GSMA Announces Nominees for 17th Global Mobile Awards with Record Entries for 2012

LONDON, January 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

- Internationally Acclaimed Comedian Tim Minchin to Host Awards Ceremony at Mobile World Congress

The GSMA today announced nominees for the 17th annual Global Mobile Awards. The winners will be presented on Tuesday, 28th February at the GSMA Mobile World Congress, in an afternoon ceremony hosted by comedian and songwriter Tim Minchin. In total, 158 nominees have been shortlisted for this year's Global Mobile Awards; the full list of nominees and awards categories can be found at http://www.globalmobileawards.com/awards2012/Nominees.php.

"Reflecting the intensity of competition and innovation across the mobile ecosystem, we saw a record 600 entries and an exceptionally high-quality field of contenders vying for this year's Global Mobile Awards," said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. "It is a significant achievement to have made the shortlist, and our warmest congratulations go to all the nominees announced today. We look forward to the unveiling of the winners at the Mobile World Congress next month."

For 2012, the GSMA introduced 18 new awards, with notable developments in categories such as 'Apps of the Year', 'Mobile Innovation', 'Mobile Marketing and Advertising', and 'Social and Economic Development'. In addition, the 'Best New Mobile Handset, Device or Tablet at the Mobile World Congress' will be selected from those on show at the annual mobile event. Thirty awards will be presented during the ceremony, which will begin at 3:00 pm in Auditorium 1, Hall 5 and will be open to all Global Mobile Awards nominees, Mobile World Congress Platinum, Gold and Silver Pass conference attendees and accredited press attending the Congress.

Awards host Tim Minchin is an internationally recognised comedian, songwriter, singer and pianist. Renowned for his sharp lyrical observations and extraordinary musicianship, Tim has sold out shows in London's West End, around the UK and internationally, and appears regularly on radio and television in the UK, United States and Australia. Tim composed the music and lyrics for the Royal Shakespeare Company's musical version of Roald Dahl's Matilda, which won Best Musical at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2011. Tim's achievements also include the Perrier Best Newcomer Award (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Directors' Choice Award (Melbourne International Comedy Festival) and Best Alternative Comedy Act at the US Comedy Arts Festival (Aspen).

More than 170 independent analysts, journalists, academics and subject matter experts throughout the world participated in the judging of the 2012 awards. In addition, the chief technology officers of 16 mobile operators took part in judging for the 'Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough' category, including CTOs of AT&T, CSL, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, KT Corp., M1, Mobinil, Movistar, MTN, NTTDoCoMo, Orange, Qtel, Telefonica, Telstra, VimpelCom and Vodafone.

2012 Global Mobile Awards sponsors include: INQ (Platinum Awards Sponsor); Conduit (Apps of the Year Category); CNBC, Fortune and Time (Platinum Media Partners); and Africa Telecoms, eWeek Europe, Fierce Wireless, GIZMODO, GoMo News and Mobile Communications International (Media Partners). Market data for the 'Best Mobile App for Consumers' and 'Best Mobile App for Enterprise' categories was provided by Distimo.

Full information on the Global Mobile Awards can be found at http://www.globalmobileawards.com/.

The GSMA's Mobile World Congress 2012 will be held 27th February - 1st March 2012 in Barcelona. For further details please visit http://www.mobileworldcongress.com.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo. 

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at http://www.gsma.com or Mobile World Live, the online portal for the mobile communications industry, at http://www.mobileworldlive.com.