Orange Film will be available in 34 cinemas across 23 different cities. Partners already signed up include CinemaPRO Hollywood Multiplex Bucuresti Mall Movieplex Cinema Plaza Romania and RADEF RomaniaFilm.

More than six million Orange users in Romania will have access to this promotion said Orange director of strategy and insight Adhish Kulkarni.

Im not interested in being the richest man in Britain he says.

Maybe money was important to me 10 years ago as a measure of success. But money doesnt motivate me at all any more. What motivates me now is getting satisfaction from using it for better things.

It seems to be as simple as that. Moving into his 50s and with more cash than he will ever need Stokes most famous businessman has realised that his next challenge lies not with selling more mobile phones accessories and connections but in establishing his legacy.

I want to use my money to make a difference to society. If I dont do something like that before I die I will have failed. I could run the business for another 10 years and sell it for 5 billion. And if I made a load more what would I do with it? Ive done a lot for my charity. I can do a lot more. Running the charity properly will be a full business in its own right. Now its all about actually spending the money rather than creating it.

Clearly the decision to sell up was not made lightly however.

Two years ago I began getting more satisfaction out of the charity work. I want to do a lot more charity work. Ive got some big plans to really help children far more dramatically.

What do I want more money for? Im really not interested in being the richest man in Britain or being high up the Sunday Times Rich List.

Well and good. But why not keep the business as a cash generator for the charity work and a heritage for his children and grandchildren?

The answer is fairly straightforward – none of his kids wants it.

If my children had wanted to be involved in the business I would have been a lot keener to keep it. But none of them is that way inclined. They are all artistic and all into singing and acting. If my children had the will and ability to carry on running the business it would have influenced my decision.

So why was November 9s announcement that the business was to be sold in its entirety significant? Wasnt the cat let out of the bag three months earlier when the Sunday Times revealed that Caudwell had appointed NM Rothschild to sell the organisation?

The earlier announcement never mentioned a sale. It was a response to the press finding out about the review. All I answered was that we had appointed Rothschilds to look at a strategic review.

During that strategic review I decided to sell the whole business. Things are in their absolute infancy.

We put the business up for sale on the back of extremely strong interest and after being barraged with enquiries as to what was going on. The workforce and our customers all wondered what was going on.

Ah. But theres no buyer yet.

So isnt it much ado about very little until the cheque clears? After all he may still be running the company a year from now.

Hasnt he played his hand too openly and early and unsettled the workforce?

The employees understand I am sincere in my objectives to sell in its entirety. They understand I want to protect their jobs and indeed 99 per cent of jobs are secure.

The private equity partner investor that takes over will be looking to maximise growth grow jobs and motivate people.

Nothing is going to change apart from the name above the door. I have already made a big virtue of the fact that the workforce and strength of management are a fundamental part of this offer and a fundamental reason for them to buy it. This is a fantastic business going like a steam train in the right direction. lt needs more investment in the management team not less. Any new owner who doesnt understand that will fail.

The Caudwell Group was forged out of the iron will and take-no-prisoners attitude of its founder.

Once he steps aside will the company not lose its driving force and become just another anonymous corporation run by the gray men in their ivory towers?

Yes Ive been responsible for the growth and setting of that culture over 18 years. But I now have phenomenally strong teams. They are complete self-starters who dont need my input. They need someone who has the same interests they do to drive each of their businesses forward.

OK. So the strength of the management team is the lure for a prospective purchaser. Whats the guarantee they will stay on under new ownership? Financial lock-ins?

The existing management team is well-motivated and well-remunerated. Talk of a lock-in is not the right terminology.

What Ive provided for all senior management is a fantastic opportunity to run their own businesses. That motivation will outlast me. Any private equity house will devote a percentage of growth of business to further the development of the management and will give senior people double the opportunities.

He is fairly sure that a trade buyer is unlikely. There would be many conflicting elements within the group for sale to another mobile network retailer telco or distributor. Carphone Warehouse is the only contender with the financial muscle and has already confirmed it will not be a bidder. Besides it is impossible to imagine that Charles Dunstone and John Caudwell could ever agree on a fair price.

The alternative of a stock market flotation was never considered.

A flotation would have left me worse off than I am now he says.

