WASHINGTON: The successor to the Samsung Galaxy SII will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event instead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company has said.

"Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012.The successor to the Galaxy SII smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product," The Telegraph quoted a Samsung statement, as saying.

"It stays committed to providing the best possible mobile experiences for customers around the world," it added.

Samsung is expected to announce updates to its popular tablet range at the Mobile World Congress.

The Galaxy Tab revisions are likely to improve screen size and resolution, and update the device's software to Google's new Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

The announcement comes after the European Commission said it has initiated an anti-trust probe against the company "in order to guarantee undistorted competition".

The case is related to Samsung's obligations under Frand (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) patent licensing terms. Frand terms allow smartphone manufacturers to use standard technology, such as the signalling systems that connect mobile devices to networks.

They guarantee that the company that holds a patent cannot discriminate against its counterparts that want to use the same technology, and cannot charge excessive licensing fees.