In an exclusive interview Read explained that the company needs to become more nimble if it is to maintain its dominant position in the market and fend off aggressive tactics from rival networks.
My experience with more aggressive companies tells me that we should be driving the market he said. Part of this strategy is making sure all staff are singing from one company hymn sheet.
We may lose people who dont fit in to this culture and we may have too many people of a traditional skill-set where that is not the area of growth he said.
The comments follow a string of high-level departures and the restructure of the companys business unit culminating in the appointment of Mark Bond as business sales director last month.
See interview page 22

T-Mobile notified distributors last month that it would not authorise new dealers to connect customers because of an overhaul of its internal systems. Since late March T-Mobile has also refused to let new dealers connect customers to the network via distributors own codes.
Dealers speculated last week that T-Mobile may follow this up with a further 30 per cent cut in dealer commission payments.
One source said: It is death by a thousand cuts. As a distributor you are always looking for new routes to market. If those routes have been cut off then we need to replenish them. But how can we do that now? We are being squeezed out.
In a note to distributors the network said: T-Mobile will not be processing any stockist application forms as we are undertaking an internal change review no connections to T-Mobile should be processed using your distributor parent code.
Another distributor said: Surely it would issue temporary dealer codes if there was a systems issue.
T-Mobile has recently cut off distance resellers clamped down on box-breaking and cut dealer commissions on B2B tariffs in both May and June. From July 1 it also cut back the 25 per cent discount on its 18- and 24-month Business 1 contracts for customers.
Avenir UK managing director Tanny Price said: It is very frustrating for sales staff who have worked hard to sign up new dealers. All that work goes to waste.
Fone Logistics marketing manager Julian Parven said: Having created a monster it hasnt been able to sustain it. Dealers have changed their business models on the back of T-Mobiles aggressive acquisition policy this year but it has withdrawn from the channel suddenly and completely. These changes have cost a lot of dealers a lot of money.
Parven pointed out that T-Mobile advertising is still driving customers into stores. But it wants to take everything direct now. It is frustrating because it hasnt communicated its intentions and some dealers have been hurt very badly he said.
Hugh Symons business manager Bob Sweetlove added: This is another example of where T-Mobile has done a large amount of new business in a short space of time and is taking a breather while it reassesses the propositions and sales strategy.
A T-Mobile spokeswoman responded: We are updating our systems and are currently unable to process applications. New stockists can fill out applications but we wont process them until mid- to late July. This is not a move to pull back from the independent channel.

Cocker has relationships with the record labels content aggregators and music publishers and also has a marketing role to identify strategic marketing opportunities within mobile music.

Mobile News
What are the biggest challenges you face at the moment?

Matt Cocker
The challenge is technology. The mobile industry is trying to move too quickly to produce an offering that is customer friendly. Mobile phone compatibility is an issue here.
Record labels have always been slow to adopt new ways of selling content. What is their view of mobile music?

The record labels still remember about what happened with music on the Internet and how they got burned. They are being much more proactive this time. They view it as the future of their digital business. We are the next distribution channel for them there is a great deal of co-operation now.

If the music industry is on message what about consumers are they ready yet?
We are still reaching out to the early adopters who are really the ones looking to put content on their phones. As the technology to do this becomes more widely available take-up will filter down to other segments.
It´s still a niche market though.

How will you bring music services within reach of mainstream punters?

The demand for these sorts of services has been demonstrated and its potentially huge. The market for ringtones is an illustration of this. Revenues in the UK have reached £140 million this year already.
We´ve seen an increase in customers buying music videos. We see that as a step into real music retailing. But mobile has much more to offer the music industry. We´ve started up NME Mobile so customers can find out about new music. We´ve developed community services so that fans can get together to chat.
One of the biggest initiatives is mobile ticketing. We´ve had experience with Live 8 last summer and we are offering the service this year for the O2 Wireless Festival. So far we´ve sold £150000 worth of wireless tickets. It´s all about using the phone in a whole range of ways based around music.
The volume of ticket sales surpassed our expectations. Live 8 gave us an idea of how useful the service could be in handling such large volumes but we were still surprised. We will also be offering content from the festival to download over O2 Active 24 hours after the event.

Mobile phone users are certainly into participation. What other interactivity have you thought about?

