The campaign continues the v dot theme currently used in Virgin Mobiles TV and print ads with a mix of banners and buttons on key target sites in the UK. Virgin aims to sell 25 per cent of its phones over the web by the end of its first year.

We guarantee a purchase of a phone in just three clicks from our home page. Our web strategy is to sell an enormous amount of phones on-line this Christmas. E-commerce is the way of the future and central to Virgin Mobiles philosophy said Virgin Mobile brand director James Kydd.

The phone is at the heart of two rapidly growing markets the internet and mobile communications which are finding points of convergence. And we are at its vanguard. One of our key target markets for Virgin Mobile is PC owners especially those that are currently online Kydd claimed.

V.attractive features a button with a magnet attracting lots of Virgin Mobile logos and will run on Easyeverything X-Stream Motley Fool and Zoom.

V.sexy features lots of Vs coming together to make a row of XXXXs becoming v.sexy and will appear on Sky Sports FHM Online and Handbag.com.

V.ip rotates with the word only and will run on film site Popcorn.co.uk and Time Out on-line.

V.sound features a spinning vinyl record and will run on Virgin Radio and the Ministry of Sound websites were aiming for 25 per cent of our sales.

We want our customers to be able to use the web from their phones. All Virgin Mobile phones come with complete mobile e-mail compatibility for any e-mail user. Whether they use Freeserve AOL or Virgin Net or any other provider for that matter said Kydd

Meanwhile Virgin Mobile has joined four other competitors tendering to provide Virgin Rail with mobile phone business.

The deal is for between 1000 and 2000 phones and is just one of many commercial contracts Virgin Mobile is looking at according to a Virgin spokesman.

A number of entertainment content channels are to be launched over the next year for WAP enabled mobile phones and wireless PDAs as well as the growing market for portable wireless games consoles.

The games range from simple quiz and puzzle games to more elaborate multi-user gaming experiences.

Games currently available for WAP devices include single player Quizcall a multi-choice quiz game; Hangman Codebreaker and Follow Me. Multi-player titles available and in development are Fours Tic Tack Toe a two-player Pokemon-style fighting game multi-player Poker Black Jack Horse Racing and Fight KOs .

Our vision is to create mobile entertainment platforms giving people access to entertainment any place at any time said Digital Bridges managing director Kevin Bradshaw.

Nokia CEO Jorma Ollila also said it would be possible to reach net sales growth of 30 to 40 per cent in the year 2000 which would exceed Nokias long term target of 25 to 35 per cent.

Ollila anticipates that the first third generation (3G) network orders will be received in 2000 and that there will be continued emphasis on increasing market share in the mobile phone business with Nokias target being to grow faster than the market.

Nokias intent is to create the Mobile Information Society by combining mobility and the internet and stimulating the creation of new services. In mobile phones Nokia sees new product segments emerging through convergence of the internet multimedia applications and connectivity.

The money has been put up by a group of international investors led by American telecommunications pioneer Craig McCaw.

McCaw and Indian media entrepreneur Subhash Chandra are providing the new financing required by ICO.

McCaw and Chandra will provide up to 62 percent and 38 percent respectively of the equity funding required for ICO to escape bankruptcy.

McCaw is chairman of Teledesic LLC which is building a global Internet-in-the-Sky satellite communications network.

McCaw and Microsofts Bill Gates are the companys two primary founding investors. Chandra is chairman of Essel Group a leading Indian conglomerate.

These two entrepreneurs share a common vision of the benefits that ICO can bring to the world said ICO chief executive officer Richard Greco.

Both Craig McCaw and Subhash Chandra contribute tremendous strengths to the ICO effort in their respective parts of the world.

McCaw and his affiliated companies Teledesic and Eagle River Investments will lead a group of existing ICO investors to provide $225 million in debtor-in-possession financing as well as $275 million in a second financing round expected to be completed by the end of January 2000.

The balance of the first tranche of $225 million and the second tranche of $275 million has now been approved.

