THE ANNUAL MOBILE World Congress ( MWC ) is far and away the largest showcase for the telecommunications industry . At the end of February this year , more than 120,000 exhibitors met in Barcelona to showcase the most innovative products and services and share the big ideas that will influence the future of the industry . Professionals from 205 countries and territories were present , and around 3,500 members of the international press and media attended .
It ’ s certainly come a long way from its inception 30 years ago as a forum for the global system for mobile communications ( GSM ) when the protocols for second-generation digital cellular networks ( 2G ) were first deployed . Today the industry is gearing up for the fifth generation . Network operators are jockeying for the first position as 5G rolls out , and among the leaders is Sprint Corporation . Sprint is the ninth largest telecommunications company in the world – the fourth largest when combined with the SoftBank family of companies , based at Overland Park , Kansas , and with over 54mn customers . Its prepaid subsidiaries include Boost Mobile , Virgin Mobile , and Assurance Wireless .
This year ’ s MWC came at a pivotal moment for Sprint , which has stabilised and grown market share since its acquisition by Japan ’ s SoftBank in 2013 , placing it in the same stable as other outstanding technology companies . In 2016 it recorded a growth in revenue for the first time in three years ( at $ 33.3bn ), added 930,000 postpaid phone net customers , and was rated the number one voice network in the USA . Growth continued
10 May 2018