From Amazon to ZTE - Here are all the companies skipping MWC 2020 - Android

Update, February 11, 2020 (4:07 PM ET): HMD Global and Nokia have joined a host of other companies in withdrawing from Mobile World Congress 2020. Scroll down for the full list as well as official measures to be taken at MWC.

MWC 2020 is still going to go forward in late February in Barcelona, Spain. However, several companies have announced they will not be attending the trade show due to the current coronavirus threat.

The GSMA, which organizes MWC, says that they’ll be taking extra precautions due to the virus outbreak. These precautions include an increase in cleaning and disinfecting areas of the trade show (including catering areas, surfaces, handrails, bathrooms, entrances/exits, etc). It will also have an increase in medical support, more signage to alert attendees on the health threat, and even asking people to adopt a “no handshake” policy while at MWC 2020.

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The organizers also issued a new statement on February 9, saying that travelers from Hubei province (where the outbreak originated) will be banned from the event. Furthermore, travelers who have recently been in China will need to show that they’ve been outside China for 14 days prior to MWC. Other measures include temperature screening and calling for attendees to “self-certify” that they haven’t been in contact with any infected people.

Here are all the companies that have confirmed plans to skip MWC 2020 (for the most part).

Amazon

Amazon is one of the bigger names to skip MWC, revealing that it won’t be exhibiting or participating in the expo at all.

“Due to the outbreak and continued concerns about the new coronavirus, Amazon will withdraw from exhibiting and participating in Mobile World Congress 2020,” the company was quoted as saying by Reuters.

AT&T

In a statement to Eli Blumenthal on February 11, AT&T confirmed that it will not be attending MWC 2020. The details can be found below:

AT&T statement notes and respect steps @GSMA has taken to protect against coronavirus, but says that “the most responsible decision is to withdraw our participation from the event to safeguard our employees and customers.” pic.twitter.com/kM3i4ntDMU

— Eli Blumenthal (@eliblumenthal) February 11, 2020

Ericsson

The telecommunications giant announced on February 7 that it will be pulling out of MWC 2020 due to the coronavirus threat.

Ericsson cited its “responsibility for the health and safety of employees, customers, and other stakeholders” as the primary reason for withdrawing. Instead of attending MWC, the company will hold “Ericsson Unboxed” events instead, which will be mini-events taking place “closer to customers.” Ericsson did not give any further details on where or when these events might take place.

Facebook

Facebook announced on February 11 that it will be joining the list of companies who will no longer be attending MWC 2020 (h/t: CNET). Naturally, the company’s fears about its employees contracting the coronavirus will keep it from participating in the event.

“Out of an abundance of caution, Facebook employees won’t be attending this year’s Mobile World Congress due to the evolving public health risks related to coronavirus,” said a Facebook spokesperson. “We will continue to collaborate with the GSMA and our partners and thank them for their efforts.”

HMD Global

The Nokia brand licensee was originally scheduled to hold a Sunday press conference in Barcelona as well as exhibit at MWC itself. But the firm has announced that it’s withdrawn from all events.

“After much deliberation, and following recommendations from the relevant health authorities, we have decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating at MWC Barcelona, 2020,” the company stated in a release.

The firm said it still plans to show off what it had planned to announce in Barcelona, and will share details on how it will do so “soon.”

Intel

On February 10, Intel announced it was pulling out of MWC 2020 to protect its staff from the ongoing coronavirus outbreak (h/t: VentureBeat). Intel still plans to make an announcement during the event, but it won’t have any company representatives on-site.

“The safety and wellbeing of all our employees and partners is our top priority, and we have withdrawn from this year’s Mobile World Congress out of an abundance of caution,” said an Intel spokesperson. “We are grateful to the GSMA for their understanding and look forward to attending and supporting future Mobile World Congress events.”

LG

In a press release sent to media outlets, LG announced that, due to safety concerns of the coronavirus outbreak on the company’s employees and the general public, it has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020. LG said its decision will “prevent needlessly exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel, which most health experts have advised.” It added that it plans to reveal its 2020 smartphone plans in separate events in the near future.

LG was expected to reveal the LG V60 ThinQ with a secondary display, possibly along with the LG G9 ThinQ during MWC 2020.

MediaTek

On February 11, in a statement sent to Engadget, MediaTek announced its withdrawal from MWC 2020. Like every other company that is backing out of the event, MediaTek cited health concerns for its staff and others attending MWC as the reasoning behind its absence.

“MediaTek has been following the Novel Coronavirus (nCov) closely,” said a MediaTek spokesperson. “After careful assessment, MediaTek decided to withdraw from MWC Barcelona 2020 for employees, customers, and partners’ health and safety concern. We will consider other ways to share our 5G and all related technological breakthroughs.”

Nokia

Yes, Nokia proper is also pulling out of the world’s biggest smartphone expo. The Finnish telecommunications company said it consulted the GSMA, external experts, and authorities in a bid to make a decision.

“The conclusion of that process is that we believe the prudent decision is to cancel our participation at Mobile World Congress,” the firm said in a press release announcing its decision. “We want to express our thanks to the GSMA, the governments of China and Spain as well as Catalonia’s Generalitat, and many others who have worked tirelessly to address the challenges resulting from the novel coronavirus, and they have our full support as they move forward.”

Nvidia