Staff Reporter

The new outlet at 127 Oxford Street is between Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus.

The existing store is opposite Bond Street Tube.

Vodafone Retail has 40 stores throughout London and 240 shops in total.

This latest Oxford Street store is opening for business at exactly the right time for the busy Christmas shopping period said Vodafone Retail marketing director Helen Keays.

The move is part of MDTs strategy to become the leading provider of convergent telecoms communications combining the best of mobile fixed and internet access.

Partnership is the way forward. Martin Dawes Switched Services will stand shoulder to shoulder supporting fixed wire dealers and resellers MDT managing director David Goldie told a conference for more than 150 fixed and mobile dealers which was held in Hinckley recently.

We will have a full end-to-end support package for dealers including dedicated account managers marketing support installation and engineering backup as well as salary subsidies for dedicated dealership staff Goldie added.

Dawes has lined up special leasing and finance packages through a partnership with MTV Distribution and Systems Leasing and rental which will sell financial packages under the brand name Whisper to tie-in with Dawes Breathe branding.

Added MDTs sales and marketing director Sean Gardner:

Research has shown business customers and consumers are looking for convenience and simplicity in telecoms products. This desire for mobility will drive the convergence of fixed and mobile telecoms products.

Ironically Gardner used to be marketing director of Orange a network which believes the days of fixed telecommunications are numbered.

So say 60 per cent of members who responded to a membership survey. Over 80 per cent of them applauded FCS representation to the government and regulatory bodies lobbying on behalf of the industry and acting as the spokesbody on behalf of the industry.

Around 75 per cent of FCS members polled cited the Crime Prevention Scheme and the Federations lobbying campaign with regard to spectrum access and pricing.

Responses came from network operators in UK and Eire cellular dealers distributors handset manufacturers service providers installers paging companies PMR manufacturers and suppliers and mobile radio dealerships.

Even cellular operators who have managed to double or triple their subscriber base have not necessarily doubled or tripled their revenues. In fact revenue per subscriber has tended to fall in proportion to the increase in the number of subscribers says Romtec in a new report called Maximising Subscriber Revenues.

The combined pressures of competition and churn are forcing cellular operators to reassess their market strategies claims Romtec senior analyst Roman Panas.

Increasingly they are refocusing on ways of maintaining existing subscribers rather than concentrating on capturing new subscribers. They are discovering it costs far less to maintain an existing customer than it does to attract a new one.

The Romtec report suggests that combating churn may be a losing battle. This is because it merely means that operators retain unprofitable or marginal customers. The old 20:80 rule applies. That is 20 per cent of customers generate 80 per cent of the revenues.

Trade creditors amount to 26556. The Inland Revenue is owed 45405.

Hermes is owed 28538 by trade debtors but only 5000 of this is expected to be collected.

The liquidation is being handled by accountants Moore Stephens Booth White 3-5 Rickmansworth Road Watford WD1 7HG.

Orange is seeking permission for a further mast with service cabins in an area designated to be protected from development.

Government policy is that local authorities must assist phone companies seeking sites. Planners at East Hampshire District Council look set to steamroller the Orange application through despite strong local environmental protest.

Another tower could be put up without further Planning Committee discussion.

We are not against progress nor mobile phones. But there has to be some way of containing the pursuit for coverage at the expense of our countryside said local resident Mike Napier.

If all the companies shared masts they would have the same reception and the same coverage. But by competing for coverage every hilltop in the country will eventually have these monstrosities on them.

We are not the only people protesting. There are outcries across the Country. The networks want to keep the lid on local protests and contain them in isolated groups to prevent them from having a strong united voice. But the issue is becoming too big for them to keep the lid on it.

Orange already has two masts close to the village. Cellnet received planning permission for a separate tower at a nearby sewage works.

Protestors feel the small gain in Orange and Cellnets coverage does not justify erecting any more towers or masts in the area.

Evans is donating his six-figure fee to charity. The new commercial will be the culmination a a three-month 15 million One 2 One Christmas marketing campaign and will be seen from mid-December.

Evans follows model Kate Moss Beirut hostage John McCarthy comedian Vic Reeves inventor Trevor Bayliss and footballer Ian Wright in the One 2 One campaigns.

First Direct will soon start selling phones to customers that will allow account details to be sent as a text message for up to three different accounts: cheque savings and credit card.

The service which requires customers to pay their air-time bill by direct debit from their cheque account will later allow customers to request First Direct to send them messages when specific credits and debits hit their account.

People with existing digital handsets will be able to access the basic service. But a dedicated First Direct handset will be needed to access new services as they develop.

The three dedicated phones are the Motorola d520 ( 39.99) Motorola cd930 ( 79.99) and the StarTAC 130 ( 199.99).

First Direct says it will try and offer customers the latest handsets and up-date the choice on a regular basis.

A range of Cellnet calling plans are available.

Also included is a handsfree kit itemised billing Cellnet Traffic Line First membership and for an extra 2.49 a month insurance and Call saver to reduce the price of local calls.

It is a natural progression for the first company to offer telephone banking to now enable its customers to access banking information wherever and whenever they need to said Cellnets MD Peter Erskine.

First Direct chief executive Andrew Armishaw added;

We will use the latest technology to give our customers yet another simple way to bank with us.