Every time Google’s marketing machine seems to have made Android untouchable, the more mature mobile operating systems bite back.

Until last week it seemed clear that Android would overshadow its rivals at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona – with Apple absent, Microsoft making do with a interim upgrade to Windows Mobile, and Symbian in transition to its new open source model. But now Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola will not, after all, show Android models at MWC; the main Linux alternative to Android, LiMo, is mounting a big public relations comeback with its new release; and today Symbian has signed 14 new members and convincingly upstaged the upstart.

There had been hopes for a big wave of Android handset launches to add credibility and marketing pzazz to the software platform, but the main new models on display will be from the only existing supplier, HTC, plus niche entrants like Garmin/Asus. Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson have all promised Android phones later this year, but none looks set to unveil one in Barcelona. Samsung confirmed this week that it had delayed its Android launch until the second half of the year, and seems intent on signing up one or more major carrier partners before going public. This may indicate hitches in its negotiations with US cellcos, since Samsung had been previously reported to be close to agreements with T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel, for an Android touchscreen looking similar to the Windows-based Omnia.

Younghee Lee, head of marketing at the mobile device division, said the Korean giant would not be showing an Android device in Spain.

So with Android making less of a splash than expected, Symbian is grabbing the limelight. Just in time for MWC, the Symbian Foundation has announced 14 new members, including the mighty Qualcomm. This has increased speculation that, following the truce in their long running patent licensing dispute last summer, Qualcomm and Nokia are drawing closer and this could lead to a chip deal for the US vendor, most probably for its advanced MID platform Snapdragon. Qualcomm has, to date, worked most closely with Android and Windows Mobile, but is now likely to run Symbian on Snapdragon and other processors. Nokia, which has postponed its customary confirmation of its chip vendors for 2010, is rumored to be in talks with Qualcomm over a deal that would have been inconceivable until this year.

The Symbian Foundation now numbers 78 members (Android has 47) and the presence of Bank of America and Gemalto indicates the Nokia-led group’s interest in mobile payments, while the web services giants are getting interested too, with MySpace joining up. Another interesting entrant is Hewlett-Packard, which is trying to push its handset activities beyond the enterprise and Windows. Others include Imagination Technologies, SiRF (being acquired by CSR), SanDisk, Atelier, Mobica, Nanoradio, Omron Software, SESCA and VirtualLogix. Nokia expects to release the first Symbian Foundation software this year and introduce a new platform by June 2010.