Señoras y señores, buenas noches, bona nit, good evening ladies and gentlemen.
Cuando todavía estamos conmocionados por el devastador incendio en dos edificios de la ciudad de Valencia el pasado jueves, permítanme que, al comenzar mis palabras de esta noche, tenga un recuerdo lleno de emoción para las víctimas, para los heridos, sus familias y seres queridos…
El luto de toda Valencia es el luto de toda España, y así lo queremos trasladar mañana por la tarde la Reina y yo cuando compartamos allí, con los valencianos, su duelo y su dolor.
Retornem ara al motiu d’aquest sopar da benvinguda al MWC. Sempre és un plaer tornar a Barcelona i fer-ho per a una ocasió com aquesta, en la qual la ciutat es converteix durant uns dies en el centre internacional de les tecnologies mòbils. Un centre indiscutible avalat per les xifres que l'acompanyen. Es calculen, per als pròxims dies, més de noranta-cinc mil visitants i dues mil cinc-centes empreses expositores. Enhorabona. No és fàcil superar-se cada any. I vosaltres ho esteu aconseguint.
Para mí es un verdadero placer poder venir un año más al Mobile World Congress y un gran honor presidir esta cena inaugural. Esta es la 12ª ocasión que os acompaño y, sin duda es una cita que no me gustaría perderme; siempre tan atractiva e interesante, llena de innovación, de futuro y de buenas sensaciones. Así que, muchas gracias por la invitación y permítanme que les dé la bienvenida más cordial especialmente a todos los que nos visitan de fuera, viajando en ocasiones desde muy lejos.
Quiero, por supuesto, agradecer la presencia de todas las instituciones que nos acompañan. Esta edición cuenta con la presencia y participación del presidente de Paraguay, S.E. Santiago Peña, con quien tendré ocasión de reunirme esta semana en Madrid con motivo de su visita de trabajo a España. Nos alegra y nos honra con su presencia.
Permítanme que continúe ahora mi intervención en inglés. I will now continue my speech in English. So allow me to welcome you all here tonight, and all those that throughout the next few days will be visiting us, here in Barcelona, Cataluña and Spain.
The Mobile World Congress is an unbeatable meeting point for all the actors involved, in one way or another, in the mobile phone industry, whether they are global operators, device manufacturers, technology providers, sellers or content owners. It is also a meeting point for all those who are interested, myself included, in the future of technology. Indeed, connectivity exists at the MWC; connectivity is the MWC.
"...retornem ara al motiu d’aquest sopar da benvinguda al MWC. Sempre és un plaer tornar a Barcelona i fer-ho per a una ocasió com aquesta, en la qual la ciutat es converteix durant uns dies en el centre internacional de les tecnologies mòbils. Un centre indiscutible avalat per les xifres que l'acompanyen. Es calculen, per als pròxims dies, més de noranta-cinc mil visitants i dues mil cinc-centes empreses expositores. Enhorabona. No és fàcil superar-se cada any. I vosaltres ho esteu aconseguint..."
Today, everyone is connected through his or her phones, and almost anything can be done using a mobile. It is obvious today that not only do we all use mobile phones and devices to make calls or send messages. We also do things with them like reading up on news anytime & anywhere, buying stuff, managing investments, keeping an eye on our homes, family and weather or watching films, sports & series or playing games… and even to carry out many more daily activities…, like knowing how to get to places or accessing a car sharing service… and so on!
What’s more, the speed of innovation is so quick that AI has already reached our mobiles, even if the full potential and capabilities remains unknown. Practically on a monthly basis, we discover with amazement so much more about what we can expect to achieve with AI, and wonder what we need to do to be prepared and lessen our worries.
Honestly, the sheer rate of change and introduction of disruptive innovations can be quite overwhelming. That is why there is so much debate about whether we are ready, whether our societies are ready. In all likelihood, this concern stems from a lack of knowledge, but there is no doubt that the digital transformation has become a challenge that all spheres of our economy and governance must face up to.
We are all aware that this transformation process accelerated considerably during the pandemic, which altered much of our work and consumer habits, and in essence our way of life. Therefore, we need to continue bolstering the digital transformation in order to achieve more growth and greater competitiveness for our economies.
However, in parallel, we must never forget that every step we take forward must also allow us to preserve the individual security and rights of every citizen and, ultimately, of society as a whole.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The new challenges this sector must tackle are precisely the ones this edition of the MWC addresses. Allow me to highlight a few of these: The 1st is the role of AI as a driver of innovation, efficiency and growth in all sectors of the economy. 2nd challenge, as a result, is about 5G and the future generations of mobiles, that will fully integrate AI. A 3rd challenge is to provide talent with the necessary training. A 4th challenge that we face ─and the sector must address─ is the pressing need for all actors in the expanding mobile ecosystem to work together to guarantee that networks are more adaptable, automated, profitable and secure, providing companies and consumers alike with new solutions.
As I do every year, I would also like to mention “Four Years from Now”, which is one of the largest Spanish trade fairs for digital entrepreneurs and start-ups. Organized in parallel with the MWC, this year’s 4YFN marks its 10th anniversary. In addition to the start-ups and exhibitors, others also attend and take great interest in what they have to offer: like investors or corporations seeking solutions for the technological challenges of their own open innovation programmes; as well as by a good number of public and private actors both from the Spanish and international ecosystems.
As I always like to emphasize in different forums of similar nature, public-private collaboration is key; and I am happy to say that 4YFN ─just as the BWMC─ has been and continues to be a great example of this. Congratulations on these 10 years of furthering innovation, generating knowledge and creating opportunities.
Without question, greater connectivity will advance the competitiveness and digitalization of companies. The mobile sector is truly connecting the entire world, but it requires open network solutions that are seamless, sustainable and secure. For this reason, now more than ever, you need to work together to guarantee secure, stable and sustainable connectivity.
I will end here by wishing you a highly successful MWC. I hope that, during this weeklong event, you will able to take full advantage of all the opportunities it offers, while bearing in mind the new challenges which, by working together, we must strive to overcome.
Thank you all and have a great evening. Enjoy Barcelona!