The first of five editions, on November 25-26, will bring together leaders, policymakers, and innovators to drive digital transformation regionally and globally.
Qatar will host the Mobile World Congress for five years starting with the MWC 2025 later this year in November.
An agreement was signed between Qatar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association on Tuesday to bring the annual international mobile communications trade show to Doha.
The first of the five editions will be held on November 25 and 26 later this year, according to the agreement signed on the sidelines of the ongoing MWC in Barcelona.
The Doha event will aim to bring together industry leaders, policymakers and innovators to contribute to digital transformation in the region and beyond, according to Mohammed Ali-Al-Mannai, Qatar’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology.
“This event aligns with our commitment to realising Qatar’s National Vision 2030, as we continue to foster a thriving digital economy and a sustainable digital society,” Al-Mannai said in a statement.
Qatar recently hosted the second edition of the region’s largest gathering of startups, the Web Summit Qatar, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center. The venue is set to host the first edition of MWC Doha.
“The State of Qatar has established itself as a premier destination for global summits and conferences in the ICT sector, and hosting MWC25 further reinforces this position,” Al-Mannai added.
“We look forward to a long-lasting and mutually beneficial partnership [with Qatar],” the CEO of MWC’s organising body GSMA, John Hoffman, told Qatar News Agency after signing the agreement.
“We’re super excited for the future, bringing digital transformation to the region and bringing the international flavour of MWC to Doha,” he added.
Qatar is currently participating at the ongoing conference in Barcelona, through representatives from the Ministry of Communications, Qatar Tourism, and Invest Qatar.
The event has been held annually at Barcelona’s Fira Gran Via since 2006. Since 2019, it has consistently attracted over 100,000 visitors each year.
Doha will join the likes of China’s Shanghai, Rwanda’s Kigali and the U.S.’s Las Vegas in organising the MWC event, outside of the annual flagship event in Barcelona that occurs every year.
