CMC was listed in 46th spot in a Sunday Times Top 100 league table of super-fast-growing companies for achieving annual compound sales growth of 92 per cent between 1996 and 1999.

The Sunday Times singled out CMCs Mobile Alliance programme as a pioneering initiative giving a powerful voice for independents in the market place.

To make it onto the list two years running is a great credit to everyone connected with CMC said founder and managing director Geoff Walters.

To finish in the top 10 retail league is a double whammy.

The review of the top 100 companies said that CMC had done well to protect its position in a crowded marketplace noting selling phones and airtime to smaller dealers it has created the Mobile Alliance a force of 150 independent dealers determined to act together to compete against industry heavyweights.

We are also intent on building the companys reputation in e-comerce and the past year has seen us establish working relationships with financial websites Walters added.

The company is using local radio and press ads in the region to attract job-hunters.

MPRC currently employs 230 staff mostly in the Newcastle-under-Lyme region. It repairs cell phones pagers RF equipment and engine management units.

Around half a million phones a year are repaired by the company.

This is fantastic news for the local area. The company has made positive steps forward and the success we have achieved has resulted in this latest recruitment drive said MPRC managing director Steve Cuthbert.

Its growth is part of a general 60 million period of expansion for the Caudwell Group.

The Group last month announced it would be opening 200 new Phones 4U shops setting up a call centre and expanding the warehouse for its equipment division 20:20 Logistics by 200000 square feet.

The tariff means customers can send as many text messages as they like instead of having to pay the fee of 10p a message charged on other networks and tariffs.

The package is available online from Genies mobile e-store.

Customers can choose from an NEC DB4000 ( 69.99) Siemens C35 ( 69.99) or a Nokia 7110 ( 169.99).

Genie planned to bring out the all-inclusive SMS deal in three months but decided that SMS usage was growing so rapidly that a Christmas deal would be better.

Retailers should have the freedom to walk in to our store and purchase exactly what they want quickly and without fuss said TAP marketing director Afzal Chaudhary.

We wanted to create something to make customers lives easier. Ordering over the phone can at times be inconvenient for traditional tradesman.

This is particularly due to the next day delivery system which isnt always practical if one unexpectedly runs out of stock. It can also be a problem if the trader wishes to view the products before they buy said Chaudhary.

The aim is to ensure traders can simply go to the Trade Centre and buy their stock immediately.

Traders will also be able to obtain up to date information on the current market place via our fully-trained sales team.

This is one of the first stores of its kind allowing customers to impulse buy without any delays.

Prices for WAP phones start from 19.99 (contract) and 89.99 (prepay).

The Sony Z5 is being sold on contract for 129.99. The Motorola v100 Pagewriter (which features a mini-Qwerty keyboard for easy text messaging) on Pay As You Go is 149.99 the pre-pay Motorola V50 is 149.99.

Samsungs SGH-M100 MP3 mobile which allows music to be uploaded from the internet or copied across from CD is priced at 199.99 (with contract).

One 2 One marketing director Tim Yates said:

We recognise that the market is partly driven by consumer demand for the latest handsets. One 2 Ones extended range has been designed to accommodate everyone from the occasional user to the most ardent gadget freak at prices to suit all pockets.

One 2 One says its total customer base as at 30 September was 7124000 representing a 20.7 per cent market share. Pre-pay base is 5.2 million customers 73 per cent of the total base.

There is no truth whatsoever in any of the rumours said marketing PR manager Neil Bent who does admit that Deutsche Telecom is looking at all the options.

No decision has been made at any level. Its just lazy (Sunday newspaper) journalists looking for a new story. We spent a lot of money this year changing the pre-pay Up 2 You and More 2 Say brands into a single One 2 One Pay As You Go so that the main One 2 One brand would be stronger. We certainly wouldnt have done that if we intended to rename the whole company tomorrow. Part of the reason Deutsche Telecom bought One 2 One was because it was a strong brand and since then the brand has got stronger still.

In the long term there may be markets where Deutsche Telecom feel the use of the One 2 One brand is inappropriate. But if and when that decision is taken it wont be an easy one to make and it wont happen in the short term.

Sources from within One 2 One say that even if a name change occurred it would be unlikely to cause major problems.

It is feasible for the company name to be changed while still leaving the service branded as One 2 One. Absolutely no decision has been taken but theres plenty of scope to have the service branded as One 2 One on the T-Mobil network. One 2 One to most people is a consumer retail brand and the name of the network or holding company is largely irrelevant said a One 2 One source.

One possibility could be dual branding such as Vodafone has done with networks where they have a majority shareholding without removing the home operators name or brand. One such example is in Greece where the operator Panafon would be renamed Vodafone Panafon.

The Ericsson Pete Tong Mix is a limited run of 5000 phones. It contains 35 minutes of exclusive tracks specially chosen by the DJ for the launch of Ericssons latest phone. This package comes complete with handset mp3 player and software.

BTCellnet says this is the first time a mobile phone network and handset manufacturer have worked together in this way to offer an mp3 player specifically for mobile phones.

The youth market is a key audience for us and music and mobile communications are key to youth lifestyle said BTCellnet head of pre-pay Graham Riddell.

Global Telematics is jointly owned by Racal Survey Group and European Telecom.

It develops vehicle-location and telematics systems.

Market conditions for new issues especially technology companies have deteriorated since we went live with out plans for an IPO (Initial Public Offering) said Global Telematics chief executive Edward Belgeonne.

Global Telematics planned to use the proceeds of the flotation to expand into the consumer market and expand into Europe.

The company says the Dutch mobile internet market is one of the most advanced in Europe with 67 per cent penetration of mobile phones representing 9.6 million users.

Around 55 per cent of the countrys population uses the internet. breathe has signed distribution agreement with Dutch retailers BCC to promote its mobile internet services.

Registered users will be able to use WAP e-mail and calendaring and free text messaging.

Holland was a natural choice for us. The mobile market in Holland is one of the most sophisticated in Europe and is a natural environment for the launch of a mobile internet provider said breath.cos chief operating officer Sean Gardner. breathe will concentrate on attracting 18 to 35-year-olds. Unlike the UK it will not offer fixed line internet access in Holland.

12snap says it is targeting the 18-35 year old age text messaging and WAP services about shopping and auctions as well as interactive entertainment and content services. 12snap is also a leading provider of mobile marketing services.

The 12snap service launched in Germany in January and currently claims to have over 400000 users generating over three million calls since launch.