Mobile World Congress organizers will ban some Russian firms from the show

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Mobile World Congress organizers will ban some Russian companies from the world’s largest mobile technology show which will run from February 28th to March 3rd, Reuters reports.

The Russian Pavilion will not exhibit the country’s mobile products this year at the Barcelona-based event because of international sanctions imposed upon Russia after it invaded Ukraine, event organizers wireless industry association GSMA said.

Although the GSMA strongly condemned the invasion, its chief executive John Hoffman told Reuters there are no plans to cancel or reschedule the conference. However, he added “it’s an evolving situation” that they “will continue to monitor.”

While Hoffman also said a “handful, a few” of Russian firms and their executives will be barred, he didn’t disclose names, adding sanctions lists were evolving.

However, companies with links to Russia – like the carrier VimpelCom – can still buy some presence by paying the association for dedicated show flow space.

If the expected 40,000-60,000 attend, the conference will be one of the largest in-person events since the pandemic began.