One of my main motivations is to have time to do things I want to do. Given that this is a big motivation and given that a public offering needs lots of cash why would I want to put pressure on myself to prepare the business for a public offering and remain in my current position?

One thing is for sure. This story will run for months. The fat lady is still on her way to the opera hall.

The list compiled in conjunction with the Mobile Data Association and Real Business magazine does not feature any handset manufacturers mobile operators or O2 business partners. Instead it is filled with UK companies concentrating on mobile data services.

The collaborators claim this demonstrates that the sector is now an industry in its own right.

Three years ago we couldnt have put such a list together said MDA chairman and O2 VP of research and development Mike Short.

The growth across the sector has been quite significant. We looked at 200 companies all with sub- 100 million revenues. However the final list has revenues of more than 1 billion a year.

Some of the selections already have a high profile such as Opera Telecom and Monstermob. Others are less well known such as mobile barcodes specialist Mobiqa.

Shorts top three covers all bases. He said: Id rate TTP Communications as very strong in handset design capability worldwide Opera for its breadth and depth of content and Wyless for its innovative ideas.

Wyless is a machine-to-machine telephony outfit that among other things markets an intelligent rat trap which notifies pest control when it has ensnared a rodent.

Other companies are AQA Scoopt The Cloud and Volantis. For the full list visit: www.o2.co.uk/about/presscentre/fiftytowatch.html

The shortcode will be included on press inserts within IPC Media magazines – including Now and Womans Own – as part of a new marketing campaign.

When readers text the shortcode from the magazine insert they can opt to make a one-off donation from their mobile phone bill or ask a ChildLine representative to call them allowing readers to choose to become a regular donor and making them eligible for news and updates on fundraising events.

The inserts will invite readers to donate money to the charity via various traditional methods and for the first time via their mobile phone.

ChildLine marketing manager Gillian Brown said: We believe that donations via a mobile phone will encourage a new type of donor to get involved with the charity.

SpinVox beat fellow finalists Celltick (LiveScreen) IssueBits (Any Question Answered) and OZ (OZ mobile e-mail solution) to win the accolade at the ceremony which was held in London on Thursday last week.

The award recognises the company that is expected to make the most significant impact in the personal use of mobile data during 2006.

Its the second major award for SpinVox after its win as the best innovative service at this years Mobile News Awards.

SpinVox claims more than 45000 subscribers have signed up to the service since its launch in October 2004. The service is also available from 3 The Carphone Warehouse The Link KJC Mobile Phones 4U Business and Hugh Symons.

Technology only has value when it makes things simpler said SpinVox CEO Christina Domecq.

Next year 3 is to be organised into three strategic areas – video and SMS media and entertainment and data applications. 3-watchers contend that this meant Jones mission to develop market share had reached its conclusion.

He had been tempted out of semi-retirement in June 2003 by 3 CEO Bob Fuller to re-invigorate the faltering launch of 3.

The two had worked together at Orange leading that network to its eventual flotation. Both men are highly regarded by Canning Fok managing director of 3 parent Hutchison Whampoa.

Said Fuller: Id like to thank Gareth for all his hard work over the last two and half years. Gareth has been a key part of the team that has delivered on our promise of bringing great value to UK mobile customers.

Bob Sweetlove business manager of 3 distributor Hugh Symons commented:

3s taken its foot of the gas in terms of new connections now. I dont know what value its key performance indicators are at and thats what matters if you are looking to float as 3 is next year. Gareth Jones has driven the market for 3. Its a different job to get it up for a float.

This is not a view shared by some observers. One senior figure who has dealt extensively with 3 said:

The figures are not where they need to be for flotation. The sales are in fine form but the customer service and IT systems are not. The churn is heading north of 50 per cent.

Predictably 3 does not agree with this diagnosis. The network believes it has not announced any timetable for flotation and thus cannot miss any deadline. In addition 3 says its KPIs are in good shape with average monthly revenue per user of 34 a month and industry-average churn levels of around 27 per cent.

Barnes quit his post at Avenir earlier this month to take up a similar position at 4U Distribution. However after calling in its lawyers Avenir has ensured that Barnes will first have to undertake three months gardening leave effective from the date of his resignation.

