Entertainment industry to feature in mobile world congress

THE entertainment industry will for the first time in many years feature prominently at this month’s Mobile World Congress.

This year’s edition of the congress, where mobile operators with a large presence in the continent will be represented, kicks of on February 16 in Barcelona, Spain

GSMA (Association of 3G wireless network operators) announced that Black Eyed Peas front man, writer and producer, will.i.am will be among the headline speakers at Mobile Backstage, a special one-day Mobile Entertainment-focused conference.

“Two-time Academy Award-winning actor and director Kevin Spacey will host the Mofilm Short Film Festival, and social networking entrepreneur Chris De Wolfe, founder and CEO of MySpace leads the speaker line up for the one-day conference. Mobile Backstage brings together leading music executives, filmmakers, broadcasters and gaming industry insiders in a program that aims to get to the heart of the challenges and opportunities for the mobile phone as a global entertainment medium,” added the organisers.

As well as star-powered keynote interviews, GSMA said, Mobile Backstage will feature innovative case studies and panel sessions that explore the role of mobile entertainment within the vision of a mobile lifestyle.

“Topics will include how to harness the potential of the mobile device as the fourth screen; creating a new mobile gaming experience; the role of mobiles in the changing face of broadcast; innovative new business models; social networking on mobile; and the power and potential of Mobile Broadband to deliver multimedia digital entertainment,” said the organisers.

Mthulisi Sibanda