Update: Well, egg’s on my face. The GSMA issued a statement yesterday saying Metro workers voted not to strike, so the subway system will be operating as usual this week. The bus system – not so much. GSMA still anticipates the bus service won’t be running, so attendees should not plan to use public bus during MWC. So much for that. At least we can hope for more entrances to the venue this year. The GSMA is still running limited hotel bus services too, so there’s that. Operation near-meltdown looks to have been averted! What follows is an earlier, less informed post. Apologies for the confusion.

Before I left for Barcelona, I printed off walking directions from my hotel to the Fira Palace, the site of Mobile World Congress (MWC). I was skeptical the directions were going to be all that accurate given all the twists and turns required to get around this city, but I carried the printouts with me, just in case.

As it turns out, old school Mapquest was right – it does take about 39 minutes for me to get from A to B on foot. I did a test run today and that’s about how much time it took. Well, it took more like an hour on the way there, but by cutting back on the number of pictures I took on the way back, it was considerably shorter. Now, if I can time it just so to hit all the walking green lights each morning …

For a lot of people, walking won’t be much of an option, and the GSMA is providing a limited fleet of hotel shuttle buses for MWC attendees. There are 15 collection points around the city. According to a handout provided by the front desk at my hotel, the city’s Metro service will be running this week, but I’m told they’ll be running far less frequently than usual. Considering how crowded these trains are when they’re running every 3 minutes, conventioneers will probably want to avoid the subways during rush hour tomorrow morning. (Or not, see update above.)
Some random observations about my experiences so far this weekend:

• Reason #897 why BlackBerry is nearly dead to me: Oh yes, I am still wielding a BlackBerry as my primary work phone and yes I have heard all your BYOD advice. But it’s still a decent keypad for typing messages. However, getting a pedestrian navigation app was a pain, as were a few other things. Please, RIM, convince me this week that you’re still relevant – and don’t assume anyone reads those lengthy user agreements.

• Every year, the conference organizers use the overhead PA system to warn attendees to be vigilant about their security and remove their badges when they leave the Fira. Every year, people forget and wear their badges around town, as if flaunting their status as prey for the wicked. Well, heeding the GSMA’s advice, a lot more people than usual registered on Sunday and they left the venue with their badges fully visible (the gall!). Hey folks, remember the security advice and take them off when you leave the main convention area. Because, you know, the camera around my neck and the colorful city map in my hands are not dead giveaways as to my residential status.

• There are a lot of tourists in this city (news flash) and they’re not all here for MWC. So probably the best way to determine if someone is a resident is to see if they’re walking a dog. If so, they probably live here full time or close to it. (File that under “large untapped market of living things that could be wearing wireless devices.”)

We’re probably going to be greeted by a lot of protesters tomorrow. The main entrance to the show is a popular venue for protesters every year regardless of the cause, and this year, the GSMA says it has more than doubled the number of places for attendees to get into the Fira. Police also will be out in force to keep the Metro and street traffic running. In fact, the Barcelona government and police have assured the GSMA that MWC will “operate as usual and all participants will be able to arrive and depart the event safely and without disruption,” the GSMA handout says.

OK, time to get cracking and covering a few things. Sunday evening is a busy one for the press. Check back at wirelessweek.com for updates from Barcelona. Hasta luego.