70 Israeli companies head to Mobile World Congress

Hundreds of Israelis representing 70 companies will participate at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the world’s biggest international mobile conference. Communications Minister Gilad Erdan will launch the Israeli pavilion, which will foster some 2,000 planned business meetings and present the latest Israeli mobile tech to the 1,700 conference attendees. Representatives from major mobile companies such as Amazon, France Telecom, LG, Orange and Verizon will also be at the event. “The mobile industry in Israel is among the most advanced in the world,” said Ohad Cohen, who heads the Economy Ministry’s foreign trade division. “The exhibition in Barcelona is a wonderful platform to advance this industry, as evidenced by the number of meetings organized by our representatives for Israeli companies.” Of the 70 Israeli companies attending the four-day conference, which begins Monday, 50 present their wares in the exhibit. Among them are LifeWatch, which lets people run medical tests on their smart phones; iDTV, a TV remote app; Facetune, a photo enhancement program; MtCheck, for paying restaurant bills on smart phones; and Magisto, a video-effect editing tool. Economy and Trade Ministry director-general Amit Lang said the event was an opportunity for Israel to build business ties around the globe. “Strengthening Israel’s industry happens through investments by the ministry in national priority areas, establishing regional employment and industrial areas in the periphery, attracting foreign investment, training professional workers for industry and deepening research and development to enhance productivity and innovation in developing products made in Israel in order for them to compete proudly in international markets,” he said. The Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute recently launched a website to promote Israel’s mobile technology, called Start App Nation, a play on the popular branding of Israel as the “start-up nation.”