TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentral TechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      The bonfire of the NFTs

      5 July 2022

      Moves afoot to fix Eskom’s debt problem

      4 July 2022

      Audi South Africa to offer free connectivity upgrades

      4 July 2022

      Shock fuel price increase announced

      4 July 2022

      Wiocc’s data centre business, OADC, appoints CEO

      4 July 2022
    • World

      China, US war of words erupts over lunar missions

      5 July 2022

      Tether fails to calm jittery nerves

      4 July 2022

      EU to impose wide-ranging new rules on the crypto industry

      3 July 2022

      Crypto hedge fund Three Arrows files for bankruptcy

      3 July 2022

      Meta girds for ‘fierce’ headwinds

      1 July 2022
    • In-depth

      The NFT party is over

      30 June 2022

      The great crypto crash: the fallout, and what happens next

      22 June 2022

      Goodbye, Internet Explorer – you really won’t be missed

      19 June 2022

      Oracle’s database dominance threatened by rise of cloud-first rivals

      13 June 2022

      Everything Apple announced at WWDC – in less than 500 words

      7 June 2022
    • Podcasts

      How your organisation can triage its information security risk

      22 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E06 – ‘Apple Silicon’

      15 June 2022

      The youth might just save us

      15 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E05 – ‘Nvidia: The Green Goblin’

      8 June 2022

      Everything PC S01E04 – ‘The story of Intel – part 2’

      1 June 2022
    • Opinion

      South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

      4 July 2022

      Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

      21 June 2022

      Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

      13 June 2022

      A proposed solution to crypto’s stablecoin problem

      19 May 2022

      From spectrum to roads, why fixing SA’s problems is an uphill battle

      19 April 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»Sections»Back in Barcelona, telecoms bosses stake claim to digital future

    Back in Barcelona, telecoms bosses stake claim to digital future

    Sections By Agency Staff28 June 2021
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    A general view of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, 28 June 2021. Albert Gea/Reuters

    Telecommunications industry bosses toasted the return of Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress on Monday with an agenda to put the industry at the centre of digital development and inclusion in a global reboot following the coronavirus pandemic.

    Having kept networks humming while people were locked down at home, telecoms executives said the pandemic had shown how vital connectivity was to those with access to the latest technology, and more so for those the billions who lack it.

    Cancelled last year at the last minute when Covid-19 first began to spread across the globe, the annual event is being held in a hybrid format with around 30 000 visitors, compared to the more than 100 000 that usually attend, with others online.

    With the acceleration of digitalisation during the coronavirus crisis, cybersecurity and data governance are taking centre stag

    “We are back to business, back to Barcelona and back together,” said Mats Granryd, head of the GSMA industry association that hosts the biggest telecoms get-together at the Catalan capital’s sprawling Fira trade fair grounds.

    With the acceleration of digitalisation during the coronavirus crisis, cybersecurity and data governance are taking centre stage, the chiefs of Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom and France’s Orange said, adding that building trust with consumers was key.

    ‘Real progress’

    “For too long, progress in technology meant only advancement at any cost — but real progress comes when we move towards an equitable future, not when we just make shiny new things,” Stephane Richard, Orange CEO and GSMA chairman said in a keynote address from the event’s main stage.

    Saddled with high debt and weak revenues, telcos are hoping to capitalise on the social credit derived from their role connecting societies and individuals during the pandemic to position themselves as the “good guys”.

    “Data cannot be extricated without compensation — it’s called digital dignity,” Telefonica CEO Jose-Maria Alvarez-Pallete said. “I have a right to know what my data is worth.”

    Mobile World Congress in better days

    The trio also called for an overhaul of regulation in the European Union, saying fragmentation across the 27-nation bloc put them at a disadvantage against rivals like Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging service.

    “Connectivity today is needed. But, in 2030, connectivity will be a human right,” Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges said.

    With visitors armed with negative Covid-19 tests, FFP2 face masks and a digital contact tracing badge, the industry hopes the event will create a blueprint for the future.

    But several big names including Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung are staying away this year.

    “I promise next year that Deutsche Telekom and all of us will be back again in Barcelona,” said Hoettges, who joined by video link from the company’s headquarters in Bonn, Germany.  — Reported by Clara-Laeila Laudette and Supantha Mukherjee, (c) 2021 Bloomberg LP

    Mobile World Congress MWC
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticlePopia for the C-suite: An intelligent guide to intelligent privacy
    Next Article Even gold-obsessed Indians are pouring billions into crypto

    Related Posts

    China, US war of words erupts over lunar missions

    5 July 2022

    The bonfire of the NFTs

    5 July 2022

    Moves afoot to fix Eskom’s debt problem

    4 July 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    The MSP value proposition has evolved – here’s why it matters

    4 July 2022

    Presenting the cloud finance in South Africa survey with AWCape and Sage

    4 July 2022

    The Equiano cable has landed

    4 July 2022
    Opinion

    South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

    4 July 2022

    Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

    21 June 2022

    Rob Lith: What Icasa’s spectrum auction means for SA companies

    13 June 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.