Mark Bridge writes:

Another year, another Mobile World Congress!

It’s something of a cliché to talk about the months flying by, how it seems like yesterday when everyone in Barcelona had a Nokia handset and the dancers on the CBOSS stand were all wearing full-length evening dresses. Yet it’s also true. Except for that part about the dancers, anyway.

Here at TheFonecast.com we’ve had a busy 12 months that have seen us talking to more and more people, gaining a much larger audience and watching the mobile industry grow dramatically.

UK Trade & Investment, the government department that helps UK companies succeed abroad and encourages overseas investment in the UK, is searching for the country’s most innovative mobile company.

The winner of the competition will be crowned ‘the UK’s Most Innovative Mobile Company’ at Mobile World Congress 2012.

The GSMA has announced that the Global Mobile Awards 2012 are now open for entry. The awards will be presented at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next February.

There’ll be eight categories of awards:

The ICT Knowledge Transfer Network in association with UK Trade & Investment has announced a competition that’s offering a free showcase at next year’s Mobile World Congress for new mobile or wireless products that originate in the UK.

The competition, which is open to UK-based SMEs with an innovative new mobile/wireless solution or product, will see a small number of winners taking their place on the UKTI stand at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona.

The GSMA - the mobile operator trade organisation - has chosen Barcelona as the Mobile World Capital from 2012 to 2018. Barcelona has beaten Milan, Munich and Paris in the final vote.

This means it'll host the GSMA Mobile World Congress (as it has done for several years) and will also develop a range of other activities throughout the year.