BARCELONA IS THE CAPITAL OF THE MOBILE SUPPORT

90 MILLIONS INITIAL PUBLIC

Barcelona, ​​July 27. (EFE) .- The Generalitat, the Spanish Government and Barcelona City Council will contribute 90 million euros between 2012 and 2018 to launch projects related to the choice of Barcelona as the capital of the world of mobile telephony, which will be managed by a foundation public and private participation.

Although the initial capital now comes from public coffers only, the goal is that private contributions can reach and even exceed the administrations, and to realize an ambitious project that is expected to generate an economic impact of 3,500 million euros in six years.

These data have been advanced during the official presentation of the nomination of Barcelona as capital of the world mobile phone after the Friday the entity that brings together the largest companies in the world of telecommunications, the GSMA, opted this city and rule out other options such as Paris, Munich and Milan.

Under this election, Barcelona will celebrate next year's Mobile World Congress (MWC), while host the World Trade Center Mobile and Mobile World Festival.

Before the end of 2011, will become the public-private foundation will manage the entire project, one of the most ambitious has germinated in Spain in recent years, and State and Government agreed to consider a priority because it can help Spain to stand as a reference country in an area with high added value such as Barcelona's mobile telephony and communication technologies.

So far, some 60 companies have presented concrete projects around mobility will have to begin to mature and materialize in the coming months with the objective that can be realized in 2012, as reported by the general manager of Fira de Barcelona, Agustí Gordon.

Among these companies are Telefonica, Mediapro, Seat and Futbol Club Barcelona.

Depending on project performance and the interest of private initiative, expected to be integrated as partners in the foundation, the government may rethink its presence.

Currently, Government, Government and Barcelona City Council will provide, together, 5 million euros in 2012, 15 million more during the period 20013-2017 and 10 in 2018.

Barcelona's Mobile World Center, which will house permanent and temporary exhibitions that intertwine culture and technological innovation will be located and where the congressional offices and space for a laboratory of ideas, will be installed around Plaza de Catalunya and Portal de l'Angel in Barcelona, ​​where two buildings have been offered.

The festival, which is intended for the general public, will feature activities including sporting events, musical and cultural match during a week, dubbed the Mobile Barcelona Summer Week, as well as events held during the year.

In the picture with which we celebrated the success of the choice of Barcelona have landed today GSMA's CEO, John Hoffman, president of the Generalitat, Artur Mas, the mayor of Barcelona, ​​Xavier Trias, Secretary of State Telecommunications, Juan Junquera, the president of Fira de Barcelona, ​​Josep Lluís Bonet, and President of Tourism of Barcelona, ​​Joan Gaspart.

Participants in the text have recognized that the success of the choice of Barcelona is the result of the ambition and the collective work of all public and relevant institutions in Catalonia and Fira de Barcelona, ​​Barcelona Tourism and Chamber of Commerce.

Artur Mas has said that events like today are "a morale booster in hard times," and they "hope," besides being "a lesson" about the value of teamwork overcoming partisan differences.

The Mobile World Congress in the last issue generated an economic impact in Barcelona of 220 million euros and almost reached the 60,000 members of Congress, a figure that could increase because this event will move from Montjuïc to the more spacious and modern Fira de Barcelona Gran Via