Staff Reporter

Corporate Market category at the annual GSM Association Awards held in Cannes two weeks ago.

Launched in April 2003 the Vodafone Mobile Connect Card allows online access via a laptop computer from almost any location that is within the Vodafone coverage area without the need to plug in a mobile handset.

Ali has had his case transferred to the Crown Court. He is charged with using force to rob Sujita Vara of a mobile phone in Great Portland Street central London after picking her up as a fare in Covent Garden on New Years Eve. He was granted unconditional bail and ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing at the Crown Court in February.

The new store is positioned not just as a place for Orange to sell phones but as a venue that encourages existing users to visit on a regular basis and catch up on new services meet their personal phone trainer or simply top up their pre-pay account and recharge their phone after a day of shopping.

Live phones are available for customers to play with. At the centre of the shop is a table with boxes of information that teach consumers things like getting football scores on their handset.

At the rear of the store are steps leading up to a decompression zone where people can relax with a coffee and look down on the shop floor speak with an Orange phone trainer or connect a new phone in a more relaxing surrounding.

Dotted around the terraces are gaming pods that have games such as Space Invaders or a DJ mixer ringtone creator that lets a user create a truly personal ringtone.

The Orange letters on the back wall are made up of photographs taken by camera phone users.

Orange director of retail Nick Moore said:

Compared with our other stores our footfall has doubled and sales are 65 per cent up. Its a fantastic working environment and our staff turnover is well below the normal retail sector average.

We hope to take these ideas to other stores in the future. We are creating a social environment where people can come in to buy or just relax and play.

According to Moore the new concept is clearly working. The shop is noticeably busier than other retailers selling phones in the same shopping centre he said.

One.Tel has recently introducd two MMS-compatible camera phones – the Motorola E365 and Sony Ericsson T610.

One.Tel head of mobile services Asif Aziz says customers are being made aware that the network does not support MMS just yet.

Customers seem to be happy buying camera phones even though the service is not live yet he said. We are trialling the service and will launch MMS in the next couple of months. Without it we are not a cutting-edge service. MMS will strengthen our proposition.

According to Aziz it is an important time to be launching MMS because the market is more aware of it now.

Customers are looking to buy and use camera phones now. We didnt lose sales by not having MMS last year. But we could lose sales if we dont introduce MMS this year.

Marsden joined Sony in December 2000 as business unit manager from Panasonic.

He landed the role as head of marketing for Sony Ericsson when the mobile divisions of Sony and Ericsson merged in October 2001. Marsden told Mobile News he was happy to have finally landed the top job at the company.

Ive always had my eye on the MD role. Philip (Rambech) has done a good job but was always prepared to move aside if another role became available for him within the company he said.

The UK is enjoying some good growth with the success of T610 and the new Z600. It should be a good year for Sony Ericsson. We have some good products coming through which should help us to continue growing our market share in the UK.

Meanwhile Sony Ericsson has denied suggestions from analysts at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein that a shortage of components including cameras had hit the companys Q4 sales figures.

According to a Sony Ericsson spokesperson:

We sold slightly over eight million units during the period just beating our forecast. The analyst is trying to justify why his earlier prediction that we would sell 10-11 million phones didnt come to pass.

We never said we would sell that quantity. 2004 will see global shortages of components but we have robust partnerships in place that will see us through.

The villagers of Rogate surrounded the mast to prevent it being connected to the network. They are concerned about adverse health effects.

O2 Airwaves application to erect the mast at Forge Farm was rejected by Rogate Parish Council and Chichester District Council. But the operator called on emergency powers to erect the mast at 2am on January 17. An O2 Airwave spokesperson told Mobile News:

We build masts within the bounds of a planning regime at our own risk. If we fail at appeal we have to remove the mast. We have emergency powers to build masts. We win almost every appeal made on the grounds of health because science suggests TETRA is safe.

We need 3300 masts and we have planning permission for around 3000. When we come across such local opposition we remove the mast and try to find a more appropriate site.

Lisa Oldham of protest group Mast Sanity said:

O2 Airwave continues to put up TETRA masts without permission. They cite emergency powers. But what they are doing is unlawful.

Wed like all TETRA masts taken down because there are other safer alternatives.

As soon as TETRA masts are turned on people report interrupted sleep body rashes and migraines As soon as a 3G or TETRA mast goes live we receive reports of adverse effects. (see featureP22)

Karan Bhatia (18) of Beeches Road Tooting Bec elected trial by jury on the charge of stealing two phones worth 579 at the shop on November 30 last year.

The network acquired Project Telecom last September. The Newark facility will become Vodafone UKs centre of excellence for providing services to its business customers.

The Newark-based centre will be run by ex-Project Telecom managing director Chris Tombs.

The new jobs range from customer service advisers and credit management managers to installation engineers.

To suggest that there are significant software problems is a massive overstatement said a 3 spokesperson. I have a working model on my desk. We are still tweaking the phone but thats to be expected. Theres a world of difference between a UMTS device and established GSM terminal technology.

Chairman of 3 parent company Hutchison Whampoa Li Ka-shing is reported to have recently announced that NEC would ship 2.5 million phones by the end of April. These will be shared among countries where 3s 3G networks are up and running. The UK could receive a pro-rata allocation of around 750000 units.

The 7600 will go on sale in February on the 3 network. Dealers and distributors are frustrated about the lack of handsets in the 3 range – currently limited to the Motorola A920 and A835.

The range was due to have included the NEC e616 but technical delays means it hasnt arrived (see story this page). 3 will not take the Nokia 7600 or earlier Nokia 6650 3G handsets into its own product range because they do not support video calls. But dealers and distributors are frustrated about the exclusive Carphone Warehouse deal.

MoCo Cell Link managing director Ian Robinson said:

3s Motorola handsets are not attractive. We are trying to sell handsets people dont want despite all the incentives that 3 offers us.

We have been crying out for a better handsetespecially a Nokia. Why doesnt 3 allow all the channels to sell the product?

Sprint Communications boss Paul Leonard added:

It is a logical decision for Carphone Warehouse but a sad one for the other channels which are suffering a shortage of 3 handsets.

However 3 said it had no say in the matter.

The deal was brokered between Nokia and The Carphone Warehouse. It has not involved 3 said a spokesperson.

3 UK does not sell the Nokia 7600 as it does not have video calling. We would be very pleased to have Nokia handsets but only when they meet our requirement of supporting a full range of video content services. 3 will provide customer billing and customer services for all connections. However technical problems and handset faults will be referred to The Carphone Warehouse.