Protests linked to the Iran-Israel-US conflict were seen outside MWC 2026, with tighter security at the venue.
Travel disruptions left many experts stranded, and companies like HMD, Flipkart and Nothing India cancelled visits.
Despite the situation, major brands and over 30 Israeli companies are still participating in the event.
The ongoing international conflict between Iran, Israel and the US is now affecting the world’s biggest tech conference. Mobile World Congress or MWC started on Monday, March 1 in Barcelona with participation from the biggest tech companies in the world.
SurveyHowever, the focus was less on tech and more on the current political situation. Journalists, experts and exhibitors from around the world have been closely monitoring the situation for the past few days and the first day of the conference began with several protestors lining up outside Fira, the venue for the event.
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A bunch of protesters were seen holding banners to boycott US and Israel at the conference. While the number of protestors were not as many, one could see increased security around the venue to ensure peace.
Interestingly, several Israeli and Palestinian companies are participating at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), an event which holds significance not only from an economic perspective but also as a reflection of the country’s stance toward international conflicts and diplomatic challenges. It’s reported that more than 30 Israeli companies will participate in MWC 2026, despite the calls for boycott.
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Meanwhile, a bunch of journalists and experts flying from different parts of South West Asia were not able to make it to the conference as several airports and airlines in the Middle East suspended their services. Many Indian experts and exhibitors are also stranded in either Dubai or Doha, with little clarity on the future path.
Representatives from HMD, Flipkart and Nothing India have now cancelled their visit to the MWC this year. Even the occupancy at the conference seems much less than last two years.
The organisers aim to keep the operations as usual despite all the turmoil. Among major presenters this year, are Xiaomi, Motorola, Honor, Qualcomm, Nothing, Ericsson, among others.
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Manas Tiwari
Manas has spent a decade in media, juggling between Broadcast, Online, Radio and Print journalism. Currently, he leads the Technology coverage across Times Now Tech and Digit for the Times Network. He has previously worked for India Today where he launched Fiiber for the group, Zee Business and Financial Express. He spends his week following the latest tech trends, policy changes and exploring gadgets. On other days, you can find him watching Premier League and Formula 1. View Full Profile
