We recently blogged about the world’s biggest gadget show in Las Vegas, where wearable technology and phablets were some of the biggest trends. Now, however, we are fast approaching the world’s biggest mobile show, held in Barcelona, Spain – Mobile World Congress.

As with CES and its flash gadget and consumer technology launches, you may well ask yourself how mobiles are relevant to our business. While it is true that Mobile World Congress – or 3GSM World Congress as it used to be known when it was in Cannes – focuses on the latest smartphone launches and shiniest devices, it is also a playground for other players. Namely software providers.

As Victor Basta of M&A specialist Magister Advisors outlined, ‘the mobile industry is no longer about the device.’ Indeed, he predicts that software mobile players such as Facebook, Amazon and Ad Tech will dominate the mobile and technology industries before long and that it’s no longer about devices, but about the services.

So, what does this mean for us? While staff clamour for the latest iPhone or Surface Pro tablet across organisations in the UK, employers need to consider the software that will run on these devices as well as the gadget itself. One of our partners, McAfee, announced BYOD security tools for mobile devices at last year’s Mobile World Congress for example. We’ll be watching closely to see what software-related launches there are emanating from Barcelona this time next week in any case.

The mobile device plays a very important role in our always-on, always-connected and itinerant lifestyle, both personal and professional. However, it’s the services and industry that surround it that will play an ever greater role in enabling equipping our staff and organisations with the most productive and intuitive tools and services they require. We’re keeping an eye on #MWC13 in any case, and recommend you do too!