GSMA Announces Keynote Speakers for 2010 Mobile World Congress

LONDON, October 28 /PRNewswire/ --
- GSMA Also Introduces App Planet, a New Mobile World Congress Event
Targeting the Mobile Application Developer Community
The GSMA today announced that the CEOs of the world's leading
communications companies, including Alcatel-Lucent, China Unicom, Ericsson,
Google, Huawei, KDDI, Telefonica and Vodafone, will deliver keynote
presentations at the 2010 Mobile World Congress, which will be held 15-18
February, 2010 in Barcelona. The GSMA also introduced App Planet, a new
"event within an event" focusing on mobile application developers, which will
be held at Mobile World Congress.
"The mobile communications industry continues to evolve at an
unprecedented pace, creating new opportunities and introducing new
participants across the entire value chain," said Michael O'Hara, chief
marketing officer for the GSMA. "More than ever, the Mobile World Congress
truly reflects the broadening communications ecosystem and celebrates the
innovation and ingenuity that are the hallmarks of our dynamic market. The
CEOs who will be taking the stage at this year's Congress will offer a unique
view of the new mobile landscape, sharing perspectives and insights that
serve to strengthen and advance the industry." Keynote speakers confirmed
for the Mobile World Congress to date include:

- Ben Verwaayen, CEO, Alcatel-Lucent
- Chang Xiaobing, Chairman and CEO, China Unicom
- Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson
- Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google
- Guo Ping, Chairman, Huawei Communications
- Tadashi Onodera, President and Chairman, KDDI Corporation
- Cesar Alierta, Executive Chairman and CEO, Telefonica
- Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive, Vodafone

Under the theme of "Vision in Action", the upcoming Mobile World Congress
will feature a premiere conference programme that will explore a range of
complex issues and topics, such as: new business strategies and growth
opportunities enabled through mobile; developments in key technology areas
such as embedded Mobile Broadband, LTE, femtocells and cloud computing, among
others; new mobile applications, services and content, as well as the
associated business models and channels to market; and the benefit of mobile
on society and the environment.
App Planet: Focus on Mobile Application Developers
The GSMA today launched App Planet, a major new "event within an event"
that will be held at the 2010 Mobile World Congress. Solely focused on the
rapidly growing application developer community, App Planet will bring
together the many critical elements of the broad mobile application ecosystem
together in one location. The inaugural App Planet event will feature:
- Application developer conferences focused specifically on the most
influential mobile platforms in the market;
- An interactive exhibition where attendees can preview the newest and
most innovative application technologies;
- The "App Lounge", where networking and business development will help
to further define the future of this exciting mobile segment;
- A dedicated, day-long track of thought-provoking presentations and
panel sessions on industry trends in mobile applications; and
- The "Apps Garage", which will showcase cutting-edge GSMA initiatives in
the mobile applications space.

Initial App Planet partners include Research In Motion (RIM), Wireless
Industry Partnership (WIP) and the International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA),
as well as more than 40 exhibiting companies who will be showcasing their
technologies and solutions.
"Mobile application development is perhaps the most exciting and rapidly
changing segment in the mobile communications industry today," continued
O'Hara. "The creation of App Planet, which provides dedicated exhibition and
networking facilities, as well as focused content, squarely addresses the
demand we see in the market for greater resources, information and business
development opportunities for the mobile application developer community."
For additional information on App Planet at the Mobile World Congress,
visit http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/exhibition/app_planet.htm.
For additional information on the 2010 Mobile World Congress, please
visit http://www.mobileworldcongress.com. For information on the 2010 Global
Mobile Awards, please visit http://www.globalmobileawards.com.
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications
industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's
mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile
ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers,
Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is
focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its
membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile
communications industry.
For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the new online
portal for the mobile communications industry, at
http://www.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at
http://www.gsmworld.com.
SOURCE GSMA

Media Contact: GSMA, Daniel Lowther: +44-7747-636-687, press@gsm.org