5G networking provider Ericsson has become the latest vendor to pull out from Mobile World Congress in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
“After an extensive internal risk assessment, Ericsson has decided to take further precautionary measures by withdrawing from MWC Barcelona 2020,” the company said on Friday, two days after LG Electronics also decided to skip the show.
Ericsson pointed to the potential danger of a coronavirus carrier spreading the illness among attendees at MWC, which is expected to attract more than 100,000 people from across the globe. “As one of the largest exhibitors (at MWC), Ericsson has thousands of visitors in its hall each day and even if the risk is low, the company cannot guarantee the health and safety of its employees and visitors,” the Swedish vendor said.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly,” Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm added in the statement. “We were looking forward to showcasing our latest innovations at MWC in Barcelona. It is very unfortunate, but we strongly believe the most responsible business decision is to withdraw our participation from this year’s event.”
The GSMA, MWC’s organizer, said, “Ericsson’s cancellation will have some impact on our presence at this time and will potentially have further impact,” without elaborating.
However, the show will go on. To prevent the spread of illness, the GSMA will institute a rigorous cleaning program to keep the Barcelona venue free of germs. It’s also calling on all attendees to adopt a “no-handshake” policy at the show.
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Chinese vendor ZTE has also canceled its press conference for MWC. However, the company will still be showing products at the event, which will be held from Feb. 24-27.
As for Ericsson, the company plans on exhibiting its technologies to prospective customers in their home markets with events called “Ericsson Unboxed.