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The deal means European Telecom will now offer the Vonage service to its existing partners.
Vonage UK director of channel sales Sue Wheeler said: "From day one Vonage has received enquiries from small independent resellers keen to offer our VoIP service to their customers."
Unlike other Internet telephony (VoIP) services Vonage does not rely on a computer to make calls. Instead customers plug a conventional mobile handset and adapter into a broadband Ethernet modem to make calls.
European Telecom director of sales and marketing Frank Masson said: "Being able to offer Vonage VoIP will strengthen the hand of any reseller involved in discussions with small businesses about their technology needs."
It is unclear whether the Mo-Fi brand a contraction of the words mobile and hi-fi will be a registered BenQ Mobile sub-brand attached to all its music devices or a marketing tool devised specifically to promote just the E61.
BenQ Mobile is still discussing whether to trademark the name or to use it as a promotional brand in the way that the Poppy was attached to the Siemens CL75.
A BenQ Mobile spokesperson said: "It is still to be decided whether the brand is used on a global scale or just for one product. Whether it will be used as a sub-brand is up to the trademarking laws."
BenQ Mobile will launch four music devices this year. The E61 unveiled at CeBIT will be supported by a Poppy-style marketing campaign.
The BenQ EF51 which has a white casing and external music buttons is due in Q3. Two more music handsets are also expected.
BenQ´s flagship clamshell handset the EF81 will be supported by a global advertising campaign featuring Real Madrid footballer Ronaldo.
Ofcom auctioned off the 1781.7-1785MHz and 1876.7-1880MHz bands on April 20. The result is due this week.
The bandwidth is suitable for in-building or local WiFi networks. Licencees have freedom to use the spectrum as they wish.
The 14 companies bidding for the initial lot of spectrum included O2 Orange BT Colt Mobile Cable & Wireless and Opal Telecom.
Ofcom will grant up to 12 licences on the spectrum each with a reserve price of £50000.
The site will feature regular mobile device exclusives including the black Nokia 8800 previously unavailable in the UK.
However Nokia communications director Mark Squires denied this was a move to undercut dealers.
"We certainly don´t want them to feel this move will be detrimental" he said. "It is more a question of convenience for our customers rather than price-led."
The site will also promote and sell games photos and music.
Mats Wolontis managing director of Nokia UK said: "There is a growing market for SIM-free products the online shop will help us meet these demands and further develop our business."
A report in The Sunday Times on April 16 said that 3 UK would report losses of up to £1.5 billion when it files its 2004 results at Companies House in the next few weeks. 3 lost £972 million in 2003.
A 3 spokesperson said:
"2004 was the build phase of the business. We needed to compete in a highly competitive market. In December we broke even on earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortisation. We reached that milestone after just three years. And our ARPU is above average."
James Barford of Enders Analysis claimed in the article that 3´s customer numbers decreased in the second half of 2005 and its acquisition costs increased in the same period. Barford also suggested that 3´s churn has topped 50 per cent.
From June it will offer three- and four-minute match highlight clips on its mobile TV channel an hour after the final whistle. Trial pricing will be £1 a day or £5 a month for unlimited access. Highlights will also be available by video-calling the FIFA World Cup shortcode 2006 for 50p a minute.
A black version of the Samsung E370 handset embossed with a Three Lions´ logo and preloaded with 1966 World Cup video highlights and other content goes on sale on contract and pre-pay next month.
T-Mobile said that 86 per cent of the tickets it is allocated through its sponsorship deal will be made available to fans through marketing and promotions. The remainder will go to hospitality events. Ticket winners will receive free flight transfers and hospitality.
The network has also kitted out a fleet of tour buses to take fans to Germany and will lay on football parties for fans at home. The biggest will take place at Birmingham´s Millennium Point on June 9.
"David Beckham lifting the World Cup on July 8 would be amazing" said T-Mobile UK marketing director Phil Chapman.
"But even if he doesn´t we will have given T-Mobile customers the closest World Cup experience."
The move in-store continues a departure from the company´s online-only focus. easyMobile sales and marketing director Mike Lewis said: "We are extending our choice of payments to customers to give them more flexibility."
To buy their e-vouchers consumers hand over money at the store then receive a number that they then call or text at their leisure to claim call credit.
Lewis added: "The e-vouchers will be rolled out across range of retail outlets within the next few weeks. I am extending our payment methods to give consumers more choice."
The new stores are intended to showcase 3G music games video and user-generated content such as its SeeMeTV service. The stores will feature booths for customers to try content before purchasing it.
A 3 spokesperson said: "We are hitting the high street with a new breed of mobile store. Customers want to see and hear what they can get from 3G phones. The new experience-based stores are designed to deliver that.
"We offer some of the most talked-about mobile services on the market and the new stores are a great place for customers to drop in and see what we have to offer"
The new stores are all located in prime retail estate across the UK said the spokesperson. 3 already has 20 ThreeStores and 150 high-street retail spots in Superdrug stores.
Boxbreak.com compares prices offered by over 20 different retailers including all of the network-owned shops multiples like CPW and Phones 4U and non-specialists such as Asda and Toys R´ Us. It also compares high-street prices with retailers´ web offerings.
The site is initially free but will start charging users for price-comparison searches on a basis of £30 for a 30-day contract.
"We think this site will be of a benefit to box-breakers but also regular dealers and networks too" said boxbreak.com marketing manager Philip Carter.
Carter explained that the site stands apart from other price comparison sites such as Kelkoo because it is the first dedicated to the mobile phone trade sector. He claimed that while other price comparison sites publish information they receive from retailers his company researches its data independently.
Carter acknowledged that the site was taking a potentially provocative stance but was unabashed.
"All we are doing is collating publicly available information" he said. "Without handset subsidies box-breaking would be eradicated it´s down to the networks to deal with this issue. By giving larger discounts to retailers like Argos networks are ensuring that the shops that are hit most by box-breakers are those least equipped to deal with it."
The move is intended to help Dextra smooth its relationship with Nokia following the discovery of counterfeit stock during a warehouse audit and the consequent termination of its accessories contract.
Mobile News understands that Ormerod headed a delegation of Dextra senior management to Finland in early May to try to get the Nokia contract reinstated. The meeting did not go well according to sources. Caudwell Group chief executive John Caudwell accepted Ormerods resignation last week.
This has created an opportunity to run Dextra alongside the Caudwell Groups 20:20 Logistics handset distribution business in the UK. The two businesses have customers and suppliers in common and are already run as a one-stop shop for handset and accessory distribution in France Germany and Spain.
Speculation that 20:20 UK managing director Rod Miller would assume a senior management role at Dextra was dismissed by the Caudwell Group this week. Miller may however take on an expanded role at 20:20 as part of further
restructuring.