Mobile World Congress canceled / Google has activated the SOS alert system / German warning app NINA reacts to corona virus

Mobile World Congress canceled / Google has activated the SOS alert system / German warning app NINA reacts to corona virus

Berlin, February 13, 2020

Severe shock for the telecommunications industry – the organizer GSMA canceled the Mobile World Congress 2020 yesterday because of the coronary virus. The fair was planned from February 24th to 28th.

This was preceded by numerous cancellations. LG started in early February. Then the list of rejectors grew longer and longer. This included the heavyweights Nokia, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone. In a statement by the organizer, the GSMA said that due to global concerns about the outbreak of the corona virus, the GSMA was unable to hold the fair. This would also include fears and problems relating to the journey as well as „other circumstances“.

More than 2,800 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors were expected in Barcelona. The fair is an important economic factor for the city. The loss is estimated at 400 to 500 million euros. It is open who bears the costs of the cancellation. Because during the day, rumors had surfaced that the organizer could remain at the expense if the event was canceled. After all, at least those companies that have not yet canceled can make recourse claims to the GSMA. Since Chinese companies in particular said that they had sent their employees into quarantine in Europe two weeks before the fair, they are already in Europe.

The mobile phone industry shows not only new smartphones, but above all new technologies. This year, 5G should be the main focus. The key players in this market – Huawei, Nokia, Ericsson, and ZTE, had primarily focused on new orders for the expansion of their 5 G networks. You will now have to find other ways.

Coronavirus SOS: Google, Twitter and Facebook respond to crisis

Google has activated its SOS alert system for the corona virus. Together with the World Health Organization (WHO), the search engine giant now offers bundled information on the new virus on its products. Twitter, Instagram and Facebook have also adapted their pages.

The Google system provides information that employees check and consider relevant. For example, they are displayed in Google Search or Google Maps. The information includes safety tips, background information on the coronavirus, and news from the World Health Organization (WHO). Twitter and Facebook are very similar.
SOS Alert responds to Google with the search query „Coronary Virus“ by offering current and more in-depth news and backgrounds to choose from.
NINA: Germany-wide warning app from
Federal

At the Interschutz trade fair in Hanover, the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK) presented a warning app that works throughout Germany. With the program, which is available for iOS and Android, citizens can be informed via push notification when there is a danger in their vicinity. Thanks to the app named NINA, you can get to safety faster from storms, floods and other catastrophes.

NINA stands for „Emergency information and news app.“ If there is a current warning near your location, the app notifies you via a push notification on the home screen of the smartphone. The reports are currently limited to the current location. In one of the next updates, it will also be possible to subscribe to desired locations such as the home address or the workplace. An internet connection is always required to receive the warning.
The app is available for Apple devices from iOS version 7 via iTunes and for Android devices from version 4 via Google Play Store. Download and use are free of charge.