Ericsson today said it has decided to withdraw from Mobile World Congress (MWC 2020), the largest event in the telecom industry, in the wake of the coronavirus attack.

Ericsson said it monitored the development and adhered to recommendations from relevant national authorities and international bodies, such as the WHO. The company has already taken a number of precautionary measures to ensure the health and safety of employees and to minimize the impact on the company’s operations.

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. GSMA, the organizers of MWC, said the show will be on despite the

Borje Ekholm, president and CEO of Ericsson, said: “The health and safety of employees, customers and other stakeholders are our highest priority. We were looking forward to showcasing our latest innovations at MWC in Barcelona. It is very unfortunate, but we strongly believe the most responsible business decision is to withdraw our participation from this year’s event.”

Ericsson will take the demos and content created for MWC Barcelona to customers in their home markets with local events called “Ericsson Unboxed”.

Earlier, ZTE and Huawei, two leading telecom network suppliers from China, said they will participate at the Mobile World Congress. But LG Electronics was the first smartphone maker to withdraw from MWC 2020.

Nokia, the main rival of Ericsson, has already sent invitations to select media to attend the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.