Ofcom has announced plans to auction radio spectrum that'll be used for 4G LTE and WiMAX mobile phone services.

It'll be auctioning two spectrum bands; the old analogue TV bandwidth at 800 MHz, along with a higher-frequency band at 2.6 GHz. Together, these bands are equivalent to three-quarters of the mobile spectrum in use today - and are 80% more than the 3G auction that took place in 2000.

Mark Bridge writes:

The Terminate The Rate campaign has pretty much run its course. Its aim was to get Mobile Termination Rates reduced. These are the wholesale charges paid when a mobile or fixed-line network connects a call from one of its customers to a rival. Lower MTRs would mean better deals on call charges, the campaign argued.

Microsoft is taking legal action against Barnes & Noble for patent infringement by its 'Nook' Android-based eBook reader. The action also includes device manufacturers Foxconn International Holdings and Inventec Corporation. It follows last year's patent agreement that covered HTC mobile phones running the Android platform.

The disputed patents cover a number of functions in the Android user interface.

Last year, brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance calculated that Wal-mart was the world's most-valuable brand. Google was in second place, while Vodafone - in 7th place - was the top-ranked telecoms brand.

This year's Brand Finance 'Global 500' report sees Google taking the top spot with its brand now worth over $44 billion. Microsoft was second… and Vodafone, in fifth place, remained the top telecoms brand.

Facebook has made a deal to acquire Snaptu, a London-based mobile application developer with a focus on 'non-smart' handsets.

The two companies co-operated earlier this year on the Facebook for Feature Phones app, which works on more than 2,500 devices.