The countdown has begun for the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona! Over four days, the Catalan city will come alive with the global telecoms gathering, with 100,000 attendees expected. Of course, the sector’s giants, including Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Orange, as well as tech giants like Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft, will be present. But there will also be French players among the 2,700 exhibitors.
In fact, the French delegation will be well represented with 70 startups making the trip to Barcelona, following the 110 that attended CES in Las Vegas in January. With such a presence, France will have the largest national pavilion at the Spanish exhibition. At the Fira Gran Via exhibition centre, the French delegation will occupy over 400 square metres in Hall 5 and 30 square metres in Hall 8. The latter is dedicated to 4YFN (4 Years From Now), a sub-event focused specifically on the startup and VC ecosystem.
The French companies are being led by Business France, alongside partners such as Orange, Infranum, Air France, Choose Paris Région, Région Sud, Région Occitanie, and Aktantis. “The French companies we are supporting this year excel in diverse fields ranging from telecommunications infrastructure to gaming platforms, AI, mobile solutions, cybersecurity... This highlights the richness of our tech ecosystem,” says Thomas Levy, Telecoms & Broadcast Project Manager at Business France.
French Tech continues to impress after CES in Las Vegas
Among the startups present at MWC, some are familiar faces at international trade shows, like Skyted. The Toulouse-based company was also at CES in Las Vegas two months ago to showcase its new product: a headset designed to amplify the user's voice without disturbing others. Other well-known French Tech startups will also be attending, such as the Rennes-based Blacknut, offering cloud gaming services, Splio, the creator of a CRM platform for retail, and the Nice-based Firecell, specialising in industrial 5G.
These French companies will be aiming to stand out and impress the B2B visitors at this prestigious global telecom event. They will benefit from support and advice provided by Business France, which is present at major tech trade shows to help French innovators. “Business France makes every effort to support French companies wishing to shine internationally. This involves several steps, from framing with our teams at our overseas network to connecting them with key decision-makers, along with pre-show coaching to help them stand out. We provide briefings on targeted markets, organise bootcamps on pitching, managing media relations at trade shows, and more to ensure their success,” explains Thomas Levy.
Smartphone market rebounds with AI excitement
During MWC, Business France will guide French startups through qualified meetings with decision-makers and international buyers, along with key networking events (lunches, dinners, happy hours, etc.). French Tech will also seek to capitalise on a smartphone market that rebounded last year.
According to IDC, 1.2 billion devices were sold globally in 2024, marking a 6.3% increase compared to 2023. Despite the looming threat of significant tariff increases, as pushed by Donald Trump, telecoms players remain optimistic, as the collective excitement around artificial intelligence has impacted the telecom industry. New devices featuring ever-more advanced AI will be showcased in Barcelona in the coming days.
