Ericsson pulls out of MWC due to 'health and safety' concerns from coronavirus

Telecommunications company Ericsson has announced it will withdraw from this year's Mobile World Congress event, scheduled for Feb. 24-27 in Barcelona.

"Due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Ericsson has taken the decision to withdraw from the industry event GSMA Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2020," the company said in a press release.

The company said it "appreciates" what GSMA (the association which organizes the MWC, op. ed) has done to mitigate the coronavirus risk. "However, as one of the largest exhibitors, 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."

"This is not a decision we have taken lightly. 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,” Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, said in a statement.

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Ericsson, typically a major exhibitor at the MWC, said it would showcase the demos and content created for MWC 2020 at local events, which will be called "Ericsson Unboxed."

SEE ALSO: MWC 2020 might be in trouble as companies bail due to coronavirus outbreak

The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is the largest annual mobile technology-focused event in the world, with a typical attendance of over 100,000 and nearly all major phone makers and telecoms exhibiting, many of them from China.

But this year is bound to be different. The coronavirus outbreak, which has so far killed more than 560 and infected 28,000 people, is disrupting travel plans and likely turning event planning into a logistical nightmare for exhibitors.

Ericsson is the third major company, after LG and ZTE, to scale back or completely withdraw from this year's MWC due to the coronavirus outbreak. Other major companies, including Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Lenovo, recently said their plans to exhibit at the show still stand, but Huawei said it's keeping "a close eye on matters."