This week in Euroland it's all about BAR-CE-LONA! Light Reading operatives have seen off threatened public-transport strikes and overcome hotel-booking-site meltdowns to bring you everything that's worth knowing from Mobile World Congress. And yes, there will be tapas references. Here's a first taste...

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) is hoping to extend the reach of its make-or-break Windows Phone-based Lumia range with the launch of a cheaper model, the 610. Resembling the 710 with its rounded corners (in contrast to its trouser-challenging squared-off, more expensive sisters, the 800 and 900), the 610 comes in at €189 (US$253). (See Nokia Unveils Cheaper Lumia, Euronews: Crunch Time for Nokia's Lumia and Nokia Ships First Windows Phone to Europe .)

Orange France has announced that it will be launching the first smartphone powered by Intel's new Atom processor, Z2460, in the U.K. and France this summer. Codenamed Orange Santa Clara, the phone will support HSPA+. (See Orange Nabs First Intel Smartphone and Intel, Moto Mobility Team Up.)

The GSM Association (GSMA) has come up with a new specification and a new brand, "joyn," to advance the cause of what it calls "Rich Communications," that is, enriched messaging and voice services fashioned for an all-IP and Long Term Evolution (LTE) world. Several big-name operators already support the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard. (See Operators Joyn Forces for RCS Services and AlcaLu, Telefónica Trial Rich Comms.)

Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) has used the Barcelona bunfight to launch its Network-Enabled Cloud, a nailing-jelly-to-the-wall concept which it describes as a business platform enabling operators to "drive new revenues and evolve network capabilities." It involves a "5C" approach, apparently -- connect, control, compute, create and customize. Right... (See Ericsson Launches a Cloud.)

Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, and the U.K. are to be the testing grounds for a new mobile payments system which is the result of a partnership between Vodafone Group plc (NYSE: VOD) and Visa. It will be based on Visa's prepaid account service, and will allow Near Field Communications (NFC) enabled smartphones equipped with Visa payWave to make purchases at participating stores. — Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading