Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to Deliver the Opening Speech at MWC

Microsoft has recently announced that it will be present at the mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 16-18. The software giant's CEO, Steve Ballmer, is expected to give a speech on the opening day and also hold a press conference at the show.

“Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will highlight the company's latest innovations and partnerships, as well as share insights on the company's strategies and approaches that will enable more opportunities for mobile operators and device manufacturers to deliver exciting solutions for consumers and mobile workers,” announced the Redmond company.

The software giant also stated that Ballmer would attend the press conference along with Andrew Lees, senior vice president of Microsoft's mobile communications business, which might be considered great news for Microsoft. For those who might not remember, last year the speech was delivered by Robie Bach, Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division president.

The company has not disclosed any further details regarding its presence at the mobile show. Some of the recent news on Microsoft's future plans on the mobile market suggested that we might see the release of new Live-branded mobile services that would be able to compete against Apple's online MobileMe offering. At the same time, the company also seems to move the mobile data syncing into the cloud.

The latest rumors on the Web have pointed towards the fact that Microsoft could unveil its latest Windows Mobile operating system, WinMo 6.5, which should bring more features and capabilities to WM-powered handsets. It remains to be seen whether the Redmond team will unveil the platform along with its Skybox/Skyline/SkyMarket services, which are in a way expected as much as more news on a European version of the Palm Pre or on new smartphones coming from PC makers like Dell and Acer.