The system gives real-time information on the progress of vehicles.

The system will be used this summer by a Vodafone fleet of buses which will each be equipped with a GPS receiver that will continually update and transmit the buses progress around town via Vodafones GPRS service.

Staff waiting for the buses can access the information on their PCs or will be able to send a text message to a Vodafone shortcode number which will text them back with bus details.

The system recognises the callers bus stop location and shortcode and sends information on the sequence of buses on the way.

Vodafone UKs property director Mike Newens said:

Vodafone is determined to help ease the traffic problems by innovative and practical solutions to help staff out of their cars.

The UK average daily figure for messages sent across the four UK GSM network operators is now

45 million compared to 29.9 million last January close to an average of one message per person per day.

Following year-on-year growth from December 2000 at 24.4 million to 42 million in December 2001 this daily figure is forecast to exceed 60 million a month by the end of 2002 according to MDA predictions.

Text messaging enjoyed steady growth throughout last year reaching an annual total of 12.2 billion.

The MDA says this boom looks set to continue throughout 2002 with the January activity providing a kick-start.

The number of New Year text messages recorded between midnight and 3am was around 64 million – almost double the figure twelve months earlier.

The traditional exchange of poems on Scotlands Burns Night extended to the text-set this year has also contributed to the record January figure.

The increase in text messaging can be attributed to its growing popularity across a variety of markets – not just leisure.

A recent study commissioned by the MDA found 80 per cent of executives now converse regularly via SMS (see White Lines).

She is Virginia Kingston who is now the companys fifth dealer manager and the first for the London area.

EBS chairman Ray Kingston said:

London is an area where we arent particularly strong. It is a difficult area with T-Mobile being very strong so we have appointed Virginia to try and persuade more dealers to offer Orange. Since arriving in London she has signed up 13 dealers so we are very happy.

Virginia Kingston Ray Kingstons niece was previously an account manager based in EBSs Northampton head office.

This is up 6 million from 2001s 10 million TV brand advertising budget. Caudwell Group says Phones 4U is now the UKs fastest-growing mobile phone retailer and operates from 260 stores. This is an increase on its 100 stores in 2000.

Certain sections of the populations were hardest hit. Londoners were over twice as likely to have had their phones stolen than mobile users in the rest of the UK.

Most likely victims are teenagers while 11 per cent of the 15-24 age group had their phones stolen.

In addition to having thieves relieve them of their handsets 600000 people dropped their mobiles down the loo 400000 dropped it in a drink and 200000 found they had accidentally put it through the washing machine says the Continental report.

Also 2.9 million people broke their phones 1.6 million simply lost them and 1.3 million dialled 999 by mistake.

Continental Research agreed that mobile usage has almost reached saturation point among younger age groups.

Among 15-24 year olds 82 per cent are now using a mobile phone. Among the over-65s only 33 per cent use a mobile phone.

The limited growth in overall mobile ownership and lack of change in the profile of mobile users indicates that the market is rapidly maturing.

Replacement purchases will now be of greater importance than first-time purchases said James Myring senior research executive at

Continental Research.

We achieved exceptional results in 2001 with sales peaking at 2 million said mobileshop.com managing director Ian McCall.

Mobileshop.com started trading in 1999 and says it recorded 400 per cent growth in its first year. The companys results also show a 51 per cent increase in visitors to the site during October to December.

Vodafones UK chief operating officer Gavin Darby tastefully arranges Sim cards into a British kite mark symbol in a noble attempt to inject some excitement into the stunning news that Vodafone is the first UK mobile operator to have had its ISO 9001 registration upgraded from the 1994 to 2000 version.

An unemployed Moroccan man has been charged with two counts of dishonestly handling a stolen mobile phone.

Younes Akoub (24) is also charged with conspiracy to defraud London Underground out of more than 500000 between last August and January.

He is further charged with handling a stolen credit card last year at a branch of Tesco.

He was ordered not to move from his home address in

Wembley North London.

The aim of the new business is to support well-known high street multiples with improved call revenue and increased customer loyalty by managing all aspects of their mobile business from handsets and accessories to data products through Phones Internationals Sim-free distribution business its recently-formed airtime service provider business Generation

Telecom and repair division

Phone Fix.

The newly-formed Data Select Retail Solutions is being headed by ex-Vodafone man Kevin Treanor who developed Vodafones Pay As You Talk for the retail channel.

Mobile products and services are unlike other categories in that they require management and implementation from a position of acute understanding and market awareness Treanor said.

The aim is to operate along the lines of a consultancy to maximise the retailer opportunities from mobile products and related services said Treanor who is in talks with a number of major retail chains.

Treanor was previously with

North London-based service provider Peoples Phone prior to its acquisition by Vodafone where he became head of sales responsible for sales management retail development product procurement and support.

Unique Distributions customers can look forward to some fantastic products and exciting incentives from SonyEricsson within the coming months said Unique Distribution MD Angus Dawe.

We are very excited by the prospect of working with a manufacturer that is dedicated to building a world-leading brand Dawe added.

SonyEricsson product and technology training has been scheduled to bring Unique Distribution up to speed on the range of

SonyEricsson products.

Unique is also a Nokia distributor.