Mobile World Congress is pretty much the pinnacle event for anyone interested in the mobile industry. This year’s event did not disappoint. As always, there was enough new product innovation to fill a book – and a lengthy one at that. But here are some of the things that caught my eye.
- One would think it would be impossible to increase the intensity of the industry’s fixation on the smart phone, but this MWC proved to do exactly that. Many Tier One OEMs launched new phones like the Samsung Edge, which features a curved glass display. Many smaller companies also got into the mix, with offerings such as Alcatel’s OneTouch, or the Saygus (a US company) v2. Gionee which made a big splash with their smartphone phone that retails for under $300.
- The insatiable interest in watches and wearables is no surprise. Just about every major – and minor – consumer electronics company had a smart watch to offer with an assortment of features and apps – pedometers, GPS tracking, and even golf swing measurement. Some items that caught our eye were watches from Huawei and LG (Urbane).
- Small cells were also a central topic of conversation now that network densification is in full swing. Mobile network operators are embracing a variety of strategies to solve coverage and capacity challenges created by the intense demand for mobile data. The vendor community is responding with a variety of solutions, from mixed mode indoor and outdoor small cells that include 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi, to Cloud RAN solutions that move much of the base station functionality into a centralized system.
For your reading pleasure, here are some highlights on Mobile World Congress that are worth a look:
- CNN: Mobile World Congress 2015: Five glimpses of the future
- The best and worst of MWC 2015 – FierceWireless
- 11 innovative startups to remember from this year’s Mobile World Congress
- 11 must-see videos from Mobile World Congress 2015
- MWC 2015: It was all about connected wearables
- Wild and wacky tech from Mobile World Congress 2015
Last but not least, MWC was our chance to offer a sneak preview a new accessory for the Cel-Fi PRO. I’m also happy to report that the response to our Cel-Fi smart signal booster was unprecedented. Our thanks go to everyone who visited our corner of the world at MWC. Your interest – and input – was invaluable. See you next year!
What was your favorite discovery at MWC?