This is because of delays with service rollout compounded by seven failed satellites and serious handset shortages caused by software glitches in Kyocera-made handsets.

Iridium says the level of demand for its handheld satellite phones is still as strong as ever and that its problems have been caused by kit shortages.

Vodafone Paging will now run six support teams responsible for account management and services and be responsible for its own group of customers.

A business development advisor will also be on hand to each team depending on the expertise needed.

By merging these key functions we will be able to offer a depth of service no other UK paging operator can offer claims Vodafone Paging managing director John Smith.

Customers will find the cost of admin will be reduced due to faster liaison between sales and service support.

The restructure comes after extensive talks with Vodafone Pagings customers and its research into corporate requirements.

The survey is to be carried out by the Digital World Research Centre part of the School of Human Sciences at the University of Surrey. The three-year study will look at and predict the sociological consequences of mobile phone usage.

Other funding has from from the Department of Trade and Industry.

According to Vodafone managing director David Channing-Williams the programme will be the most comprehensive and long-term research study into mobile telephony ever.

We look forward to working with the DWRC and other sponsors to arrive at informed insights as to what customers expect of any new multimedia services. how they might be used and the value they would attach to them he added.

Wildfire can store up to 150 contacts with up to six numbers for each. All a user has to do is command the system to dial the person at their appropriate location (ie home work mobile etc).

Orange CEO Hans Snook says the Wildfire system could lead to Orange marketing a handset with no keypad at all.

The free calls offer lasts until the end of March and is additional to the 10 of call time U and Easylife users are already entitled to when they buy the 99 box.

The free 50 pre-pay promotion will be advertised throughout March by a national radio and TV campaign.

Cellnet will also be giving U customers free Internet access over its Genie Internet. This will be distributed through a CD ROM included in the U packaging.

The first service available from Genie Internet will be U Genie with content aimed at people in the 16 to 24 age group.

Calls on the U tariff currently cost 35p a minute with a minimum top-up requirement of 10 every 90 days. Easylife calls are more expensive at 49p a minute but only require a minimum top-up of 20 once a year.

RSL COM snatched Motorola Telco out from under the grasp of Martin Dawes Telecommunications last year which was poised to buy the service provision operation.

RSL COM now says it has 900000 customers throughout the world. In the UK it is poised to scrap the Motorola name and association for its SP business.

For example customers connecting to Frequent Caller Plus get their 20 monthly allowance doubled to 40.

After six months they submit copies of their first six months bills and claim a cheque for 120.

Occasional Caller Plus users get a 30 refund and Regular Caller Plus people get 90 back.

Everyone who buys a 5 top-up card between now and April 28 gets an instant win scratch card with the chance to win a share of the million minutes.

Vodafone is offering more than 33000 prizes of free airtime from 30 minutes to two top prizes of 10000 minutes.

To claim free minutes customers call the number of the winning panel and the calling credit equivalent to the value of free off-peak minutes is added to their account.

The promotion is being heavily advertised on radio and in the press and supported by posters and in-store merchandise and displays.

Vodafone is now selling Pay As You Talk top-up cards from its 240 stores Mobile Phone Centres and High Street retailers including Woolworths Tesco Sainsburys Somerfield Toys R Us Argos Comet Cash Converters Alldays and Shell garages.

The network has also teamed up with UniqueAir to sell top-up cards from cash-operated dispensers.

Said Vodafone retail marketing director Helen Keays:

Business customers prefer a more business-oriented environment and require a more bespoke service.

The Centre will lay on a personal business advisor for each local company that approaches it for products and service.

The tax which was introduce by Norman Lamont in 1991 affects around 350000 business users but only raised around 25 million.

Taxing something as fundamental to modern business as a phone was bound to raise increasing objections said Bosch divisional director Frank Einecke.

There has been a clear imbalance with the level of tax which could be as much as 80 a year he said.