Data Select is to wind down its distance selling business.

Data Select managing director George McPherson said that distance sales were no longer commercially viable for either dealers or Data Select.

Data Select stopped working with distance sellers connecting 3 last week after stringent guidelines from 3 to dealers on handset returns.

We have already stopped connecting through distance sellers on 3 said McPherson. The changes it has made to its package dont suit distance selling as a business model. We cant see a way of working with distance sellers at all that make commercial sense for us or for them.

But McPherson denied that Data Select had pulled the plug on all consumer business with 3.

O2 has been named best retailer in our sister publication Fones year-long mystery shop competition.

Fone mystery shopped all UK mobile chains 30 times each over 43 weeks. Last weeks final visit to Maidenhead saw O2 narrowly beat Phones 4U into second place with Orange taking third.

O2 head of retail Paula Cave said: We spend a lot of time getting across the message that staff affect our retail performance.

Brightstar Europe will launch in the UK in March promising better service and lower costs to networks retailers and manufacturers.

US distributor Brightstar has teamed up with US IT distributor Tech Data to launch the European handset distribution business.

Brightstar Europe will distribute handsets and other wireless devices to network operators dealers agents and retailers. Tech Data and Brightstar will each have a 50 per cent stake.

Brightstar Europe will be headquartered in the UK with access to 10 logistics centres and 16 sales offices across Europe. It will be headed in Europe by former 20:20 Logistics managing director Rod Millar once his exit terms from 20:20 are resolved.

Tech Data CEO Robert Dutkowsky said: Brightstar Europe will serve as a critical supply chain partner enabling manufacturers and operators to reduce costs and improve delivery times.

Brightstar president and CEO Marcelo Claure said: The European mobile device market is highly fragmented. We believe Brightstar Europe will introduce next generation distribution to the market.

Last month Brightstar struck a global distribution deal with Motorola. Motorola executive vice-president Ron Garriques said: Motorola is working aggressively to build its distribution reach.

Oranges federation dealers have reacted angrily to Oranges relaunched discount matrix which it has now made available to Mainline and Midland dealers.

Orange pulled its discount matrix which offered its top partners reduced line rental and free airtime credits in October.

It re-launched the promotion at the start of February including one months free line-rental a year on two- and three-year contracts of 700 minutes and above.

But Oranges federation dealers the 16 direct dealers it migrated from its old Orange Business Specialist scheme early last year complained that the offer was devalued because Mainline and Midland could offer the promotion to their own specialist dealer clubs which have 19 and 25 members respectively.

One federation dealer said: Making it available to Midland and Mainline devalues the offer. We should get better exclusive support. Its very frustrating.

One source close to Orange said: It is no different. Its always been available to Midland and Mainline as well. But you can understand why the federation dealers are annoyed theyre part of a club and should receive special treatment. They dont want other dealers getting the same benefits.

Data Select has denied rumours that it is in talks about a sale to US distributor Brightpoint.

Eric White marketing and communications director at Data Select parent company Phones International said last week: If there are players out there window shopping then of course Data Select is going to appear on the radar.

Speculation has mounted that Phones International boss Peter Jones is readying the company for a sale after he bought back a 25 per cent stake in the business last month sold to Credit Suisse for tens of millions in February 2005.

Brightpoint is also rumoured to have approached Danish distributor Dangaard about a takeover or joint-venture. But Dangaard chief operating officer Micha©l K¸ehn also denied that Brightpoint had made any approach.

Brightpoint was unavailable for comment.

Go Mobile managing director Iain Humphrey said last week that he would close down newly acquired high street stores that do not perform.

Go Mobile acquired all 14 Activmobile stores from Fone Logistics for an undisclosed fee at the end of January. The purchase takes Go Mobiles retail footprint to 52 including one franchise store and consolidates it as the fourth largest indirect retail chain behind The Carphone Warehouse Phones 4U and JAG.

Five of the Activmobile stores are located in prime retail sites in high streets and shopping centres. Until now Humphrey has concentrated solely on secondary and tertiary towns to expand the Go Mobile chain.

Humphrey said: Five of the new sites are located in prime positions within city centres. All the stores have been around a long time and are in good locations. They fit in well with our retail estate in North Yorkshire. I am confident that the staff will get the results. However I will pull out if stores do not perform.

Humphrey added: We are ensuring that our retail footprint is right that it is an asset to the networks and not a competitor to them on the high street. The acquisition consolidates our position as a quality dealership chain.

T-Mobile head of dealers and distributors Glyn Horsfield said: Iains recipe for success has been to focus on these sites and to be a part of the community. It will be interesting to see what he does with the Activmobile stores that are located in shopping centres. He has to be careful to avoid the primary locations and going up against Carphone.

All Activmobile staff have been transferred to Go Mobile. The stores will remain branded as Activmobile in the short-term.

The sale sees Fone Logistics end its 10-year association with retail originally in the guise of an MPC franchise and latterly in a wholly owned estate of 14 outlets.

Fone Logistics said it would concentrate its efforts solely on developing its network relationships.

Fone Logistics CEO Ian Gillespie said: Fone Logistics is a distributor. Our primary focus is in supporting our dealers and working with them to develop sustainable long-term business.

Our retail business served a purpose initially in helping us understand the dynamics of the high street. But as the industry shifts within indirect to a SME and B2B focus we have shifted along with it. To succeed in independent retail you need to live and breathe it and that is what Go Mobile does.

Mobile phone and wireless internet testing is planned on the London Underground at Bank and Waterloo stations.

Should the trials be successful the whole network could have coverage by 2009. Transport for London also plans to investigate DAB digital radio and Wi-Fi coverage. The trials are going ahead after London Underground allayed concerns that mobile access on the tube could open opportunities for terrorist activity.

A study by Keynote Systems revealed 65 per cent of public transport users would find people talking on mobiles on the Tube irritating. But nearly 80 per cent said they would check or send emails by phone 70 per cent of who would use the internet to check location and travel information.

20:20 Logistics business development director Richard Baxendale is set to leave the business.

Baxendale will be prevented from working for competitor companies for 18 months. Baxendale has been with 20:20 for six years. 20:20 refused to comment.

Baxendales exit from the 20:20 Mobile Group follows the departure of former 20:20 Logistics MD Rod Millar HR director Maxine Brough Dextra Solutions MD Chris Jones FD Gerry OKeefe trading director Rob Hendry and commercial director Andrew Burgess.

A source said: Its the end of an era. Those that John Caudwell moulded have all gone.

O2 will launch 24-month business contracts with boosted talk time on April 28.

All the new plans include free calls to other O2 customers capped at 2000 minutes a month.

Customers on a £25 contract will receive 200 minutes a month 50 more than those on the 12-month contract. An £80 tariff gives an extra 500 minutes while £100 a month gives 2000 minutes more. Customers have one month to take up unused minutes and texts.

Not all dealers welcomed the commitment however.

One said: Eighteen months is long enough 24 months is crazy. If its not good enough for me my customers wont want it. Ill put the option out there for them but is it good to be hanging on so long in such a fast-changing industry?

The venue was packed with more than 23000 fans who were attending concerts by Barbra Streisand and Joss Stone as well as the British film premier of the Simpsons.

All three events ended at 11:00pm and resulted in visitors sitting in stationary traffic for more than an hour just to leave the venues car park. Customers who attended the Simpsons movie after party were forced to leave early after they were informed the last tube for the evening would leave at 12:16am. A further 200 people were forced to wait over an hour for a taxi.

A spokesperson for the O₂ arena played down the situation: The tubes and boat services ran like clockwork and the car park was cleared in 25 minutes. There were queues for taxis and this is something we are working on with TFL.