IBM will design build and manage an IT systems infrastructure to support O2s development of voice text and mobile internet markets over the next decade.

IBM Global Services says it is the worlds largest information technology services provider with approximately 150000 staff serving customers in 160 countries and $35 billion in annual revenue.

The Philips 820 will be available on both pre-pay ( 200) and contract ( 130). The GPRS and Bluetooth-enabled phone has imaging software which allows the user to download images on their handset that have been sent by email

This follows the decision by group managing director Adrian Fawcett to merge the accessories business Dextra with 20:20 Solutions which distributes pre-pay top-up voucher and calling card business.

Dextra recently lost the contract to supply Dixons with accessories to Kondor.

We are merging the two businesses because they share a common customer base. It is logical that customers want to talk about telecoms as a category and deal with one unified representation to the company said Fawcett.

Around 160 people have been affected by the merger of Dextra and 20:20 Solutions. Most will be redeployed in the new organisation or elsewhere in the Caudwell Group. Five people have left including account manager Jo Knight.

Fawcett is ex-group managing director of Bass Breweries. He is now in in charge of Dextra and 20:20 the chain of Discovery Stores 4U Corporate 4U human resources legal matters and 20:20 distribution.

Fawcett repudiated the claims of some ex-Caudwell Group employees that his role is to slash overheads in the wake of the general collapse in the handset and pre-pay sectors.

Top-up business however was hugely important to the Caudwell Group because it contributed much of the turnover and helped funded the expansion of Phones 4U said an ex-senior manager of the Caudwell Group who spoke on conditions of anonymity.

There are now channel managers who are trying to keep the voucher business going because the handset business has retrenched he added.

Auto Trader has the UKs largest database of photographs of vehicles for sale said Jim Murray-Jones head of digital channels at Auto Trader. Users can instantly see what the car they are interested in looks like. Extending that valued asset to the mobile phone user is very attractive to us.

Wallers replacement due to be announced this week will take on an increased role as Sagem strengthens its UK operation by running it as a stand-alone subsidiary.

This follows a restructuring of Sagems other European operations in a drive to increase sales. The UK head office will now take care of all sales marketing and PR for the UK under the guidance of Sagems HQ in France.

A Sagem spokesperson confirmed:

Romain Waller is leaving the UK managing directors role. His replacement will be announced next week. There has been a restructure of the business.

Before Sagem only had a sales team in the different countries. These will become subsidiary operations. looking after marketing as well as sales.

The changes came about because Sagem bought the Philips fax business unit. We have reorganised the sales structure to fit in with the sales structure of the fax business because it is very strong and well organised.

Virgin Mobile said it beat host network T-Mobile Orange and O2 in terms of net growth and expects to attract the most new customers during 2002.

Virgin Mobiles Sir Richard Branson said:

Some of our rivals have shifted their focus to locking in customers with contracts in their hunt for value but to such an extent that their growth has virtually stopped.

Creating value is more than just raising revenue. Its about achieving a blend of things: low customer acquisition costs; customer loyalty and tenure through great yet efficient service; and yes its about raising revenues and that too comes through offering great service.

Were confident we can continue to grow our business rapidly and profitably through the rest of 2002.

Virgin Mobile is now available in over 6000 outlets with more High Street distribution sites planned throughout the summer.

SMS usage on Virgin Mobile was up 13 per cent on the previous quarter. There was also a 29 per cent rise on the average number of messages sent per customer during 2001 to an average of 24 messages a month per customer.

This follows the sacking of SonyEricssons previous merchandising partners Mosaic Technology and Blue Water earlier this year (Mobile News April 2).

Aspen is currently recruiting candidates to form an 11-strong team that will be based in eight different locations in the UK.

The teams brief will be to support the launch of the T68i and demonstrate the phones imaging GPRS and connectivity abilities to retailers.

SonyEricsson head of marketing Peter Marsden told Mobile News that the decision to appoint Aspen reaffirms SonyEricssons support of the independent dealer channel.

This is a positive message to the market about SonyEricsson and what we aim to do. We are the new boy on the block.

The final plans are not yet finalised. We have invested heavily to have 11 people out there training retailers. It will take a few months to get things up and running.

A merchandising team is valuable to us because our product range has things that are different to offer.

We want to push and explain what GPRS means to customers and demonstrate some of the products applications and Bluetooth.

These are complex products and dealers need to be fully informed to sell them effectively.

The independent dealers are valuable to us because they are more wiling to spend extra time in explaining product than sales people in the larger retail chains. You cant expect these complicated products to sit on the shelf and be explained.

Marsden explained that SonyEricsson will give greater support to larger retail chains but it doesnt mean SonyEricsson will neglect independents.

We will get close to dealers but we will work closer with the network stores than before. In the past Ericssons strength was within the independent dealer market.

When the field marketing team started six years ago none of the operators had stores. The fact is that 70 per cent of handsets are sold through the larger chains. So we have had to refocus the programme.

We are not walking away from independents. They will be receiving better training and in-store materials than before he added.

Dealers will also be invited to training forums where they can view the latest products and learn about connectivity to other devices such as the upcoming range of Sony Bluetooth video cameras and laptops.

Orange has given no indication as to Scowsills reasons for leaving.

Scowsill was in charge of the strategy and profitability of Oranges consumer and small business activities and oversaw Orange sales and distribution. He was also the person that Orange sales director for personal and small business Ian Fraser reported to.

The board of PNC Telecom announced that it expected the results for the full year ended March will be substantially below market expectations.

Former PNC chief executive Geremy Thomas left in March last year and was replaced by Ridge.

Thomas brother and PNC Telecom marketing director Crispin Thomas remains confident that the company is in good hands.

We have recently opened two new retail outlets and these are performing well having made a profit from day one. We have simply not met the forecast figures. But everyone has been struggling not just us.

Ridge joined PNC Telecoms management board as KJC managing director when PNC purchased 30 KJC mobile phone stores.

In January last year within six months of the takeover Ridge was promoted to chief operating officer and then chief executive.

But within six months of his reign as CEO at PNC the company was forced to issue a profits warning blaming slow retail sales and networks focus on pre-pay.

Ridge tried to cut costs by closing offices in Leeds and St Albans and axing senior managers and staff at its HQ in Corsley Heath Wiltshire.

PNC Telecoms share price has fallen from just over 80p last July to 10p last week.

In January the company was appointed by Orange UK as a Business Specialist.

Pratt became chairman of the GSM Association this month. He is also director of First E-Commerce.Com the global provider of electronic payment processing.

He has held positions including Chairman of Mobitel in Sri Lanka MD Telstra in Sydney and CEO of Peoples Telephone Company in Hong Kong.