Vodafone has been working with Opera to bring the mobile internet to more people in developing markets. The two companies have developed an enhanced version of Opera Mini 5 that's been designed to run on budget handsets using 2G networks.

The Opera Mini 5 browser has been embedded in a range of 20 devices and can also be downloaded to over 250 GPRS supported handsets in Vodafone’s customer base. Opera's browser compresses data, requiring  less processing power on the handset and less network capacity as well. Vodafone is also creating an on-screen browsing experience that'll feature step-by-step, simple instructions in local languages, with a strong emphasis on the use of intuitive icons to help those with lower levels of literacy.

Motorola's networks business has announced the first commercial deployment in Europe of its iSIM application platform. iSIM is based on a thin wafer that sandwiches the user's SIM card, enabling developers to create services that use the 'SIM toolkit' and other mobile standards.

Bipper Communication is using Motorola’s iSIM platform to enable parental control for its mobile phone service. Parents can set up an approved number list for their children on the Bipper website, which also offers usage monitoring. Bipper’s iSIM application will launch in Bulgaria and Norway this year before rolling out across the rest of EMEA and North America.

In The Fonecast this week we're talking about faster mobile number porting, lower mobile termination rates and increasing smartphone sales. In addition, Mark Bridge samples a variety of social networking services on his mobile phone throughout his wedding day.

In this week's podcast we talk about faster mobile number porting, lower mobile termination rates, smartphone ownership, free Twitter access and the Apple iPad. In addition, Mark Bridge samples a variety of mobile social networking services on his wedding day.