Connectivity technologies such as 5G, cloud-related innovations, edge computing and the Internet of Things are to make a strong showing at the next Mobile World Congress (MWC), where artificial intelligence coupled with virtual and mixed reality and blockchain, often associated with the metaverse, will also feature prominently.
The Mobile World Congress “has always been a good way to confirm and measure the rise of new technologies,” says Eugenia Fuenmayor, scientific director at the Eurecat technology centre. “Apart from the release of new models in mobiles, tablets, watches and mobile devices in general, it also showcases the biggest current breakthroughs from their beginnings to their large-scale rollout.”
“This is how we have witnessed 5G evolve year after year from its first test versions to today, when it will be the main player at the event for the second year in a row.”
5G, cloud and edge technologies
5G “is being deployed across the board with the extra impetus furnished by teleworking and the need for fast and flexible connectivity in all kinds of settings,” argues Fuenmayor.
She points out that the combination of 5G goes hand in hand with cloud infrastructures at the edge to further minimise latency time and thereby “significantly shorten the time taken to process huge amounts of data”.
“Even without seeing the list of exhibitors it’s not too difficult to imagine that a wide variety of 5G solution providers and edge and cloud service providers will be at the conference alongside 5G mobile device manufacturers.”
The Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) “is still expanding, now fuelled by the rollout of 5G and cloud edge technologies,” says Fuenmayor. She expects that “there will be plenty of solution providers at the conference for sectors including health, transport, smart cities, resource management and asset tracking.”
She also believes that “we will see sensors and connectivity devices, some with 5G capability, as well as providers of advanced Internet of Things platforms.”
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence “is a must when talking about technology trends and will certainly be at this event,” she adds. “We will find applications based on data analytics, AI and machine learning to support process autonomy and decision-making.”
“We will also see it built into physical objects including robots, drones and connected cars and embedded in small devices such as sensors.”
A range of application areas will be on display at MWC, including in Industry 4.0 and robotics such as automatic assembly, predictive maintenance, transport and supply of components and fault detection in processes, equipment and parts. This will be coupled with applications in autonomous mobility, tourism and smart cities.
Virtual and mixed reality
Virtual and mixed reality “have been a constant feature at the Mobile World Congress for several years now” driven especially by the entertainment industry, particularly videogames, and research.
Every year “we’ve seen new and better VR devices emerge and sensory technologies (in the broad sense of the term) get better.”
“In lockstep we’ve noticed steady improvement in the quality of visual outcomes, interaction with the virtual world and the user experience.”
This year these technologies will gain prominence due to the rise of the metaverse, largely driven by using virtual and mixed reality to create interactive virtual worlds. “Investment in the development of these technologies will undoubtedly increase significantly,” she argues. “So it will be exciting to see how they evolve from now on at upcoming editions of the Mobile World Congress.”
Cybersecurity, blockchain, fintechs and NFTs
“When you talk about digital communication networks, you’re also talking about cybersecurity,” notes Fuenmayor. “This is something which will always be part of the digital environment and is gaining significance as connectivity grows.” This means “there will be plenty of providers of innovative and smart solutions for fraud detection and prevention, cyberattack threat detection, privacy protection and authentication.”
Blockchain will also feature in cybersecurity due to its relevance in digital transactions. Together with fintechs it underpins the metaverse economy by making it possible to create NFTs and conduct secure transactions.