Intel pulls out of Mobile World Congress because of coronavirus

HP Envy 32 Intel logo (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

Intel pulled out of Mobile World Congress due to the coronavirus.
Intel is expected to make announcements at the event, but will not have anyone attend it in person.
Amazon, LG Electronics, Ericsson, and NVIDIA have also pulled out of the conference.

VentureBeat also shared the following statement from Intel:

The safety and wellbeing of all our employees and partners is our top priority, and we have withdrawn from this year's Mobile World Congress out of an abundance of caution. We are grateful to the GSMA for their understanding and look forward to attending and supporting future Mobile World Congress events.

Mobile World Congress runs from February 24 through February 27 in Barcelona. Mobile World Congress is a massive conference with tens of thousands of people attending from around the world, so security concerns regarding the coronavirus are heightened.

More than 42,000 cases of the coronavirus have been reported so far, and the death toll for it recently surpassed 1,000.

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.