You can enable subtitles (captions) in the video player
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is the phone industry's biggest annual trade show.
Over 100,000 people are expected to descend on Barcelona this week. But there are times when you walk around these halls where it doesn't feel like a phone show at all.
Nowhere is that more evident than the GSMA's Innovation City. The trade body that organises the Mobile World Congress offers a glimpse of the future where everything is connected.
So we've all heard of smart phones, but this is perhaps the world's first smart shoe. Tell me why on earth would I want to have a connected piece of footwear?
So the idea is to allow connectivity so people know where their staff are and how safe they are. With a tap of the toe here, they can actually communicate, say, a stress situation where they can't talk, the show does the talking for them.
So it has some industrial applications as things stand. If we throw it forward, could we see sensors in consumer footwear as well?
Absolutely, in the same way Fitbits are now ubiquitous, there's no reason why you can't build the same technology into the shoe.
[CROWD CHATTER IN BACKGROUND]
The internet of things means that just about everything you can think of, and a few things you'd probably rather not imagine, will one day be connected. That means smart showers, which adapt the user and offer bespoke water temperature and pressure. Connected pillows, which change their shape to improve sleep quality, and believe it or not, even reduce snoring, or even smart sperm.
Connected cars are everywhere, too, in Barcelona. And every major stand here seems to have one.
By, 2020 more than 90% of our vehicles globally will be connected with an embedded data connection inside the vehicle. So not just mobile phones, but you can see all kinds of devices having connections. We want smart devices communicating with smart devices to deliver great experiences. And I think that's the thing that you see here at Mobile World Congress.
The connected devices of the future will be powered by 5G networks, which are expected to eventually be over 10 times faster than 4G. But while 5G has been a buzzword this week in Barcelona, it's still some way from becoming a meaningful reality, particularly here in Europe.
Smart phone innovation is plateauing. It's done. Everyone understands it. It's a recognised form factor.
Then we're on the cusp of 5G. Everyone's talked about it for years. But we're still not quite there. But it is a bit of a worry sitting here in Europe, where we have the Chinese who clearly want to own the 5G story. And we've got intense competition in the US amongst the carriers that also want to be first with 5G. We're slipping behind, and I think at this show it's palpable that something needs to happen to get Europe back on track.
After several years of decline in smart phone innovation, attention in Barcelona is once again elsewhere. The world visions of smart cities and a future where everything is connected is impressive. Uncertainty over the future of 5G means it all still feels a little bit like tomorrow's world. Daniel Garrahan, "Financial Times," Barcelona.
