-CEO, Kakao Corp.
• Rich Riley, CEO, Shazam Entertainment
• Michelle Gallen, CEO, Shhmooze
• Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and CEO, Telenor Group

The keynote programme will explore topics such as "Mobile Operators: New Strategies for Growth," "Mobile, Disrupted: Challenging the State of Play," "The Connected Lifestyle: Transforming Industries," and "Up Close and Personal: Mobile Identity and Big Data."  In addition to the keynote programme, the conference will also include in-depth track sessions on subjects including business transformation, connected living, data analytics, developing markets, devices, future of communications, intelligent networks, mobile commerce and payments, mobile identity and privacy, network economics and network optimisation, among others. For more information, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/conference.

Showcasing Innovation in Mobile
The GSMA announced several additional companies participating at Mobile World Congress including Ericsson, Etisalat, Fujitsu, Google, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Ooredoo and PriceWaterhouseCoopers. These companies, along with Acer, Alcatel-Lucent, Deutsche Telekom, Ford Motor Company, HTC, Huawei, Intel, LG, MasterCard, Mozilla, NEC, Nokia, Nokia Solutions and Networks, Oracle, Samsung, SAP, Sony Mobile Communications, Telefonica, Visa, Vodafone and ZTE, will be among the more than 1,700 organisations showcasing the latest innovations at Mobile World Congress. For more information, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/exhibition.

New Partners and Sponsors for Mobile World Congress 
The GSMA announced several new partners participating in a range of Featured Programmes that target specific attendee interests and requirements, including Partner Events and App Developer Conferences. Microsoft has signed on as an App Planet Supporting Sponsor and Fastback Networks and Rubicon Project have joined as Event Partners. For more information on all Featured Programmes at Mobile World Congress, visit http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/featured-programmes/.

Ooredoo has been confirmed as an Official Sponsor for the 2014 Ministerial Programme, joining previously announced Official Sponsor Tata Consultancy Services. The 2014 Ministerial Programme, which will examine new paradigms in policy for managing networks and facilitating investment, will be held 24-26 February and is expected to attract delegations from 145 countries and intergovernmental organisations. 

Global Mobile Awards Open for Entry
The 19th annual Global Mobile Awards, which honour excellence and innovation across the mobile industry, are now open for entry until Friday, 29th November 2013. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, 25th February 2014 at Mobile World Congress. The Global Mobile Awards are open to companies across the entire mobile ecosystem and may be entered online; the full list of categories, deadlines and award criteria are available at www.globalmobileawards.com.

The Mobile World Congress is the cornerstone of the Mobile World Capital, which will be hosted in Barcelona from 2013 to 2018. The Mobile World Capital encompasses programmes and activities that span the entire year and will benefit not only the citizens of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, but also the worldwide mobile industry. For more information on the Mobile World Capital, visit www.mobileworldcapital.com.  

For more information on the 2014 Mobile World Congress including how to attend, exhibit or sponsor, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com. 

About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators with 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.  

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.