Nokia said it’s cancelling its participation in the wireless industry’s biggest annual gathering in response to the threat of the coronavirus, joining a long line of peers who have already withdrawn.

Nokia took the decision “after a full assessment of the risks related to a fast-moving situation”, the Espoo, Finland-based telecommunications networks maker said on Wednesday.

“The primary focus has been to safeguard the health and well-being of employees and others while also recognising the responsibility to the industry and customers.”

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The cancellations at GSMA’s MWC Barcelona 2020, which include Intel, AT&T, Ericsson, Nvidia, and Sony, mean there will be swathes of unoccupied exhibition space were MWC to open its doors on 24 February, calling into question whether an event that’s the highlight of the industry’s calendar can go ahead.

The show has never been scrapped in its 33-year history and doing so would raise the thorny issue of who would cover the cost

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