ERIC Ericsson

   By Dominic Chopping 
 

STOCKHOLM--Ericsson AB (ERIC) has pulled out of this year's GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona over concerns about the spread of coronavirus.

Ericsson had been due to attend the annual tech event which is to be held between Feb. 24 and Feb. 27, but said Friday it has decided to withdraw because it can't ensure the safety of its employees, customers and stakeholders.

"After an extensive internal risk assessment, Ericsson has decided to take...precautionary measures by withdrawing from MWC Barcelona 2020, the largest event in the telecom industry," it said in a statement.

"Ericsson appreciates that GSMA have done everything they can to control the risk. However, as one of the largest exhibitors, Ericsson has thousands of visitors in its hall each day and even if the risk is low, the company cannot guarantee the health and safety of its employees and visitors."

To showcase the company's portfolio and innovations, Ericsson said it will instead take the demos and content created for MWC Barcelona to customers in their home markets with local events called Ericsson Unboxed.

Write to Dominic Chopping at dominic.chopping@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 07, 2020 06:47 ET (11:47 GMT)

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