Just got back from an enlightening 4 days at the GSMA conference in Barcelona – got to see new companies working around social networking tools and mobile tv – i guess that was the main theme of this show. content content and more content and some more content

Everyone was doing / trying to create a social network and somehow get people hooked onto their platform. I asked if they were making money – and not surprisingly everyone candidly admitted that they were in the red. Best of luck to us all I say!!!

Met up with Ajit Joakar (http://opengardensblog.futuretext.com/) and was fortunate enough to get a dekkho at his presentation. (Its on his blog now)
Also a shoutout to the Indian GSMA / Mobile Federation – please try to take up a pavilion in the next conference – I saw stalls from Sweden, Israel, UK, Canada and France. They had invited smaller companies within their country, who could not afford to pay for a stall independently and hence were given small tables with their nameplates on it. (neatly done). This gives a big impetus to startups who are not revenue positive but would like to showcase their product in front of a global audience.

My guess is that they would have given some money to participate but essentially its heavily subsidised by the Mobile Federation of that country – if someone reading this can please reach out to the Indian Association it would be super. We need a platform on the global stage specially when India is one of the largest mobile markets.

I met only a limited number of Indian companies participating although i know that there are plenty more doing brilliant work but just don’t have the capital to go and present at the MWC.

One more thing before I sign off – DO NOT FLY ALITALIA – its the most thakela “uberscrewed”of all international carriers – pathetic – please tell everyone you meet or talk to.

Cheers

Akshat