Over 2 billion mobile phone and tablet users will make some form of mobile commerce transaction by the end of 2017, according to a new report from Juniper Research.

That’s up from an anticipated 1.6 billion people this year.

Facebook has announced its latest quarterly earnings figures and has also revealed details of the social network’s mobile-based users.

The number of monthly active users (MAUs) was up 15% year-on-year to 1.28 billion, with mobile MAUs up 34% to 1.01 billion.

Facebook has agreed to acquire virtual reality company Oculus VR in a deal worth approximately $2 billion (£1.2 billion).

Oculus VR has become well-known for its ‘immersive’ virtual reality technology, having received more than 75,000 development kit orders for its Oculus Rift 3D virtual reality headset.

Facebook has agreed to acquire cross-platform instant messaging app WhatsApp for around $16 billion (£9.6 billion).

The deal to buy the five-year-old company includes $4 billion in cash and around $12 billion in Facebook shares.

Mark Windle, head of marketing at OpenCloud, predicts that this year’s reduction in the number of traditional telecoms operators in some countries will provide an opportunity for other operators to innovate and capture market share in 2016.

He says next year will be a year of rapid change for telecoms… whether it’s MVNO disruption, competitive tariff pricing or simply defence from the ‘dark art’ of hacking.

Mark Bridge writes:

The most memorable moments in life often go unrecorded. You don't have your camera in your hands. Your finger is still hovering over the 'pause' button on your audio recorder. Or you were simply too busy experiencing whatever was happening. It's all about the one that got away.

That's where Kapture can help.

Mark Bridge writes:

James Rosewell shows me a colourful roll of paper that's the width of an iPhone but well over three metres long. When I look closer, I can see it's a printed copy of the Wall Street Journal's mobile website. That's a lot of scrolling to do... and a pretty unfriendly user experience for anyone reading the news online. Why does it work so badly?

The Fonecast team talks to former Unique Distribution CEO Andy Tow about his new role at Data Select. The Fly SLT100 is put through its paces, plus there's all the latest mobile-related news.

The Fonecast team discusses the Mobile News Awards, reviews the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 and brings you the latest news and rumours from around the industry.

Iain, Mark and James offer their regular weekly look at the latest mobile news headlines and rumours. Freelance journalist Steve Gold explains the benefits of mobile email for dealers, and the sporty Samsung SGH-F110 miCoach handset comes under the team's spotlight.

Iain Graham, Mark Bridge and James Rosewell take their usual look at the week's mobile news headlines and gossip in 'The Fonecast'. Jez Harris explains the latest dealer controversy about Orange commission clawback and there's a review of the new Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot camera phone.

This week's edition of The Fonecast includes the usual mix of mobile industry headlines and gossip. There's an interview about cashback with Paul Withers from Fone! magazine and there's also a review of the new Onyx Liscio handset.