The GSMA reported that Mobile World Congress was attended by more than 47,000 visitors from 189 countries with executives from the largest mobile operators, software companies and equipment providers as well as government delegations. Attendees holding C-level positions constituted 50% of visitors and there were more than 2,800 CEOs at the conference. Leaders from companies including AT&T, China Mobile, China Unicom, Ericsson, Microsoft Corp., MySpace, Nokia, Telefonica, Telenor, Verizon Communications and Vodafone gathered to outline the plan to cope with the global economic slowdown and lessen its impact on mobile industry. The Congress featured 1,300 exhibiting companies on more than 57,000 square metres of space, 11% larger than in the previous year. Announcements made at Mobile World Congress were reported by nearly 2,400 international, Web, and broadcast media. Prospects and strategic issues facing the mobile industry will be explored at the Mobile Asia Congress that will be held in Hong Kong in autumn 2009.  

  Orange Guinea Conakry and Ericsson are putting into operation more than 100 solar-powered BTS 2111 base stations in rural Africa. These hybrid base stations by Ericsson use the power produced by both solar-energy panels and a diesel generator. Moreover, the stations are exceptionally reliable, easy to install and maintain – for instance, they don’t have any forced cooling system. The companies are getting closer towards their target of reducing CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020 and increasing mobile coverage. Orange Group plans to install more than 1000 solar-powered base stations in Africa by the end of the year.  

  Chinese government is likely to grant operators permission to launch 3G network. The ministry for industry and information technology plans to grant operators 3G licenses in January of 2009. It is already known that according to one of the conditions of the licenses the three operators (China Mobile China Telecom and China Unicom) must develop the network together and share deployment costs. 3G network is expected to bring $30 billion to the government that will be felt in the economy of the country.    

  Vertu is pleased to announce that they signed a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) deal with NTT DoCoMo to provide communication services to Vertucustomers. In the second quarter of 2009 Vertu will provide a premium membership called Vertu Club through their partnership with NTT DoCoMo. In addition, on 19 February 2009 Vertu will open its first store in Japan called Ginza Flagship Store, where customers will be able to see the whole Vertu collection and pre-orders of handsets will be taken for delivery.  

  Frustrated that mobile makers refuse to develop strong internet handsets for under $500, 3 parent Hutchison has created its own $179 hyper-connected phone under a new brand, INQ. Some have dubbed it the "Facebook phone" as it is the first to fully integrate the social network into the phone's address book and message inbox. The 3G handset has also been built around Skype and Windows Live Messenger.The INQ phone can be bought from 3 for $179 on prepaid or free on a $39 a month two-year plan. It will be available before Christmas. Frank Meehan, the Australian chief executive picked to run INQ's global operations, said while expensive handsets like the iPhone, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices grabbed headlines, 90 per cent of phones sold were cheap, basic devices. The trouble for carriers like 3 is that those cheaper phones have appalling, clunky internet features, so they are rarely used for browsing the web, equating to swathes of lost revenue for mobile operators. And with devices like the iPhone, which 3 does not sell, the high up-front cost for carriers means they have to charge hefty amounts for data plans just to earn a profit. Announcing its second quarter results, Optus singled out high iPhone subsidies as putting a $44 million dent in

  ClarityLife C900, one of the few mobile phones especially built and designed for senior users, is now available for purchase in the US. The handset is manufactured by Clarity, a division of Plantronics, and it’s sold unlocked for $269.99. Unfortunately, there is only a GSM version of the phone (to use with AT&T or T-Mobile), so you won’t be able to use it on a CDMA network. Being targeted to seniors, ClarityLife C900 is obviously a simple phone packed with features that can make communication much easier for this categoy of mobile users. Among the features of C900, we must mention: *Amplification – seniors with hearing loss can hear incoming sound amplified up to 20 dB (decibels)*Four large buttons that provide an easy navigation*A one-touch emergency help button on the back, for instant contact with the loved ones*A large backlit screen that displays oversized text for convenient reading*Text messaging*Flashing orange LED for incoming calls*Incorporated flashlight

  According to the latest forecasts from Informa Telecoms & Media, there will be four billion global mobile subscriptions at the end of this year! To put the number in perspective, it took five full quarters for the latest billion net additions. Naturally emerging markets such as India and China are to “blame” for this rapid growth. The two mentioned countries have seen over 50 million new mobile subscriptions during the last six months. Other countries that also saw a significant growth in mobile phone penetration include Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan and Brazil. On the down side, though, this growth is set to slow, and Informa predicts the five billionth subscription will be signed during Q4 2011, with worldwide penetration reaching in excess of 70% by this time. Only in Africa will penetration at the end of 2011 still be below 50%. The world’s largest mobile operators know the market will stop growing at some point, hence they’re broadening, and in some cases reconsidering their strategic thinking. Informa’s “Mobile Operator Strategies” report studies the parallel business lines being assumed by the likes of Vodafone, China Mobile and Telenor. On the one hand, the extension of basic mobile connectivity

  Dopod China is planning to introduce a Chinese version of the G1 in the region for the first quarter of 2009. “We intend to introduce the G1 to China, possibly in the first quarter of 2009, through a deal with High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC). It will be branded as a Dopod. We are now discussing a partnership with China Mobile,” a source from Dopod China told Interfax. The Chinese G1 will be adapted to suit China’s network although Dopod have not currently decided whether the device will be EDGE or TD-SCDMA. With TD-SCDMA being the only 3G standard technology currently in use in China. As a partner of HTC, Dopod China sells selected models of HTC phones in China under the “Dopod” brand.