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LG and ZTE will skip MWC 2020 over coronavirus concerns

By Cosmin Vasile

Published: Feb 04, 2020, 8:54 PM

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LG and ZTE will skip MWC 2020 over coronavirus concerns

We know some of you were expecting to see LG's upcoming flagship, the G9 ThinQ, later this month, but the South Korean company will no longer reveal the smartphone at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020.

After several media publications reported about LG's absence from the trade fair, the company issued an official statement that confirms the decision. The smartphone giant will no longer be present at MWC 2020 later this month over coronavirus concerns.

LG Electronics is closely monitoring the situation related to the novel coronavirus outbreak, which was recently declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization as the virus continues to spread outside China. With the safety of its employees, partners and customers foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain. This decision removes the risk of exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel which has already become more restrictive as the virus continues to spread across borders.

Given the situation, LG said it will reveal its new products at separate events that will be announced in the coming months.

Meanwhile, VentureBeat reports that ZTE decided to cancel some of its MWC 2020 press events as well, including the Axon 10s Pro announcement and its 5G-related event scheduled for February 25. It's unclear whether or not ZTE will skip MWC 2020 entirely or it will keep its booth at the exhibition.

The GSM Association (GSMA), on the other hand, announced that MWC 2020 will still happen between February 24-27, but that it will continue to monitor and assess the impact of the coronavirus on the events held at the trade fair.

Also, GSMA confirmed that it has already implemented measures to help mitigate the spread of the virus, so it expects the impact on this specific event to be minimal.

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Cosmin, a tech journalist with a career spanning over a decade, brought a wealth of experience to PhoneArena. His expertise lies in brands like Samsung and Nokia, and he has a keen interest in innovative technologies. After a brief stint in PR, Cosmin returned to tech journalism in 2016, committed to delivering clear and objective news. When he's not writing or appearing as a guest on TV and radio shows, Cosmin enjoys playing RPGs, watching Netflix, and nurturing his passion for history and travel.