New data from the comScore MobiLens service has shown how smartphones are increasingly associated with retail shopping in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Overall, one in five European smartphone users had used their handset to access a retail web site, with more than a quarter of UK smartphone owners visiting retail web sites on their phones.

Initial findings from the GSMA’s 2013 Mobile Money Adoption Survey show there are now 208 live ‘mobile money for the unbanked’ services running in 83 countries, with an additional 117 deployments already planned.

That compares with 178 services across 74 countries in January.

Ofcom has started a consultation about its plans to release radio spectrum in the 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz bands.

This spectrum, which had previously been allocated to the UK Ministry of Defence, is being released for civil use.

Samsung Electronics has told the European Commission that it’s prepared not to seek any legal injunctions on the basis of its standard-essential patents for mobile technology for the next five years.

The deal would involve introducing a formal negotiation and arbitration scheme to cover licensing on FRAND terms (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) across Europe.

Mark Bridge writes:

Ring-back tones offer consumers yet another way to customise their mobile phone service. Yet despite this – and the revenue opportunities they provide – many mobile network operators don’t offer them.

Recently I spoke to Florent Stroppa, General Manager Europe for value-added service specialist OnMobile, to find out why the UK doesn’t really seem to be bothered about ring-back tones… and whether the next-generation of ring-back services will change this.