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.

Mark Bridge writes:

“Hey, everybody, we’re releasing a new flagship smartphone that carries all the hopes of the company with it. If this sells well, we could be saved. If not, it could be disaster.”

“Great. What shall we call our new phone?”

“Oh, we’ll give it the same name as the previous model. That’ll be fine.”

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.

Ashley Gilmour writes:

A quick fact: nearly half of Facebook’s advertising revenue now stems from mobile ads.

That’s right – of the social network’s $1.8 billion (£1.1 billion) generated in the third quarter of 2013, 49% of it was made up of mobile advertising revenue. Last year, the channel represented only 14%.

Mark Bridge writes:

Google’s big announcement last week involved the company introducing Android v4.3 (as expected), launching a new Nexus 7 tablet (as expected) and also revealing a ‘Chromecast’ HDMI adaptor that’ll stream from most portable devices. That was more of a surprise.

Mark Bridge writes:

Let’s start with a slightly belated birthday wish to the hand-held mobile phone, which made its first public appearance on 3rd April 1973. At that point we’d had carphones for a while… but this was the first time anyone had heard the phrase “Sorry, I’ve got to go, the battery’s running out” spoken in public. Or something like that.

We look at the latest mobile industry headlines, including the UK iPhone launch. We also talk to Chris Caudle from the IMPDA about cashback and review the HTC S710 smartphone.

The team looks at the latest industry headlines, including plenty of mobile music news. There's also a review of the Nokia N81 and a chat with Mark Sennett, the man in charge of the new Mobile News web site.

The team review the latest news including Google and Sony's rumoured mobile phones. The team debate the Nokia Music Store and bring you a review of the LG Viewty KU990.

This week the team look at the J600 from Samsung & the Blue Q wrist band. Also Iain & James take you through the latest news and gossip from the past 7 days.

We talk to Nokia UK's Simon Ainslie and to Chris Caudle from the IMPDA, we review the Sagem my150X, we hear from Ian White and we look at the week's mobile news headlines.