Hello from 3GSM in Barcelona

I am writing this during the third day of the of the 3GSM Conference and Show in Barcelona. Having walked the halls (or at least some of them) over the last couple of days it is apparent to me now just how huge this show is; in the region of 1,300 stands spread over six huge halls and approximately 60,000 visitors make for a very lively atmosphere.

If I had to choose the most "talked about" single technology then it would probably be WiMax. However, maybe that is because it's the most recently maturing of the "convergence enabling" technologies. And in truth, convergence is the strongest theme of the show with converged networks, converged handsets and even converged silicon featuring widely in the show. 

Aside from the Conference, the show itself is organized into broad themes within each hall. The large network infrastructure companies find their place in Hall 8 with, for example, Nortel, Motorola, Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson having huge stands around a central square. For sheer size however, Nokia-Siemens (still listed in the show literature as "Nokia and Siemens representing future Nokia Siemens Networks") wins the day. Not only do they have a huge stand on the main floor, they also have a separate two level stand best described as a business center incorporating meetings rooms, offices and a restaurant.

In Hall 7 the convergence theme is brought together by providers of mobile content and entertainment products. There is a particularly strong emphasis on mobile TV and this hall also includes a content theater and the 3GSM TV Studio.

Being 3GSM there is a strong focus on convergence at the physical handset. Many companies are showing their latest products supporting technologies such as 3G, HSDPA, EDGE and WiFi/VoIP. If visitor traffic is anything to go by the most popular handset manufacturer appears to be LG who are showing their beautifully designed Chocolate and Shine mobile handsets and who also, by the way, win my vote for the best quality carpet I've ever seen on an exhibition stand. The Blackberry stand also sees significant traffic by offering visitors the chance to try out the features of the newest Blackberry models. Other mobile device vendors such as Sony-Ericsson, Samsung, Nokia and Huawei are also showing their latest products.

As well as the halls, the central boulevard running through the venue is packed with trucks exhibiting hot new technology products as well as other items of interest such as stunt bikes and skateboarding. Luckily, as you can see in the picture above, the Barcelona weather has been very kind and makes it particularly pleasant to walk the outside spaces.

Day two of the show saw what was, for me, a particularly interesting headline in the 3GSM Daily (yes, this show is so big that it has it's own daily newspaper). Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, called in his keynote speech for technologies which formed foundations (i.e. the basis of long term returns for everyone) rather than ceilings (i.e. the end of the road for innovation). This was seen by some as a call to end the kind of restrictive technologies and methodologies which have hampered the development of a truly open web (e.g. DRM and walled gardens).

Of course, there has to be a downside and at this show it has to be the sheer size which offers some special problems. Aside from a good pair of shoes, visitors and exhibitors need lots of patience to deal with the crowds leaving the show at 7:00pm each evening. Taxis and the Barcelona Metro struggle to cope with the tens of thousands of visitors all leaving at a similar time.

And the upside?  Well, good food and excellent weather in a beautiful city is a good start. Isn't it?