Skip to main content

ZTE will skip Mobile World Congress press conference due to coronavirus outbreak

ZTE has decided to skip its Mobile World Congress press conference this year due to the coronavirus outbreak in its home country of China. To be clear, ZTE saysthe cancellation was triggered by the secondary effects of the outbreak — not because of employees having contracted it themselves.

For example, the virus has made it harder to get visas and make travel arrangements. ZTE also says that it tends “to be an overly courteous company, and simply doesn’t want to make people uncomfortable,” according to a ZTE spokesperson in an interview with The Verge. It’s currently unclear if it’s only the ZTE press conference that’s canceled, or ZTE’s presence at the show in general.

Apart from ZTE’s cancellation, the rest of the show looks to be full steam ahead. Industry organization GSMA, which runs the MWC event, has announced a series of measures intended to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading. According to the GSMA’s statement, there will be increased cleaning on site, including all “high-volume touchpoints” like handrails, door handles, and so on. On top of that, there will be better medical support at the event.

Coronavirus has already killed more than 400 people and infected approximately 20,000. As a result of the outbreak, many airlines have suspended their flights to and from the region, and some companies have even temporarily shut down their offices. Some tech companies are fighting to stop the spread of the virus too. Uber, for example, suspended the accounts of 240 riders who used Uber vehicles in Mexico that carried someone who was suspected to be infected with the virus. The company says it’s taking similar approaches in countries like Australia, where there there are currently 13 confirmed cases.

Huawei postponed an event of its own due to safety precautions related to the virus. The Huawei event was set to take place on February 11 and 12, however it has now been pushed until March 27 and 28.

Mobile World Congress is set to take place from February 24 to February 27 in Barcelona. The event is the biggest mobile event in the world, though in recent years, some major smartphone manufacturers, like Samsung, have chosen to hold their own events to announce their biggest phones, rather than launch at MWC.

ZTE previously announced that its MWC 2020 press conference would be where it showcases new 5G terminal devices and “leading 5G innovative technologies.” It’s unclear when the company will announce new products that were supposed to be unveiled at the show. We’ve reached out to ZTE for comment and will update this story when we hear back.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
The OnePlus Watch 2 is the Wear OS smartwatch I’ve been waiting for
Person wearing OnePlus Watch 2 with a green strap on their left wrist.

The OnePlus Watch 2 -- the company's first Wear OS watch -- has entered a market that Samsung dominates. However, OnePlus' popularity as a smartphone brand can be expected to bring small, yet meaningful changes that benefit not only OnePlus users, but all of the Wear OS segment in general.

For almost a decade, Samsung and Apple have predominantly been the default options if you want a smartwatch that is actually useful and goes beyond flashy features. With Samsung shifting gears and migrating from its own Tizen OS to the (relatively) more universal Wear OS platform and Google releasing its own Pixel Watch after struggling with an identity crisis in the smartwatch world, the platform has much more traction than it did a few years ago. As OnePlus carves its way into the segment, it has the opportunity to entice people who don't wish to live within Samsung's limitations when using a Galaxy Watch with another brand's phone.

Read more
Buying an iPad Mini today? You need to know about this deal
The Apple Pencil attaches to the iPad mini magnetically.

If you've had an eye on iPad deals for the latest model of the Apple iPad Mini for a while now, this may be the offer that you've been waiting for -- a $100 discount from Best Buy on the tablet's Wi-Fi, 64GB model, slashing its price to $400 from $500. It's still pretty popular years after its release, so we don't expect stocks of the device for this sale to last long. If you're thinking about taking advantage of this bargain, you better push through with your purchase as soon as possible to make sure that you don't miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Mini 2021
The latest generation of the Apple iPad Mini was released in 2021, but it's still featured in our roundup of the best iPads because it's the model that you should buy if you want a smaller and more compact version of Apple's tablets. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is smaller than the screens of its peers, but it's still big enough to enjoy watching streaming shows and browsing websites, while allowing you to use the device with one hand. Unlike its predecessor, there's no Home button, so the Touch ID sensor is instead built into the power button at the side of the Apple iPad Mini 2021.

Read more
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9 heavily discounted today
The Surface Pro 9 in laptop mode on a table.

Microsoft's Surface devices are well known for their versatility and performance, but they command premium prices. That's why there's always high demand for Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals, as who doesn't want to enjoy a discount when making a huge investment? If you're interested, Best Buy is offering the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 at $300 off, which brings its price down to $1,000 from $1,300, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 at $540 off, which lowers its price also to $1,000 from $1,540, ahead of the arrival of the consumer versions of the Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10. You need to push through with your transaction as soon as possible if either of these bargains caught your attention, as we're not sure how much time is remaining before they disappear.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 -- $1,000, was $1,300

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a traditional Windows 11 laptop that's powered by the 12th-generation Intel Core i5 Evo processor, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and 8GB of RAM. It won't match up to the performance of the best laptops, but it's going to be more than enough to handle daily tasks for work or school. The laptop features a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen with vibrant colors and sharp details, a battery that can last up to 18 hours on a single charge, and a 512GB SSD that provides ample storage space for your files. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 also comes with a 720p webcam and dual far-field Studio Mics for clear video calls.

Read more