Nick Dawson is the Director of Knox Strategy & Business Development, and is based in Suwon, Korea.

Mobile World Congress is held in late February each year in Barcelona, Spain and is billed as the world’s largest gathering for the mobility industry. Over 100,000 industry, customer, and media attendees from around the world fill every nook and cranny of one of the world’s largest convention centers, and then spill out into the streets and hotels of this beautiful city. Except this year it snowed (unusual!) so everybody stayed inside.

Samsung Electronics traditionally has a very large presence at MWC and 2018 was no different.

Unpacked & the Galaxy S9/S9+

At Samsung, when we launch a new flagship device from our Galaxy S or Galaxy Note series we like to put on a bit of a show. The S and Note series are the devices that we use to introduce innovative new features, to showcase new capabilities and solutions, and to update our firmware platform with the latest improvements in user experience. We pack a lot into our devices, so when we showcase them to the world for the first time we call the event Unpacked.

On Sunday February 25, the day before MWC officially opened, Samsung Electronics’ IT & Mobile Communications Division President DJ Koh proudly introduced the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ to the world. The S9 continues Samsung’s heritage of technology innovation to enhance our customers’ lives while delivering an exceptional user experience. With features such as an uninterrupted edge-to-edge Infinity Display, augmented reality, Dolby Atmos sound via AKG-tuned speakers — and did we mention the camera??? A category-defining camera with Dual Aperture lens that adapts to light conditions like the human eye does. Early reviews of the S9 from media, industry analysts, our carrier partners, and – most importantly – our customers are overwhelmingly positive.

One of the many highlighted features of the S9 was Intelligent Scan: an enhanced user authentication process that combines facial recognition and iris scanning. Your phone can identify you in bright sunlight, low light, or even if you’re wearing sunglasses. This adds a dimension of user friendliness to the most basic security step for our customers: authenticating to the device. DJ Koh said it best in his speech:

“In addition to introducing exciting new ways to capture and share memorable moments, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ offer users the peace of mind in knowing that their most cherished content is protected by Samsung’s defense-grade Knox security platform, and by the top-of-the-line biometric technologies that have become synonymous with Samsung’s flagship devices.”

But don’t worry, you can still enforce the use of a PIN, a fingerprint, or a password if you prefer.

See: How Samsung Streamlined the Galaxy S9’s Security Features

Knox 3.1

The S9 also ships with Knox 3.1, the latest version of our industry-leading device security platform. Knox 3.1 extends the App Permission Monitor function to the Knox Platform for Enterprise container and also provides enhanced Samsung DeX controls such as being able to enforce an Ethernet data connection, app allow/blocklist when DeX mode is enabled, and add/remove app shortcuts to the DeX home screen among others. A full write-up of Knox 3.1 will follow shortly, so stay tuned to the blog section.

Samsung MWC Booth

The Samsung booth is always a must-see destination at MWC. We realize that we have a biased opinion about this, but the crowds were something to behold. The highlight was the new S9 and S9+ but there were also lineups for the VR demonstrations, a showcase of our smart home solutions powered by Samsung SmartThings, and of course the B2B zone showcasing business solutions and use cases – all made possible by Samsung Knox:

S9 Enterprise Edition

The Galaxy S9 Enterprise Edition is an unlocked version of the S9 that comes equipped with Knox Configure, Knox E-FOTA, regular security updates, and Enterprise Technical Support services all in one convenient bundle. We created this offering in response to requests from our customers to package these unique enterprise capabilities into a single offering.

Financial Services

Banking moved to the Internet and then mobile many years ago, and we’re now at a point where many of us rarely set foot in a physical branch anymore. But as mobility itself evolves, we’re working with our financial services partners and customers around the world on a new vision for the Mobile-First Bank Branch. At MWC we showcased solutions for wearables such as the Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch, the use of Samsung DeX as an enabler to extend secure desktop infrastructure outside the firewall, as well as customized in-branch devices and applications.

Government: Public Safety & PS-LTE

Samsung has long been at the forefront of network technology evolution, via our Samsung Networks division. In fact, we ranked first in standard essential patents related to LTE and LTE-Advanced in the industry for the past two years, and we are engaged in 5G projects globally. At MWC we showcased devices and solutions for use on public safety networks (PS-LTE) such as those that will be deployed for use on the UK’s new Emergency Services Network.

Manufacturing & Logistics

The manufacturing and logistics industries have very specialized mobility requirements. At Samsung we provide ruggedized devices such as the Tab Active customized by Knox Configure so that the devices can be deployed to meet the very specific and unique requirements of each of our customers. Our Active series of devices are purpose-built to withstand the rigors of a workday (and night!) in the great outdoors, in trucks, on shop floors, and other environments where they are susceptible to some rough treatment. Knox Configure further allows us to provide customized deployments whereby the devices can be tailored to meet very specific requirements, enrolled and managed remotely, and locked down for ultimate security and regulatory compliance.

All of the above solutions are anchored by the Knox security platform, and made possible by Knox services such as Knox Configure, Knox Mobile Enrollment, Knox Platform for Enterprise and Knox E-FOTA. Oh, and the hardware team also build some innovative and aspirational devices to accompany our industry-leading business enablement services.

MWC2018 was a fantastic event, and Samsung is proud to be one of its anchor partners. We’re already looking forward to MWC2019 and all of the innovation that will be on display at the Samsung and our partner booths. In the meantime, we still have IFA 2018 in Berlin to look forward to in early September. Stay tuned!