• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, February 21, 2016

At any major mobile or tech oriented large convention these days, The Internet of Things plays a prominent role.

At the annual CES mega-show in Las Vegas at the beginning of this year, there were countless new Internet-connected devices and various types of new consumer smart products introduced, as we thoroughly documented here at the time.

And now the annual wireless industry’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona gets underway today and there is no shortage of IoT introductions coming.

So here’s an IoT rundown of some of what will be presented at MWC:

• Payments  -- Visa is expanding its Visa Ready program to include Internet of Things makers of wearables, appliances, cars, public transportation services and clothing, essentially any company that makes anything that can be connected. For consumers, this means that payment capability will come built in to smart things they buy.
• Broadcasting – SK Telecom is introducing its ‘Mobile Social Broadcasting Platform,’ which supports live broadcast of ultra-high definition video over a mobile network. It supports communication between a producer and viewer by reducing latency to under a second, allowing a producer to deliver advertising, multimedia content and messages during programs.
• Coupons --  Rewards platform Kiip and toothbrush maker Oral-B are partnering so users of the Oral-B smart toothbrush can be rewarded for certain brushing activities based on habits, location and time. For example, brushing twice a day, tongue brushing and brushing early in the morning. The rewards come from Kiip via the Oral-B app.
• Networking – Intel, Ericsson and Orange (formerly France Telecom) partnered to introduce the next generation of mobile networking (5G, what else?). The big deal here is that the new networking will allow communicating to very low-power applications, even those in deep indoor basements. This will allow more very remote devices to be connected.
• Mobile phones – Traditionally the time and place where new models of phones are introduced, this MWC is no exception. Lenovo will show its new Vibe 5K with a 5-inch wide-view display with Dolby dual speakers. LG will feature a ‘magic slot’ to add modules of camera and audio units in its flagship G5. Huawei, which makes the impressive Android Nexus phone, is unveiling its flagship model, the P9. Samsung is expected to add a larger screen phone to its lineup along with a waterproof feature and the Galaxy G7. There are others, but you get the idea.
• Apps – Digital Turbine is launching an initiative that promises to enable app delivery across new device types so that subscribers can easily use mobile apps across any device, including smartphones, wearables and TVs. The catch is that the company’s technology has to be used. There are other one-company solutions, this is just an example of one.

There also are some startups looking for funding at the event as well as established companies promoting their current arsenal.

But like CES, the Mobile World Congress will highlight the coming Interneting of everything.