The leaders of the world’s biggest mobile phone makers, network operators and infrastructure vendors gather in Barcelona this week for the annual Mobile World Congress at a time when this dynamic global industry faces perhaps its biggest ever challenges.

“This year’s event will take place against as harsh an economic backdrop as the mobile communications industry has known in its relatively short life,” notes Nokia Siemens Networks. “In contrast to the unbridled optimism of the past, this year the operator community faces a new set of challenges: how to defend revenues and save costs, while maintaining high levels of service and introducing new applications and products.”