UK telecoms regulator Ofcom wants to ban inflation-related rises in phone and broadband contracts. Instead, it says any potential mid-contract price rises should be set out in pounds and pence.

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.

The GSMA reported that 85,000 visitors attended Mobile World Congress this year, breaking all previous records for the show.

Andrew Skinner, Relationship Director of the Technology, Media & Telecoms team at Barclays, reflects on his time in Barcelona and some of the key themes to come out of this year’s show.

James Rosewell writes:

I noticed a new phenomenon at Mobile World Congress this year: Beer O’Clock. Come 5pm Monday through Wednesday, companies with larger booths would break out the Cerveza, Vino, Cava and a small number of Orange juices. All very sociable and fun… until the music started.

Mark Bridge writes:

So, that’s another Mobile World Congress in the bag. Yes, it was bigger than ever. Just like last year. Just like the year before, too.

Mark Bridge writes:

I was ready to poke fun at IBM for its sponsored graffiti wall at Mobile World Congress this year. Graffiti and IBM don't have a comfortable history, as anyone who remembers the Linux campaign from 2001 will tell you.

Mark Bridge writes:

Some companies have saved their big announcements for the week of Mobile World Congress. Samsung and Nokia, for example. Others have issued a press release in advance.

Can mobile devices be used for game-based learning as part of the school curriculum?

This discussion was recorded in Barcelona during Mobile World Congress 2013 as part of Heroes of the Mobile Fringe. The panel was moderated by Russell Buckley with contributions from Vincent Hoogsteder of Distimo, Volker Hirsch of BlackBerry and Alina Vandenberghe of Pearson.

Traditional media is in a state of flux, with consumers changing their media consumption habits. User-generated content, piracy and the rise of mobile are presenting even more challenges.

But what does it mean for publishers and media owners?

Today's edition of The Fonecast takes a look at the top mobile-related news stories from the past week, including the new Google Keep app, Apple's mapping acquisition and Facebook's VoIP service.

We also cover the BlackBerry World application store, a new UK 4G survey from eBay, in-car connectivity and the recent Yahoo! purchase of Summly.

Mobile has been called the new frontier in consumer loyalty. But exactly how can mobile technology be used to improve the customer experience in high-street shops?

To learn more, we've joined a discussion group moderated by Russell Buckley with contributions from Katie Lips, Coen van Breda, David Hueso, Troy Norcross and Priya Prakash.

New businesses need more than just a good idea. They also need money. That's why the Mobile Monday London group chose 'Finance, Incubators and Accelerators' as the topic for its recent meeting.

This special report offers a variety of perspectives on business funding in a panel discussion with John Spindler, Alistair Hill, Nic Brisbourne, Sitar Teli, Michel Sabatier and Inma Martinez.