Frequently Asked Questions

Mobile World Congress will take place from Monday, 24 February through Thursday, 27 February 2014.

Mobile World Congress will take place at Fira Gran Via, in Barcelona Spain. See the location on a map.

The address is:
Fira Gran Via
Av. Joan Carles I, 64
08908 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona

We expect to host more than 70,000 attendees in 2013. See information about our 2012 attendance.

Star Alliance™ members airlines have again been appointed as Official Suppliers for GSMA Mobile World Congress 2013. To review Star Alliance™ discounts please visit Airline Discounts.

All sessions and communications at Mobile World Congress are presented in English. Translation services are not provided.

Catalan is the official language in Barcelona, but Spanish and English are also widely spoken. Of course, many hospitality workers in the tourist areas and restaurants speak additional languages as well. As an international city and an international event, both the city and the GSMA include symbols on signage to improve communication. If you’re concerned about this, you may wish to obtain a Spanish or English dictionary before you leave your home country.

Offering attendees free Wi-Fi connectivity has been hugely popular and very much welcomed by attendees. For the third straight year, we will not only offer free public Wi-Fi connections, but are again expanding the service to better meet attendee needs. At our new venue, attendees will enjoy the following:

* We are increased network capacity by 250% so more people can connect
* We have increased the number of hotspot areas by 50% over 2012
* Easily accessible spaces will be covered at Fira Gran Via – restaurants, public areas and outdoor areas will also be connected to assist attendee networking

If you have questions about Mobile World Congress or would like more information about any aspect of the event, please fill out our enquiry form and a member of our team will respond to you.

For both items, your best bet is to book early. There are many wonderful hotels in Barcelona, but with more than 70,000 people attending Mobile World Congress, finding a room can be challenging. That’s why we recommend you book your hotel stay through Barcelona Business Pass, our official accommodation partner.

Flights also fill up fast – Book early to ensure you can arrive and depart when you prefer.

As you decide when to arrive, we strongly encourage attendees to pick up their badges over the weekend to avoid long queues. Also, given our new venue, you may wish to consider a weekend arrival to get to know our new location and better plan your week.

Attendees from countries requiring a visa invitation letter may request a letter when registering to attend. You must complete your registration and provide full payment before the letter will be sent.

Barcelona has many great public transportation options, including buses, the underground Metro system, taxis and trains. We do offer shuttles services to those few hotels which are not easily accessed by the other available options.

Yes. The minimum age for all attendees is 16 years of age. Requests for exceptions to this rule must be made in writing and approved by GSMA prior to the event. Attendees under the age of 16 will not be able to enter without GSMA’s prior written approval.

Certainly, however we suggest you register before arrival to avoid queues. You won’t want to waste time in a queue when the mobile world is waiting!

With more than 40 conference sessions planned during the week, we have many speaking slots to fill. We solicit speaker through a Call For Papers process, which is currently closed. More information on the process, what topics we’re speaking on in 2013 and relevant deadlines are available at the above link.

Keynote speakers are solicited through invitation only.

Speakers are selected on the topic relevance and originality of their submission, in addition to their proven ability in the proposed topic and overall prominence in the industry.

We make every effort to contact successful applicants within two months after the close of the call for papers.

Confirmed speakers should wait for the speaker team to contact them with details on how to complete registration.

The Shelly Palmer Digital Leadership Series Tour at Mobile World Congress have been created so that you can get the most out of Mobile World Congress 2013. As an mPowered Brands Supporting Sponsor, Shelly Palmer and his experienced tour guides will help you identify and understand key technologies and services, differentiate offerings and create action items and strategic take-aways from the show.

Register at http://www.shellypalmer.com/mobile-world-congress-2013-official-vip-floor-tours/.

Each tour is 1000 USD (approximately ₤620) per person.

There is an additional mandatory $250 (approximately ₤155) deposit required for each wireless headset receiver, which will be charged to your credit card at the time of your reservation. This deposit will be fully refunded when the unit is returned at the conclusion of your tour. The earbuds are yours to keep.

Floor tours will run Morning, Midday and Afternoon, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of Mobile World Congress during show hours. We will do our best to accommodate your scheduling request. You will be given the opportunity to confirm your tour before 1 February 2013. If we cannot accommodate your schedule, you may cancel and receive a complete refund.

• One (1) Mobile World Congress 2013 Exhibition Visitor Pass
• Small Groups of 10-14 people per 2-hour tour led by Expert Tour Guides
• The Shelly Palmer Digital Leadership™ Mobile Report (a $499 value)
• Wireless Headsets so you won’t miss a word**

Tours will depart from Hall 2, Stand 2MR58.

Cancellations for paid conferences received in writing on/before February 1, 2013 are refundable. After February 1, 2013 cancellations are subject to the entire fee. Please submit all cancellations in writing by sending your request to [email protected]. Cancellation requests not received in writing will not be honored.