(Ecofin Agency) - The Mobile World Congress set to take place from Feb 24-27 in Barcelona, Spain, is officially canceled due to the current outbreak of coronavirus.

In a statement, GMSA, which organizes the event said: “the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel concern, and other circumstances makes it impossible for the GSMA to hold the event.”

The decision was announced after exhibitors and companies said they will not be participating. LG Electronics first pulled out on February 4, and about forty other companies, including ZTE, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Ericsson, Sony, Nvidia, Intel, Vivo and NTT Docomo, followed.

“The GSMA and the Host City Parties will continue to be working in unison and supporting each other for MWC Barcelona 2021 and future editions. Our sympathies at this time are with those affected in China, and all around the world,” GSMA said.

The Mobile World Congress gathers nearly 750 operators and 400 companies from more than 200 countries each year.