LG partners with F1

LG Electronics has become a Global Partner and a Technology Partner of Formula 1 motor racing, which means it'll be able to offer the 'official Mobile Phone of Formula 1' for the next five years. LG had previously sponsored ITV's F1 coverage. [Sources: Press release; BrandRepublic.com]

Smarter phones mean more security risks

Mobile messaging company Airwide Solutions says European mobile phone customers are now receiving 21.3% more unwanted text messages than they did last year - with France suffering a 61.3% increase. [Press release]

EC moves closer to capping 'roaming' SMS charges

As anticipated, the Council of EU Telecoms Ministers has endorsed the European Commission's plans to reduce consumer charges for sending text messages and downloading data via mobile phones while 'roaming' abroad in the EU. If the plans (known as the Roaming II Agreement) are passed by the European Parliament in spring they could become law next summer. The EC's proposal includes:

• capping the cost of sending a text message at 11 Euro cents (excluding VAT),
• automatically sending an text message explaining the charges when you travel abroad,
• offering a pre-set limit for roamed data charges from 2010,
• further reducing the cost of 'roaming' voice calls in 2009 and 2010,
• introducing per-second billing after 30 seconds for all calls made, and
• introducing per-second billing for all calls received.

[Press release 1; Press release 2]

Samsung launches BizBee business phone range

Samsung has launched a new European business smartphone brand called 'BizBee'. It says BizBee products will be targeted at business people who need all-in-one connectivity, email, a QWERTY keyboard and increased productivity. The first BizBee phone is the Samsung i780, which was announced earlier this year but will now come with Windows Mobile 6.1. [Source: BusinessWire.com]

13% of us rely on mobiles to find the way

In a Nokia press release that's full of comedy facts - more people get lost in London than anywhere else in the world, one in three Londoners deliberately gives people the wrong directions, 10% of Spaniards consider a sense of direction matures with age, the average person wastes 13 minutes when they get lost - there's some mobile-related stuff as well. Apparently 13% of people now use a mobile phone as their main navigation tool. [Press release]

Control your home with a Nokia phone

Nokia is developing a 'smart home' platform - the Nokia Home Control Center - that'll let users monitor and control their home via mobile phone or PC. Consumers can monitor and control their electricity usage and security systems, either from within the home or remotely. The first products are expected by the end of 2009. [Press release]

Nokia leaves Japan (almost)

Nokia says the current economic climate has caused it to leave Japan. It'll stop selling most phones and will end marketing activities in Japan, although a number of researchers will remain and the company will continue selling its luxuty Vertu phones. Nokia currently has around 1% of the handset market in Japan. [Source: Forbes.com]

Microsoft Zune phone rumours return

The rumours that Microsoft is planning a Zune-branded music-playing mobile phone seem to have more substance these days, according to a report from CNBC.

Spending on mobiles will affect other business comms

Analysys Mason says business spending on voice services is moving to mobile - much like the consumer telecomms market. In Western Europe, enterprise mobile voice spend is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1% while enterprise fixed voice spend is expected to decline at a CAGR of 15%. It also says the current global financial situation may accelerate mobile substitution and fixed/mobile convergence because businesses are unwilling to pay the relatively high cost of desk phones. [Analysis Mason news insight]

Vodafone CEO wants his company to react more quickly

In an interview with the Financial Times, Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao says he wants the company to become faster at responding to customers’ needs and competitors’ initiatives.

EC decision on data roaming charges expected soon

The EC's plans for a cap on European data 'roaming' charges are expected to be agreed tomorrow, according to the International Herald Tribune. It says cross-border text message charges could to drop to 11 Euro cents (about 10.6p incl. VAT) from July 2009 - and there could be a similarly dramatic drop in data usage, too.

Wireless traffic could increase tenfold

Mobile network operators in developed regions should be ready for a tenfold increase in wireless network traffic by 2015, according to a new report from Analysys Mason. Its Wireless network traffic 2008–2015 report says data traffic is quickly overtaking voice, driven by factors that include USB modems, smartphones, affordable pricing and bigger downloads. Developed regions are expected to account for just 25% of mobile phone users by 2015 but will generate 65% of total global wireless network traffic. The average mobile user is expected to use eight times more data by 2015, rising from the current figure of 56MB per month to 455MB per month... although one forecast says this could be as much as a 23-fold increase, depending on circumstances. [Press release]

El Paso is the top town for texting in the US

Scarborough Research says El Paso in Texas is the top US city for text messaging, with 57% of mobile phone users sending texts - compared with a national average of 48%. Residents of Grand Rapids, Missouri, are least likely to send text messages. Apparently texters are more likely to be young and from Hispanic or African-American backgrounds, which the research company says helps to explain the geographic results. Texters also spend more on their mobile bills, play more sports, shop online and love technology more than other people. [PDF press release]

Mobile phones can damage your soul

"Vatican Warns That Mobile Phones Threaten the Soul". That's the headline, although Father Federico Lombardi, who runs the Vatican press office, wasn't quite that specific. He's warned people that modern life isn't leaving time for us to look after the spiritual dimension of our lives - and says mobile phones and the internet probably make it more difficult. [Source: Cellular-News.com]

Apple iPhone TV ad banned by ASA

Following T-Mobile's knuckle-rapping last week, Apple is the latest company to have its mobile phone advertising criticised by the ASA. TV advertising for the Apple iPhone 3G described the handset as offering the internet "really fast", showing pages loading in a fraction of a second. The ASA said the on-screen visuals, in conjunction with the repeated use of the claim "really fast", were likely to lead viewers to believe that the device actually operated at or near to the speeds shown in the ad - but it doesn't. [ASA adjudication]

Mobile News podcast now available to download

This week's Mobile News podcast takes its regular look at industry headlines from the last seven days. There's a preview of the tough new Sonim XP3... and we'll be time-travelling back to 2006 to see how the industry's changed. As usual, you can download or listen free at TheFonecast.com and on the Mobile News website... and you'll find us on iTunes and via RSS too.

The Mobile News podcast is presented and produced by Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge at TheFonecast.com

Carphone not selling Hugh Symons

The Carphone Warehouse has decided not to sell Hugh Symons Communications. It put HSC on the market earlier this year but says it's now growing and is essential to Carphone’s operations. [Source: Mobile News]

Apple sued over iPhone browser

Law firm Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro has filed a patent infringement lawsuit on behalf of EMG Technology against Apple, accusing Apple of infringing US Patent 7,441,196 in the way the iPhone navigates the internet. The patent covers internet content reformatted to XML; the format used by the iPhone and other mobile devices. [Sources: MarketWatch.com; TheRegister.co.uk]

Operators could make $52 billion from mobile content in 2013

Juniper Research says mobile network operators could make $52 billion from mobile content by 2013 - up from $23 billion in 2008 - but only if they make major changes to their business models. It says they must emphasise 'shared value creation’ to avoid becoming seen as ‘dumb pipes’ in the future. The total global mobile content market is expected to be worth $167 billion by 2013. [Press release]

Mobiles to be made illegal in Scottish prisons

Ministers in Scotland have taken the first step towards outlawing mobile phones in prisons. The aim is to prevent mobiles being used for drug dealing or for organising criminal activities. From next month, possession of a mobile phone or SIM card in prison will become an offence - as will attempting to pass these items to offenders in prison. The Scottish Prison Service will also introduce mobile phone 'signal blockers' to stop mobiles from working. [Press release]