McCaw and his affiliates also agreed to commit up to an additional $700 million for exit financing expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2000 dependent upon court approval and implementation of the ICO reorganisation plan.

This portion of the financing plan will be open to participation by ICOs existing creditors and shareholders. the total investment of $1.2 billion will enable ICO to complete build-out of its system and will provide working capital to the company up to the launch of its global mobile satellite services in the second quarter of 2001.

Talking Ads is an interactive call response business set up four years ago and generates 2.5 million a year in call revenue.

PNC Tele.com will pay 1.4 million cash on completion and 1.4 million in shares ( 2.20) with a further 100000 two months later and another 4.1 million paid half in shares depending on future profit performance.

PNC Tele.com is also buying for 50000 cash the customer services base of Arena Online Services a subsidiary of Arena Leisure (subject to a one-year earn-out).

Both acquisitions are effective businesses that complement our existing operations and have substantial scope for further expansion said PNC Tele.com chief executive Geremy Thomas.

Our partnership with ITIS demonstrates our commitment to providing a comprehensive range of wirefree multimedia services to meet the needs of our customers said Orange chief operations officer Bob Fuller.

However Orange has been criticised by shutting off access to many other web sites from its own portal (see P40 P54 P56).

Orange is selling the 7110e for 129.99 with no charge for access to multi-meida services until the end of January.

After that access to WAP will be part of a customers monthly call allowance and 5p a minute after that.

ITIS was set up in 1997 as a provider of telematics services and travel-related information.

It provides real-time information updated every 10 minutes for specified routes.

Personal mobility has always been high on our agenda and the launch of the new handset has enbaled us to provide this service. We are delighted to be working with Orange and look forward to further developing and enhancing the range of services offered through the network said ITIS chairman Stuart Marks.

The company Red Message has been set up by two ex-executives of Swedish mobile phone operator Telia.

The idea is for businneses to link customers to their own web site or call centre to hand sales and service transactions via a GSM phone.

Users log into www.redmessage.com register and add and delete the web sites they want to retrieve information from.

Red Message is operator independent so the service works for any GSM subscriber on any network as long as their phone supports text messaging.

Increasing mobility among the European market has led consumers to demand information is sent to them wherever and whenever liberating them from their PCs said Red Message marketing director Steven Yurisich.

The potential value for any business with an online presence to gain access to almost half the UK adult population through an immediate effective and mobile medium is explosive he added.

Red Message will develop services based on WAP phones when they reach the mass market.

They are Somchul Rashid (Which Mobile 23 Green Lane Ilford Essex) and Peter Kubis (The Phone Inn 21 Crewe Road Sandbach Cheshire). Rashid and Kubis have undertaken to comply with the Rules of the Scheme. The FCS says it has been satisfied that steps have been taken to do so. Anyone in the industry is now free to trade with Rashid and Kubis subject to the Rules of the Scheme.

Ericsson will own the majority share of the new company and will provide its Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technology to Microsoft and adopt Explorer for future WAP phones.

The joint company will focus on solutions that use Microsoft Windows NT Server and Exchange platforms and Ericssons infrastructure and mobile Internet technologies.

The mobile Internet is part of Ericssons vision of convenient and user- friendly information access and wireless e-mail said Ericsson president Kurt Hellstrom

Bringing together Microsofts strengths in Internet and enterprise messaging software and our leadership as an open communications solutions provider of mobile voice and data will offer tremendous ease of use for consumers all over the world.

Microsoft president Steve Ballmer added:

Mobile Internet access and services are crucial for realizing Microsofts vision of empowering knowledge workers and consumers through software any time anywhere and on any device.

This partnership is a strong confirmation of our commitment to help the industry deploy new mobile products and services worldwide. Microsoft and Ericsson will also collaborate to support WAP and Bluetooth applications.

Nokia will implement Java technology in the Psion EPOC operating system based smart phones and communicators.

The first products to support Java technology will be available next year and will offer additional mobile internet features. Users will be able to retrieve Java applications over the mobile network using WAP.