One is O2 Undiscovered a nationwide search for unsigned talent. The prize was a bursary to nurture talent rather than going for success in the X Factor model. The winner Emma Rohan has been given studio time and has had advice from professionals in the music business and she´s going to release a single with Polydor which will be distributed online. It was very successful we had more than 10000 demos.
Where do you think it will end up?

The way it´s going customers will soon be able to buy music using a range of devices from the store of their choice. They will be able to play the track how they want. They won´t have to worry about the format whether it´s PC or mobile.

Is this happening anywhere already?

Asian consumers get a wider experience. If a user searches for an artist services will bring in the latest review of the artist´s latest single or the latest community site comment entry. They can buy a ticket to their next gig or download a track.
We have to offer a richer customer experience. These issues should be debated so that all the interested sectors can get their ideas together.
London Calling is at Earl´s Court in
London on June 29-30

Users can buy CDs DVDs gadgets and magazine subscriptions by sending SMS codes. Items are delivered to the address saved in a user´s PayPal account.
"PayPal It is an established financial services brand with a reputation for safety security and convenience."
PayPal accounts are PIN-protected. Financial information is not shared with the recipient and users´ accounts remain secure in the event of phone theft.

The UK and Hong Kong have a penetration rate of 110 per cent while Italy and Israel have mobile penetration of over 120 per cent.
This reflects a trend for many users to buy a second or third subscription. However an Informa spokeswoman added: "We are tracking subscriptions not subscribers so the penetration rates in some small countries are inflated by tourists or migrant workers buying SIM cards."
Informa forecasts that 40 nations will enjoy mobile penetration higher 100 per cent by the end of the year with Russia expected to join the list.

"Thanks to our strong relationship with RIM we are pleased to bring this all-in-one handset to our customers first" said O2 head of SME marketing Peter Rampling. "We are confident the enhanced features of this all-in-one handset will appeal to both business and individual users."
The handset is a converged device offering phone push e-mail and data. It comes with a SureType keyboard that combines a traditional phone keypad with a QWERTY keyboard.
RIM EMEA vice-president Charmaine Eggberry claimed the new handset would deliver a "sleek and stylish" BlackBerry experience.

T-Mobile UK marketing director Phil Chapman said: "The show continues to build our commitment to music working with Channel 4 in a way that will engage existing and potential mobile customers as well as offering them exclusive access and content from each programme."
The programme which kicked off last Friday will feature four music acts each week in 10 different locations. It will also feature highlights from Street Gigs T-Mobile´s own series of music events.
"Street Gigs have been a huge hit with our customers and we are looking forward to capturing the energy of each gig and sharing it with a wider audience" added Chapman.
The audience will be made up of T-Mobile customers who register on a dedicated web site for tickets.

Footage of gangs in action will be shown by Royston Ford an insurance investigator with Cunningham Lindsey Marine.
Ford will also explain how VAT fraud leads to violent mobile phone robbery the implications of VAT fraud for honest traders and the evolution of VAT fraud.
He is the latest addition to a line-up of speakers that includes detective inspector Kenny McDonald (National Mobile Phone Crime Unit) Jonathan Clark MBE (Forensic Telecommunications Services) Jack Wraith (Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum) Paul Overton (Trusted Management) and Steve Gold (IT security writer).
For full agenda see mobilenewsconferences.co.uk or the ad on page 45. For bookings contact Nicky Croke on 0207 324 3500; e-mail nicky@mobilenewscwp.co.uk.

According to the report first- and second-hand experience of mobile phone crime is highest among five- to 20-year-olds. Aside from theft 27 per cent have been or know victims of muggings and 22 per cent have been or are associated with victims of bullying via mobile phone.
The findings support those by Halifax Home Insurance last month which claimed that on average one mobile phone is stolen every 12 seconds in the UK alone.

Khan had been charged with three counts of arson and threats to kill. Khan´s solicitors Imran Khan & Partners claimed that the three fires which occurred at the premises of a former business associate of Nasir Khan´s in east London in 2003 were insurance jobs by the claimant.
The case had been ongoing for two years.
Nasir Khan said: "People were quick to make judgements but they should have looked at the facts which show that I am innocent."
Ahmet Ratip solicitor at Imran Khan & Partners said: "The case was withdrawn because of a complete lack of evidence. Mr Khan has always vigorously contested the accusations. There was a complete failure by the prosecution and the police to produce evidence against Mr Khan. It was an idle prosecution from day one."