Telecommunications giant Ericsson has announced that it has withdrawn from this year's Mobile World Congress due to the threat of the coronavirus. The Swedish company made the decision with the health and safety of employees and participants in mind, as well as minimizing the impact of the virus on business operations. The demos and content created for the event will be shared during a series of events the company calls "Ericsson Unboxed."
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Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson, said: "The health and safety of our employees, customers and other stakeholders is our top priority. It is not a decision we have taken lightly." at MWC Barcelona. It is very unfortunate, but we firmly believe that the most responsible business decision is to withdraw our participation from this year's event." Ericsson's withdrawal makes him the second big name to withdraw from the event after the withdrawal of South Korean tech giant LG earlier this week. Meanwhile, ZTE has canceled its scheduled press conference, but will continue with other activities. The GSMA, the organization behind the MWC, had previously announced that it expected the coronavirus epidemic to have no impact on the programme. However, security procedures, including a no handshake policy, have been put in place to ensure the safety of visitors and exhibitors.