eco will once again be present at MWC Barcelona this year and will offer a guided tour on AI and IoT, as well as a presentation on connected mobility. Markus Schaffrin, Head of the eco Member Services division, explains in a short interview what awaits visitors, and which central topics will feature this year.
Mr. Schaffrin, in the past, the MWC was first and foremost a cell-phone get-together – what topics do you see on the agenda today?
There are still a few cell phones there to be admired in Barcelona, but the fact is that other topics such as 5G, Big Data, IoT, AI, Smart City, and security have been dominating the scene for some years now. In particular the big players from the ITC environment put serious effort into presenting the latest products and innovations at their stands.
Why does AI in particular play such an important role?
For many companies AI is the central driver of digital transformation. AI is seen as a crucial technology for the future and should therefore not be omitted in new products and services. I am curious to see whether there are still exhibitors at the MWC who are advertising without this attribute.
For autonomous driving, high-performance 5G networks are required – where do you see further areas of application for the new standard?
5G is not only the basis for autonomous vehicles, drones, or robots, but is also the foundation for learning artificial intelligent systems, as well as for augmented reality applications. The 5G standard offers low latency and high bandwidths for industrial real-time applications.
Small and medium-sized companies will benefit in particular from 5G. 5G is the prerequisite for smart factories to replace fixed and cabled production lines with agile, mobile connected production islands. The potential applications are extremely diverse.
On what basis will eco be present at MWC Barcelona?
The eco Association will be on location offering a guided tour on the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. In addition, we will be presenting our guidelines on Connected and Autonomous Mobility at the NRW.International stand (26 February, 15:00 to 16:30 p.m. in Hall 6, Stand 6B40). In this presentation and follow-up discussion, Thorsten Stuke, CEO of m2m-Tailors and Expert for Mobility at the eco Association, will highlight opportunities and risks in the mobility ecosystem.
Further information here; registration for the presentation are possible via email.
