Telefónica joins the Mobile World Capital

October 9, 2012

The Mayor of Barcelona and President of the Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) Foundation, Xavier Trias, and the President of Telefónica, César Alierta, have signed an agreement to incorporate the telecommunications company in the MWCapital. The goal of this participation is to help boost entrepreneurship in the mobile sector and collaborate on existing projects.

With this agreement, which was signed in the Barcelona City Hall, Telefónica is expected to contribute 7.8 million Euros to develop different projects between 2012 and 2014. The signing was also attended by the President of Telefónica España, Luis Miguel Gilpérez, the CEO of Telefónica in Catalonia, Kim Faura, the second and third Deputy Mayor, Sònia Recasens (secretary of the Foundation) and Antoni Vives (member of the board), respectively, and Executive VP of the MWCapital, Agustín Cordón, and its CEO, Ginés Alarcón, as well as various representatives from the business world.

Telefónica, which has shown its commitment to the project since its candidacy, is the first large corporate group to join the MWCapital Foundation, which marks the start of adding input from private initiatives to the efforts of administrations involved in the project in order to reinforce industry and generate employment in one of the sectors with the most future, especially in the current climate. Telefónica will form part of the government organs and of the Foundation’s Board.

Telefónica’s participation will be a key factor in boosting the mobile industry all over the country and in creating an important cluster of mobile-based companies, one of the key areas of the MWCapital project. The telecommunications company will also become a technological partner of the MWHub’s Competence Centres.

Xavier Trias, Mayor of Barcelona and President of the MWCapital Foundation said: “The aim of the Foundation is to turn Barcelona into a global centre of development, innovation, investment and generation of new mobile technology business models, improving people’s quality of life”, adding “With this agreement with Telefónica, we hope to set a precedent that other companies from the private sphere will follow. We want Barcelona to be a city that is a model of growth that provides opportunities for everyone and creates stable jobs of quality that have added value”.

For his part, the President of Telefónica, César Alierta highlighted “The great pride that Telefónica feels to be involved in Barcelona’s confirmation as the world capital of the mobile industry; something in which our company has been clearly and categorically committed since the beginning”. The President of Telefónica also stated “one of the keys of the success of the Mobile World Congress, held in Barcelona for the last 6 years, has been to favour close contact between telecommunications operators and content providers” and advocates for “the consolidation of the city as Mobile World Capital to allow us to move even further forward. Together, we have to take advantage of the opportunity of Barcelona being the mobile world capital for the next six years to build a really digital society”.

Plaza de Catalunya, headquarters of the Mobile World Centre

The agreement between Mobile World Capital and Telefónica will see the location of the Mobile World Centre (MWCentre) in Telefónica’s emblematic building in Barcelona’s Plaza Catalunya. Because of its location, the 3-storey 1,800-square metre space is unique in the world to promote the use of new technologies and mobiles among all segments of the population.

Works on the MWCentre have already started and are expected to be completed at the start of next year. It is expected to be opened before the next Mobile World Congress, which will be held from the 25th to 28th February 2013 in Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via Exhibition Centre. People will then be able to visit the new centre and discover and experience, firsthand, the latest mobile technological advances, applications, and products. The MWCentre will have an exhibition space, which will include advanced mobile-related content and a polyvalent space for temporary exhibitions, and an auditorium. The building will also house a Movistar retail space.