Avenir sales and marketing director Tanny Price said: We have to protect ourselves and have acted to ensure that Dominic follows his contract specifically the competition clause.

Simon Pierce who has been a dealer manager for the North West at Avenir for more than six years has now been promoted to fill the role.

Commenting on the reshuffle Avenir managing director Ishai Novick told Mobile News: We were disappointed to lose Dominic to 4U but it shows that 4U values Dominics work at Avenir and that reflects well on us.

He added: Simon is a high-calibre employee and is already working on bringing new energy and ideas to the dealer manager team.

Pierces old dealer base will be covered by new starter Kris Williams who joined Avenir last week.

The orders that we took yesterday were despatched last night so thats OK said Hugh Symons business manager Bob Sweetlove. But we are unable to process any handset orders placed today for delivery tomorrow. We miss one days full trade. Dealers will have to go elsewhere for next-day stock. Dealers ordering emergency supplies to stock up can wait until tomorrow but we will lose some of those orders too.

Sweetlove said that the number of daily stock orders that would be lost because of fire would certainly be four figures.

Hugh Symons contract connections are done externally said Sweetlove and would not be affected.

We dont expect the fire to spread and we expect to be back at work tomorrow (Wednesday) he added.

We were evacuated at about 9.30am as a safety precaution. There were canisters exploding and black smoke billowing from the scrap metal merchant. The fire service couldnt get to it because tanks containing some sort of chemical were exploding.

Mloop founded by entrepreneur Byron Rose went bust in July 2002 having plunged into 1.38 million of debt.

Jonathan Sinclair of Sinclair Harris chartered accountants has also retrieved 13247 from a company account. The funds had been contested by a third party after Mloop went bust.

Sinclair stated: I have now recovered 5000 from a former officer of the company that was an outstanding loan from the company together with a receipt of 500 plus VAT in respect of a computer retained by that person.

A sum of 13247 was also recovered from a separate euro-denominated account in the name of the company. A third party said it belonged to them.

Sinclair would not reveal the name of the Mloop director.

He added: He was not going to get away with it and he has now repaid the loan in full. It is for the creditors. He had insolvency issues himself when the company went into liquidation originally and so could not immediately pay it back.

The Inland Revenue sent in a bailiff after the company went bust and recovered funds owed. Sinclair said that the money available to creditors would have been more had the Inland Revenue not sent in the bailiff.

Reports had been submitted to the DTI concerning Mloop directors and trading prior to the winding up.

Sinclair said: These reports are confidential and I am not at liberty to disclose their contents.

Mloop was set up as an online handset broker to facilitate large-volume handset transactions between networks around the world. It was originally backed by industry veterans including Carphone Warehouse CEO Charles Dunstone and 3 COO Gareth Jones.

Mloop generated transactions of 4.4 million but only ever made a profit of 89000. It traded for barely a year before folding.

Sinclair has set a meeting for members and creditors on November 1.

The service which allows customers to move to a lower tariff or a new phone after 12 months will be extended from its exclusive relationship with 90 per cent of 600 Carphone Warehouse stores to more than 100 Virgin stores and concessions in other retailers such as WHSmith.

Virgin will continue the roll-out until it has up to 1500 points of presence plus off-the-page and online offerings according to Virgin Mobile sales and marketing director Graeme Hutchinson.

Its a lifestage development for us. We had to sort out pre-pay first. We focused on that part of the market successfully in the past five years. We had to drive the business following the IPO. Now we are looking at getting into new markets Hutchinson said. Pre-pay has about two-thirds of the user base but only one third of the revenues. Contract represents huge opportunities for us.

Accompanying the roll-out will be a new advertising campaign with the tagline Show Off or Money Off which highlights to customers that they can choose to upgrade their phone after 12 months or go to a cheaper tariff.

Virgin maintains that customers on other networks who pay the same tariff even if they dont upgrade their handset after 12 months are being hoodwinked because the cost of the handset has already been absorbed in the first 12 monthly payments.

Weve tried to give the customer an honest offer and weve learned that this is resonating with them said Hutchinson.

Those customers who are savvy will shop around but there are a lot who dont know any better. We will challenge that. We hope consumers will see that we are blowing the whistle on other networks.