GSMA and CTIA partner to create new mobile industry event for the Americas

June 22, 2016

“GSMA Mobile World Congress Americas, in partnership with CTIA” to Launch in San Francisco in September 2017

London and Washington, D.C. – The GSMA and CTIA® today announced a partnership through which the two organisations will create a new mobile industry event in the United States. “GSMA Mobile World Congress Americas, in partnership with CTIA” will debut September 12-14, 2017 in San Francisco. CTIA and the GSMA are equal partners in the joint event, with the GSMA leading the event’s production and management.

CTIA will host its Super Mobility event showcasing the U.S. wireless industry in Las Vegas on September 7-9, 2016. Beginning in 2017, the new joint Mobile World Congress Americas will continue to serve CTIA Super Mobility attendees, exhibitors and sponsors and will also attract new audiences from across the growing communications ecosystem.

“We are very excited to be partnering with CTIA to create our first large-scale event in the United States,” said John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. “The North American mobile industry has been the strongest performing of any developed region globally, leading innovation in hardware, access technologies, operating systems and new apps and services that are scaling rapidly and changing how individuals live and work. Mobile World Congress Americas will put a spotlight on this innovation and will support the continued growth of the mobile ecosystem in the region.”

“By combining the show resources of the two preeminent wireless organizations – CTIA and the GSMA – we will have the first truly global wireless event in the United States and the Americas. Each fall, this unique collaboration will bring the world’s attention to mobile innovation and opportunities from 5G to the Internet of Things and beyond,” said Meredith Attwell Baker, President and CEO, CTIA. “At the new event, CTIA looks forward to continuing to develop its policy-focused educational sessions and collaborate on the keynote program. Our joint event will provide the ideal platform to highlight the U.S. mobile industry and the impact it has for billions of people around the world.”

Mobile World Congress Americas will include a conference program featuring C-level speakers and leading industry experts; an exhibition showing the latest mobile technologies, products and services; a regulatory and public policy program; partner events; free seminars and many other activities. Across these elements, Mobile World Congress Americas will emphasize core mobile technologies, consumer and industrial applications in the Internet of Things and the intersection of mobile with entertainment, content and media. It is expected that the inaugural Mobile World Congress Americas will attract 30,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors.

“The GSMA has worked with CTIA as the U.S. wireless trade association for several years, with many members in common, and we are pleased to have this opportunity to broaden our partnership to deliver this new event,” said Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA. “The combination of the GSMA’s world-class event organization and management capabilities and CTIA’s excellent member relations and U.S. public policy and regulatory expertise position us to build an even stronger event for the Americas region in Mobile World Congress Americas.”

“The mobile industry will be the big winner as CTIA and GSMA work together to produce the premier mobile event in the Americas,” said Glenn Lurie, Chairman of the Board of CTIA and President and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Operations. “We expect it to be a showcase for new technology as well as an ideal place to do business.”

CTIA Events – CTIA’s Super Mobility event showcasing the U.S. wireless industry will be held September 7-9, 2016 in Las Vegas. Moving forward, CTIA Super Mobility will evolve into the new joint event in 2017 and beyond. In addition to partnering with the GSMA on Mobile World Congress Americas, CTIA will continue to host other educational and policy events that promote the U.S. wireless industry.

GSMA Events – Mobile World Congress Americas becomes the latest addition to the GSMA’s growing portfolio of leading mobile industry events. The GSMA’s flagship event, Mobile World Congress, takes place annually in Barcelona. The GSMA also organizes Mobile World Congress Shanghai, which will next be held June 29 – July 1 in Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences, which includes the upcoming GSMA Mobility Live! – North America event that will take place November 1-2 in Atlanta.