Wildfire can store up to 150 contacts with up to six numbers for each. All a user has to do is command the system to dial the person at their appropriate location (ie home work mobile etc).

Orange CEO Hans Snook says the Wildfire system could lead to Orange marketing a handset with no keypad at all.

The free calls offer lasts until the end of March and is additional to the 10 of call time U and Easylife users are already entitled to when they buy the 99 box.

The free 50 pre-pay promotion will be advertised throughout March by a national radio and TV campaign.

Cellnet will also be giving U customers free Internet access over its Genie Internet. This will be distributed through a CD ROM included in the U packaging.

The first service available from Genie Internet will be U Genie with content aimed at people in the 16 to 24 age group.

Calls on the U tariff currently cost 35p a minute with a minimum top-up requirement of 10 every 90 days. Easylife calls are more expensive at 49p a minute but only require a minimum top-up of 20 once a year.

RSL COM snatched Motorola Telco out from under the grasp of Martin Dawes Telecommunications last year which was poised to buy the service provision operation.

RSL COM now says it has 900000 customers throughout the world. In the UK it is poised to scrap the Motorola name and association for its SP business.

For example customers connecting to Frequent Caller Plus get their 20 monthly allowance doubled to 40.

After six months they submit copies of their first six months bills and claim a cheque for 120.

Occasional Caller Plus users get a 30 refund and Regular Caller Plus people get 90 back.

Everyone who buys a 5 top-up card between now and April 28 gets an instant win scratch card with the chance to win a share of the million minutes.

Vodafone is offering more than 33000 prizes of free airtime from 30 minutes to two top prizes of 10000 minutes.

To claim free minutes customers call the number of the winning panel and the calling credit equivalent to the value of free off-peak minutes is added to their account.

The promotion is being heavily advertised on radio and in the press and supported by posters and in-store merchandise and displays.

Vodafone is now selling Pay As You Talk top-up cards from its 240 stores Mobile Phone Centres and High Street retailers including Woolworths Tesco Sainsburys Somerfield Toys R Us Argos Comet Cash Converters Alldays and Shell garages.

The network has also teamed up with UniqueAir to sell top-up cards from cash-operated dispensers.

Said Vodafone retail marketing director Helen Keays:

Business customers prefer a more business-oriented environment and require a more bespoke service.

The Centre will lay on a personal business advisor for each local company that approaches it for products and service.

The tax which was introduce by Norman Lamont in 1991 affects around 350000 business users but only raised around 25 million.

Taxing something as fundamental to modern business as a phone was bound to raise increasing objections said Bosch divisional director Frank Einecke.

There has been a clear imbalance with the level of tax which could be as much as 80 a year he said.

According to managing director Charles Dunstone the site has so far received 900 e-mails and that the 100k a month revenue will be reached if current growth continues.

The challenge in building an e-retail centre was to ensure levels of customer service were replicated on-line. Initial sales results and customer feedback clearly shows this has been achieved said Andrew Skates head of Clarity the firm which developed the website.

The site has been set up to provide post-sales support following any transaction. Customer details are held on file so that every time they log on they receive a personalised response.

The success of the site is mainly due to the fact it is easy to navigate and provides a one-stop shop service. This removes any complication the obstacle which often stands between the consumer and technology Dunstone said.

PNC has paid 300000 for the subscribers. It will pay 100000 on completion with 25000 payable after six months and the balance calculated on an earn-out basis over a 12-month period.

We are now a virtual network able to pick the best products and margin opportunities from the six leading networks over which we route our call traffic said PNC chief executive Geremy Thomas.

PNC has agreements with AT&T BT Cable & Wireless Core Telecommunications Redstone Network Services and Vodafone.