BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Mobile World Congress is kicking off in Barcelona with scaled-back attendance and beefed-up health and safety measures. Mobile World is a major wireless technology trade fair that was cancelled at the last minute last year because of COVID-19 concerns. This year it’s one of the few big trade shows to attempt a comeback amid the ongoing pandemic. Organizers expect 25,000 to 30,000 people to attend in person, a fraction of the more than 100,000 visitors in recent years. Companies like Ericsson, Nokia, Intel, Sony and Qualcomm are staying away while South Korea’s Samsung, the world’s biggest mobile phone maker, is only holding a virtual device launch.
Pandemic-era Mobile World Congress tech fair kicks off
