Samsung Mobile UK director Mark Mitchinson has agreed provisional distribution contracts with Marlow-based Data Select and Wembley-based Elite Mobile.

The deals for both handsets and accessories run for a trial period of three months. Mitchinson has targeted seven million handset sales in the UK in 2007 up by more than a million units on last year and is looking to broaden Samsungs accessories portfolio to bring new profit streams to the channel.

Mitchinson said: These are not yet fully-fledged distribution partnerships but we are working with Data Select and Elite Mobile with a view to offering both companies full distribution rights in the not too distant future.

Mitchinson denied the move was down to consolidation at 20:20 Logistics its only official distribution partner at the moment under new owner Doughty Hanson. For its part 20:20 maintains that it is on the acquisition trail.

20:20 is performing well but this marks a change in direction said Mitchinson. 20:20 is really starting to address the market in a refreshing way. [This move] is about the markets that we are not reaching.

He added: Distribution is without doubt the toughest part of the mobile phone industry but at the same time the opportunities within distribution are massive. Im not teaching these guys to suck eggs but as a manufacturer who has worked within distribution I am confident that more value can be added.

George McPherson group managing director at Data Select parent company Phones International said Data Select lost its distribution contract with Samsung in March last year because it could not support Samsungs long-term forecasting models.

We have got significant traction in the retail market now where there is definitely a call for Samsung products and the forecasting we are now able to do is better suited to Samsung he said.

The dealer channel is incredibly important for us but we are also doing a lot of SIM-match deals to meet certain price points within the retail sector. There is such a range of handsets available and our skill is in configuring products packaging them and supporting them.

Elite Mobile director of sales and marketing Barry Nash said: We are proud to have been given this opportunity to demonstrate to Samsung our proven capability and consistently high level of service. Our customers will be delighted to have access to one of the most dynamic brands in the market.

Game publisher Glu Mobile has struck a deal with Microsoft to develop a mobile version of Age of Empires III the Microsoft real-time strategy game for the PC.

Age of Empires III sold 16 million copies worldwide. Glu has secured the global rights to develop and publish a new version of the game for mobile phones. It will be released in the UK next year and will be available on Java- and Microsoft-enabled handsets.

Were excited to partner with Microsoft on another of their most valued brands said Jill Braff general manager of North America Glu Mobile. Age of Empires is one of the highest-rated franchises on the PC.

More than 400000 mobile internet domain names which end .mobi have been issued in 104 different countries since October.

In comparison only 100000 .com sites were registered in the first 10 years after it was established as an internet domain name.

The company behind the .mobi address called dotMobi said the interest showed content developers focus on delivering quality made-for-mobile sites.

The reality is the next generation of internet content is mobile. Todays consumers want good content anywhere at any time. The numbers reflect the commitment developers have made to reach consumers using .mobi said dotMobi CEO Neil Edwards CEO.

Separately Motorola lost its legal struggle last week to secure the rights to the motorazr.com domain name. The domain is used by US company R3 Media for mobile phone news. Motorolas case was thrown out when it couldnt prove when it started to use the RAZR brand.

Z10 and new focus on social networking will boost sales, reckons Motorola

O2 has been ranked fifth in The Sunday Times 2007 Best Big Companies to Work For List in its first year of participation the highest ever
ranking for a mobile phone operator.

The network was also awarded a two-star accreditation denoting an outstanding company and finished top on the Best for Well Being category as well as being short-listed in the Best for Giving Something Back category.

O2 HR director Dominic Mahoney said: Being the first year weve participated in this and finishing so highly is beyond anything we could of hoped for and whats even more pleasing is its a daily reflection from our people.

Were now looking to develop our People Promises programme which will help our staff develop within the company and maintain their ideas.

Vodafone UK dropped two places from last years list to 15th while The Carphone Warehouse which finished sixth in 2006 and won the Best For Leader award slipped to 13th position.

LG Mobiles Shine handsets is selling more than 4000 per week through The Carphone Warehouse Phones 4U Orange and O2. LG Mobile is telling its channel partners to get their orders in early.

Its Chocolate handset now on prepay has topped one million UK sales since launch. It has sold around 300000 since Christmas.

LG Mobile marketing manager John Bernard said: Shine is the best selling handset on the market retailers are demanding more. The Chocolate is strong in prepay and there is still the Prada phone to come. We are well set for 2007.

He added: We are fulfilling the Shine orders but our customers have to get orders in early.

The Prada phone will not be exclusive to anyone Mobile News understands nor is it expected to ship in the same volume as either the Chocolate or Shine.

PNC obtained judgements from the court against former directors Geremy Thomas and Nigel Etherington for £281750 plus interest since August 2004 worth £66000. Separately it received a further judgement against Etherington for £108000.

Further costs are recoverable from Thomas estimated to be £30000 and Etherington estimated to be £140000.

PNC shareholders claimed a shortfall of £940000 appeared in its accounts after Thomas and Etherington along with another former director Jeff Pack resigned in 2004. Pack repaid money last year.

Thomas the brother of TMTI founder Crispin Thomas and president of TMTI Canada told Mobile News: PNC made five claims against me. They lost on four counts.

The fifth related to monies received by Nigel Etherington not me. I will pay as I was deemed to be joint and severally liable as I was a director when certain change of control agreements were made.

I am seeking to recover these monies from Etherington LLP the law firm that advised me on the transaction.

PNC shareholder Joe Case said: Its been a long time. I asked Geremy Thomas to pay the money back and now he has done.

Currys started selling 3s £15 and £20 monthly tariffs on the Nokia 6288 and Sony Ericsson K610i last month supported by Dextra. It is now set to roll out T-Mobile Vodafone and Orange contract phones. It will also use Dextras sales system Activate for T-Mobile and Vodafone contracts. Orange connections will be made via Orange s online customer registration system Enable.

Currys is paying Dextra a monthly fee for usage. Dealers can use the system for free as part of their Dextra supply deals. Dextra tailored the Activate system to connect all 500 Currys stores to 3. Training will be provided through Dextras field team.

Dextra Airtime head of operations Mark Nightingale said: This is a completely new type of business for us in offering such a managed service. This is the first time that we are working in a partnership where we are not a traditional distributor.

A Currys spokesman said: Mobile is a natural extension to our product range and something that is already successfully integrated into our European operations.

The Dextra system is user-friendly and offers the best value of all the systems we looked at.

The Independent Mobile Phone Dealers Association (IMPDA) has appealed for new members following a difficult start to 2007.

IMPDA member Ben Lloyd asked dealers to come together to fight back against these problems.

We have around 20 dealers registered and were always looking for more. We need dealers to recognise the importance of the IMPDA and how effective it can be.

The aim of the association established in December 2006 is to provide a place for UK mobile phone dealers to come together allowing networks and distributors to discuss issues and help dealers directly.

The target is to improve relationships and cooperation between all three with a long-term view of encouraging networks to work with dealers and not against them as member Ben Lloyd explained.

Its a non-profitable forum and were looking to provide a tool for dealers distributors and networks with our main focus being on the dealers.

To register or for more details visit www.impda.co.uk.

Dealers have welcomed Oranges March cash injection into both its business and consumer tariffs.

Orange put an extra £30 commission into its business tariffs across all its independent partners.

One dealer said: Its good to see Orange backing the channels.

A distributor source said: After four gloomy months its like seeing the first shoots of Spring.

Orange also beefed up its animal consumer tariffs and is reporting good sales across its channels.