The network has appointed the Turner & Townsend Group to project manage the roll-our programme and be responsible for administering the contract providing cost control and acting as planning supervisors.

We will be managing an administering the process of microcell installation throughout cities and other built-up areas to improve reception quality and network capacity said John Webb of Turner & Townsend.

Orange has also appointed European Information Technology services group CMP to help design and implement its new GSM network in Belgium.

Tim brings a wealth of proven experience in the marketing of consumer electronics products particularly in opening up new market opportunities. For Philips Consumer Communications a company still in its infancy Tim will be a superb asset said George McPherson managing director of Philips Consumer Communications.

At the same time PCC has appointed Belgian Guy Buyst as the new general manager for its Europe Middle East and Africa operations.

Buyst (44) was formerly executive vice president for Cabletron Systems a manufacturer of networking and management software.

He will he based at Philips Paris headquarters.

Orange customers in Africa can already use their dual-band phones in Ivory Coast Mauritius Morocco Senegal South Africa and Tanzania.

The Zimbabwe agreement brings to 80 the number of countries Orange users can use their (dual-band) handsets in.

We were under-represented on the High Street in Northern Ireland said Byrom Bramwell general manager of Vodafone (NI) a subsidiary of Vodafone Group.

Our 26 million investment programme over the last year has increased coverage in the province he added. Vodafone already has stores in Belfast.

Early indications hint that 1998 was yet another record breaking year for global GSM take-up and that GSM has overtaken analogue world-wide said the GSM Association.

Year end totals are expected to show 135 million customers – exceeding early industry predictions by as much as 15 million.

We believe that around 65 million customers signed up for GSM services in 1998 almost doubling the previous years total taking GSM to 45 percent of the world wireless market or 62 percent of the global digital market said Richard Midgett chairman of the GSM Association.

On the back of this we predict with confidence that the 1999 year end total could soar as high as 250 million.

The GSM Association represents 323 GSM and GSM/Satellite operators administrators and regulators from 129 countries .

GSM impact once again stretched far and wide in 1998. By the mid year point China became the largest single GSM market in the world maintaining its lead to reach more than the 18 million level by close of the year.

It is also important to note that by mid point last year the world GSM total overtook the total for all analogue customers for the first time ever. By end year we saw GSM outstripping analogue growth by one and a third said Midgett.

We also witnessed significant and widespread take up of a host of GSM value added services apart from voice usage in many markets he added.

Both organisations have completed the first phase of a trial. More trials will be carried out based around the W-DCMA system which NEC has been involved in developing with Japanese network operator NTT DoCoMo.

The W-DMA technology has been adopted by the European Telecoms Standards Institute (ETSI) as the air interface for UMTS.

JWEs founder John Weatherill remains executive chairman.

Farmer will be responsible for the strategic direction and operational management.

Farmer joined JWE just over three years ago. He was heavily involved in recent acquisitions by JWE such as the recent purchase of AA Mobile Communications (Mobile News January 11) and Midland Phones.

Meanwhile JWE has followed up its sponsorship of Hull Sharks Rugby League team (Mobile News January 11) with the decision to sponsor with Cellnet a new 1 million Performing Arts Centre planned for East Yorkshire.

The sponsorship will cost JWE 50000. The Centre will host concerts plays debates and conferences.

JWE is keen to help local students develop communication skills and is pleased to have linked up with Cellnet to provide sponsorship for this project said Farmer.

Brogden (28) pleaded guilty to dirving with excesss alcohol in his breath in Eccleston Square Westminster on January 1.

He was seen by police changing lanes and giving late signals. He was found to be more than two-and-a-half times over the legal limit.

Most of the managers using laptops and cell phones tend to by under 35 years old.

The survey found that the more e-mails people send and receive the more likely they are to use mobile phones with laptops.

Usage is highest in the financial services sector followed by people in media and marketing.

Retailers and executives in the travel and leisure industry are less inclined to use mobile data says the Cellnet and BT survey.

Cellnet and BT meanwhile have launched a new corporate division called Cellnet Corporate Solutions to persuade the corporate world of the benefits of mobile comms.

Cellnet Corporate Solutions will target businesses who need long-term systems rather than random procurement of products and services.

Motorola shared the award with De La Rue and Logica who all worked on the worlds first dual-slot GSM phone. De La Rue provided the java-powered SIM toolkit card while Logica contributed the m-Commerce server.

The phone lets consumers download electronic cash directly to the smart cards in their phone and make on-line payments for electronic shopping trips via the Internet and retailers IT systems.

This award is recognition of the role that mobile commerce will play in the future of communications. Personal access to smart card services is the key that will ignite the market said Joachim Hoffman director of mobile commerce business at Motorola cellular subscriber group.

Logica group telecommunications director Kevin Duffey predicts that by next December more than 5.1 million Europeans could be spending more than 2.7 billion using mobile phones for e-commerce.