Missed call? Counting the cost of no-show Mobile World Congress

A man riding at Fira de Barcelona after the Mobile World Congress was cancelled, in Barcelona, Spain Feb 13. — Reuters

BERLIN: For an event meant to showcase the power of telecoms, cancelling this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona without a back-up plan has perplexed many in the trillion-dollar sector.

Feb 12's decision to call off the telecoms industry's biggest annual gathering over fears of coronavirus, which has yet to reach mainland Spain, has left a hole in marketing budgets and dealt a US$500mil (RM2.1bil) blow to the local economy.