Samsung Electronics has become the latest major company to withdraw as an in-person exhibitor at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, reports Reuters. The world’s biggest handset maker took the decision for similar reasons to Google, Intel, Ericsson, Nokia, Sony, Facebook, Cisco and Oracle, namely ongoing concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic. "The health and safety of our employees, partners and customers is our number one priority,” said the company.
Earlier this month, the Spanish government agreed to lift Covid travel restrictions and allow all registered participants to travel to Barcelona for the in-person event, scheduled to take place from 28 June to 01 July. The GSMA said it was expecting to attract some 45,000 to 50,000 attendees to MWC 2021, around half the usual number.
