The annual congress based in Barcelona normally attracts more than 100,000 people, but this year, participation has been affected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, which has claimed more than 1,000 lives since the first appearance in China.
During the past week, a number of important technology names have been withdrawn, including Sony, Ericsson of Sweden, South Korean giant LG and NTT DoCoMo of Japan, which raises questions about whether the event will be canceled.
MADRID: US chip giant Intel, Facebook, Chinese phone maker Vivo and Cisco withdrew from the Mobile World Congress due to fears of the coronavirus on Tuesday, joining other heavy industry weights that withdraw from the main World's mobile fair.
"The safety and well-being of all our employees and partners is our top priority, and we have withdrawn from this year's Mobile World Congress," said an Intel statement sent to the AFP.
Facebook, which operates Instagram and WhatsApp, said in a statement that it was withdrawing from the Barcelona event due to public health risks related to the virus.
Vivo, which is one of the five leading smartphone manufacturers in the world, also confirmed that it will not participate in the program, a key date in the technology calendar where companies present their latest devices and innovations.
"In view of the current situation, we have made the decision not to attend the MWC 2020 or any other associated event in Barcelona at the same time," he said, committing to postpone the presentation of his latest mobile offer.
"The health and safety of our employees and the general public are a priority for us," he said.
Vivo is the second Chinese firm to withdraw from the program after Umidigi, a small phone manufacturer, retired on Monday.
The US technology company CISCO had made the "difficult decision to withdraw" from the event due to concerns about the virus, the company said in a statement on Twitter.
For now, China's main smartphone factory, Huawei, as well as its smaller rival, ZTE, are still ready to attend and have said their executives and staff will undergo a self-imposed quarantine period of two weeks before appearing in the program.