Middle East war casts cloud over annual mobile congress

Exhibitors and organisers were gamely showing off new Al-focused tech at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade fair in Barcelona on Monday, although some were kept away by travel disruptions caused by the US-Israel-Iran war.

- ROBIN BJALON

A woman dressed as a robot showcases the latest version of ZTE's Nubia NEO 5 GT gaming smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday.

(REUTERS)

The annual gathering, expected to draw around 109,000 visitors, went ahead without many Israeli companies as flights were cancelled from the nation’s airports.

“Certainly, the travel restrictions are having an impact,” said Lara Dewar, marketing chief at the GSMA telecoms industry association, which organises the MWC.

Around 30 Israeli participants had been slated to exhibit in the Catalan city.

Some such as Al security firm Deep-Keep were unable to attend, AFP journalists saw on signs posted at the absent companies’ stands.

Nine of the 25 businesses supposed to join the Israeli national pavilion were also kept away.

“Due to the current situation, our flights... were cancelled, and we were unable to reach Barcelona,” Nofar Moradian-Shiber of the Israel Export Institute told AFP.