Finnish telecoms company Nokia says it’s pulling out of Mobile World Congress due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus.
The event is due to take place in Barcelona later this month, and attracts more than 100,000 attendees.
“While the health and safety of our employees is our absolute priority, we also recognize that we have a responsibility to the industry and our customers” says Nokia in statement on Wednesday afternoon.
“We believe the prudent decision is to cancel our participation at Mobile World Congress” the Espoo-based company adds.
Nokia joins well-known tech brands like Facebook, Intel, Amazon, Ericsson, Deutsche Telekom and Sony, among others, to cancel their participation in the Barcelona expo.
Organisers have said they’re taking precautions to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus at the event including banning any attendees from the central China provinces where this strain of the virus originated.
Nokia says that instead of going physically to Barcelona, they will reach out to customers through a series of live online events.
