Once again, SOM-INN PORT offered its members and innovation agents the opportunity to attend the Mobile World Congress (MWC) and 4 Years From Now (4YFN), which took place at the Fira Barcelona, specifically at the Hospitalet de Llobregat facilities, from February 27th to March the 2nd.
This year, the 17th edition of the MWC was held with the theme “Velocity” and the 9th edition of the 4YFN with the theme “Humanising Technology”.
Both major innovation events were a remarkable success, attracting 88,500 attendees from 202 countries. The top representatives of technological innovation attended, the digital scenario that awaits us in the future was forecasted. The major topics were 5G and 6G technology, trends in the metaverse, the challenges of the 4.0 Industry and innovations in transportation such as the Hyperloop capsule for passenger transport.
According to official data from the organization, MWC and 4YFN had 2,400 exhibitors, sponsors and partners, and more than 1,000 speakers and opinion leaders. 40% of the speakers and 26% of the attendees were women, demonstrating that technology still has a lot of room for improvement in terms of gender equality, which means that women are still in a minority in most STEM training (science and technology) and also in this sector’s workplace in general.
On March the 2nd, some innovation agents of SOM-INN PORT attended these two congresses that are held simultaneously and are considered one of the most relevant in the field of innovation worldwide.
This year’s MWC focused on new technologies in the fields of education (EdTech), finance (FinTech), the most disruptive technologies (Frontier Tech), the relationship between technology and sustainability (Planet & Tech), smart mobility and the digital health sectors.
4YFN focuses on the startup sector, offering unique networking opportunities and allowing entrepreneurs, investors, companies and public institutions to interact. It is the ideal setting for early-stage technology companies looking for funds. This year it brought together more than 780 start-ups, with proposals on connectivity, applications, and the scope of artificial intelligence. There have been 375 speakers and a thousand investors from all over the world. 250 pitching sessions were held.
In the port sector, one of the most relevant highlights was the de smart port solution applied to the Port of Tianjin and presented by the company Huawei.
Tianjin Port’s cutting-edge solution is integrated, secure, efficient and green. It offers a new smart system that connects port operations, automates transportation and increases efficiency while saving costs and energy. Combines 5G technology and autonomous driving technologies to increase efficiency and reduce emissions.
This smart port solution uses the latest technology in smart twins, autonomous driving (fleet of 76 driverless vehicles), 5G, cloud computing and IoT to create a better connected, smarter and autonomous system.
MWC and 4YFN are spaces to connect, meet, learn, discover new technologies and understand what is happening in the global technology scene. At the same time, they are a great platform for entrepreneurs to meet and contact companies dedicated to investing and large technology corporations.
Attending these types of events is an inspiration for the members of the Port of Tarragona’s Open Innovation Ecosystem.
The next edition of MWC and 4YFN will take place from February 26-29, 2024.
March 6th, 2023
Studies and Innovation Department
