South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics officially announced its withdrawal from the 2021 Mobile World Congress (MWC 2021) scheduled to hold in June in Barcelona, Spain. Citing safety concerns for its employees, the company says it will instead focus on a virtual presence for the duration of the event, slated from June 28 to July 1, 2021.
In a statement released to the public, Samsung stated that the health and safety of its employees, partners, and customers is the topmost priority of the company.
The Mobile World Congress is making a return after it was skipped in 2020 due to the pandemic. Some projections say up to 50,000 persons are expected to grace the event this year. However, that may be an over-optimistic assessment of the projected intakes. This year’s MWC has been hit with withdrawals from most industry leaders as companies continue to enforce protocols that would guarantee the safety of their employees.
Stringent restrictions are still in force in Spain, which was heavily hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the parent association (GSMA) got some waivers from Spanish authorities for some exemptions for participants of MWC 2021. The program organizers also require attendees to show a negative test result before entry into Spain. In addition, new tests are conducted once every three days.
Samsung will focus on showcasing its product virtually during MWC 2021. The company hopes to leverage the MWC platform to introduce its array of cutting-edge and innovative products to the global audience virtually.
Lenovo has also reportedly disclosed that it won’t be attending the tech show in person. The Verge quotes a Lenovo spokesperson to have hinted that the company will attend virtually instead of in person. The company also indicated that it had informed the GSM Association, which organizes the event, about its plans.
Samsung and Lenovo have now joined Google, Ericsson, Sony, and Nokia, who had all ruled out a physical presence in the Barcelona conference.
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