Reuters reports that Japan's Sharp plans to launch a paperback-sized mini mobile PC that features a quick start-up time, touchscreen display and full keyboard, targeting niche demand between smartphones and netbooks.

Anti-trust regulators in Argentina have ordered Telecom Italia to sell its holdings in the country over concerns that Spain's Telefonica - a shareholder in Telecom Italia - could monopolise the market

Japanese handset vendors NEC, Hitachi and Casio are reportedly mulling merging their mobile operations in a bid to take on the domestic market-leader, Sharp, reports Dow Jones Newswires.

The US regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), formally announced a inquiry into competition in the country's mobile sector yesterday.

The Indian government has significantly raised the prices of its 3G licenses and says it plans to start the long-delayed auction within the next three months.

China Telecom - the country's third-largest mobile operator - has reported a 29 percent decline in net profit for the first half of the year due to higher costs at its mobile division, reports Dow Jones Newswires.

Telecompaper notes that German notebook manufacturer Smartbook has obtained a restraining order against Qualcomm and its German subsidiary at the District Court Cologne.