New forecasts from the Swedish mobile phone manufacturer show that the number of users of third generation IMT-2000 mobile telephony will grow faster than expected.

Early 2004 will see 100 million users of IMT-2000 equipment. By the end of the year there will be over 120 million subscribers. A previous forecast pointed to approximately 50 million users by the end of 2004.

Our new forecast is based on the enormous interest that network operators are showing in the evolution of todays mobile communications technology to truly wideband multimedia-capable mobile services across all digital standards said Ericsson president Kurt Hellstrom.

This is due to aggressive operator investments in new packet-data equipment and huge interest in third generation IMT-2000 licenses and timely roll-out of new services.

Ericssons new IMT-2000 forecast also points to a faster pick-up of mobile data usage with around 400 million users of e-mail and internet access by 2004 with four out of 10 internet users also using mobile phones to access the internet.

The conference will be opened by the deputy director general of the National Criminal Intelligence Service Roger Gaspar.

Issues to be discussed include mobile handset security GSM security and VAT-related crime.

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The report was produced by the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee.

It concluded that the levels of emissions by phone masts currently set by the National Radiological Protection board were satisfactory.

The committee also recommended an independent research programme needed to be set up to address outstanding scientific questions that remain unanswered about mobile phone health and safety.

The FEI which represents the UK industry on issues concerning mobile phones and health said:

The FEI has noted the committees recommendations for adoption in the UK of radiowave exposure guidelines set by the International Commission on non-ionising radiation protection. All mobile phones used in the UK already operate well within those guidelines

The industry is currently examining the implications of the committees recommendations for mobile phone base stations all of which operate well within existing exposure guidelines.

The Finnish company has done a licencing deal with Palm Computing so that the devices will run both Palm and Symbian software. Nokia will introduce its first pen-based products in the American market and subsequently on a worldwide basis.

Said Nokia chairman Jorma Ollila:

In the emerging Mobile Information Society we anticipate strong demand for various categories of future wireless devices. So far our handset offering has included phones with keypad input as well as communicators with keyboards. Now we intend to complement our range with products using a pen-based input.

The products include WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) and Bluetooth technologies for wireless access to Internet and intranet content.

This is because Ericsson is field trialling high-speed General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) data systems with more than 45 operators in the Americas Asia-Pacific and Europe

GPRS is seen as a first vital step in the migration to third generation mobile networks for mobile internet applications and a other advanced datacom.

Were seeing a tremendously strong market demand for our GPRS systems and the applications they enable says Per Nordlof general manager at Ericsson Network Operators.

GPRS is key to providing efficient wireless datacom applications such as web-browsing.

The new store is at Commercial Road Portsmouth. The company promoted its opening day with entertainers a disco and give-away promotions.

For the first week customers were entered into a free draw to win prizes such as TVs videos CDs and various items of Ericsson and One 2 One branded clothing.

The Mobile Phone Store is 40 per cent owned by BTCellnet.

The new Orange internet service will also offer registered customers access to news sport travel weather and entertainment information from leading content providers.

Orange has planned for its internet service to enhance and add value. The company says that internet adoption has until now been restricted to fixed wires and that wirefree access will be a key medium for the future growth of the internet. Orange considers that many of the services currently available on the net such as news information entertainment and travel news are much more applicable to users when they are on the move.

As part of its strategy to be a major internet service provider Orange has signed a a multi-million pound agreement to use the Sun-Netscape Alliance system for its server solutions. well as hardware and professional services

The trials are part of ensuring phones and infrastructure from different manufacturers will work together to support the WAP (Wireless Application Protocol).

Mitsubishis first WAP phone from the Trium range is called the Geo-WAP and will provide connection to the internet.

Ericsson reckons almost half of all mobile users will use WAP by the end of 2001.

The Forum has more than doubled its membership in the last fourmonths.

This is outstanding testimony to the growing interest in the mobile internet and a tribute to the fact that WAP is a completely open standard designed to work on any wireless device or network said Gregory Williams board chairman of the WAP Forum.

WAP is the first step toward Mobile Internet and third generation mobile technologies. Mobile Internet will not only make the current Internet available from mobile terminals but create a whole new set of services that will be available anywhere anytime for all users. Services such as banking shopping ticketing and entertainment soon will be available wherever the user wants them.

WAP currently runs over regular mobile systems so data transfer speed is limited. But within the next couple of years speeds will increase with GPRS and real third generation (3G) technology.

With GPRS users will have instant WAP access and more than five times faster connections than today. 3G enables video chats and full internet browsing on the move.

WAP will be part of everyday life when consumers have WAP terminals and content providers offer applications such as e-mail voice messaging calender e-commerce banking services cityguides ticketing and restaurant reservations. Operators also need to have WAP Gateways in their systems in order for the users to access WAP services.