Manx Telecom was represented by a strong team at the Mobile World Congress – the biggest annual expo for mobile communications technology.
The event, which attracts around 100,000 visitors and more than 2,000 exhibitors, took place over four days in Barcelona.
Representing Manx Telecom were chief executive officer Gary Lamb; Kevin Paige, director of customer service and chief technology officer; and Simon Taylor, global solutions business development manager.
David Smith, Manx Telecom marketing director, said: ‘Primarily, attending MWC is about networking opportunities and raising Manx Telecom’s profile at what is the biggest annual expo for the mobile telecoms sector, and increasingly for the entire telecommunications sector.
‘Secondly, it’s also an ideal opportunity to catch-up with all of the major handset suppliers, many of which hold back on announcing new smartphones so that they can reveal them to the world at MWC.
‘Thirdly, our team met representatives from other telecoms operators, established new contacts, shared information, and discussed industry best practice.
‘MWC is important for all telcos, but it’s becoming even more important for Manx Telecom as the UK and international dimension of our business expands.
‘We’re moving more and more into the sphere of ‘‘internet of things’’ technology which essentially involves using smartphones and other mobile devices not just for personal communications, but also for machine to machine communications.
‘This has a wide range of applications, including controlling heating, fridges and other domestic appliances at home, pay as you drive motor insurance, health monitoring, and many other potential uses.
‘We’re heavily involved in this technology, and MWC is an ideal forum within which to strengthen existing contacts, and build new ones with potential partners in the UK and internationally.’
MWC is the event where most leading manufacturers announce their latest smartphones and tablets, and reveal prototype examples of future technologies and products.
This year’s big announcements included Samsung’s eagerly awaited launch of its Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone; Sony’s Xperia X and XA smartphones and an innovative range of Xperia Ear, Xperia Eye, Xperia Projector and Xperia Agent devices; and LG’s G5 smartphone and LG 360 VR Headset.
Another big talking point at the Congress was 5G, the next generation of mobile network technology.
All of the major mobile network infrastructure suppliers are beginning to lay out their thoughts and ideas about 5G – but it’s a technology which is still very much in its development stage, with experts predicting that the world’s first 5G networks won’t be launched until 2019 at the earliest.
5G could deliver speeds of up to 3Gigabits per second, and offer many other advantages in the sphere of ‘‘internet of things’’ technology.
Check out Manx Telecom’s Facebook page for video blogs which give reviews of some of the latest smartphones launched at MWC this year.
The GSMA Mobile World Congress was held in Barcelona last week