Azzurri meanwhile is the first to join both its Advance and Data Centre of Excellence programmes after qualifying for the latter last week.

O₂ head of indirect partners and business mobilisation David Plumb said: Azzurri is a big player in convergence and a really important partner for us. O₂ is now training Azzurri sales people to sell data applications and solutions. This is a huge investment for us.

Its UK-based parent company Xebra which owns the brand licence to MVNO Extreme Mobile holds a 61.25 per cent share of Advantage Cellulars equity.

In April Warsaw-based company Centernet a subsidiary of Polish listed investment fund MFI Midas acquired 80 per of the shares of Xebra. Advantage Cellular is already connecting business customers direct.

The announcement comes three months after Telefonica sold the group to two Macquarie-managed investment funds.

Airwave CEO Richard Bobbett has revealed that the re-branding is an essential part of the companys expansion plans. Bobbett said:

We are now entering a new phase in Airwaves development as we refine and expand the existing service both in Great Britain and abroad.

In todays environment where the emergency services and public safety organisations are responding rapidly to ever-changing circumstances our ability to provide a trusted communications solution is more important than ever.

The job cuts will see O₂ reduce its German workforce to 4000 with most being axed from the operators administrative and central departments in Munich.

The network will also shake up its management structure by splitting it into two divisions network and service technology as well as setting up a new business division for product development and brand management.

O₂ Germany CEO Jaime Smith said: With our new management structure we are far more flexible and able to react quickly to changes in the market.

We are now in a strong position in a highly competitive marketplace to create higher efficiency within our central functions.

His capture follows the recruitment of former Carphone and Dextra web chief Mike Gray.

Beard joins as B2B dealer manager for Shebangs new Sellfone B2B sales software which enables B2B dealers to build quotes for multiples handsets track sales and replenish stock automatically.

Shebang managing director Iain Humphrey said: The B2B arena is where the networks struggle.

It is the sector where they most need quality entrepreneurial dealers. They can back their levels of service up now with this new computer system and Paul is on board to get the message out there.

Beard spent 10 years at Orange from 1990-2000. He left 3 in December during its staff cull after four years.

Its move into SIM-free sales follows the closure of Carphones Mobile Phone Express business last month. All its product lines come via Carphone.

HSC business manager Bob Sweetlove said: This is not about handset trading its about giving HSC dealers the opportunity to single source what they need for their customers.

HSC is offering dealers SIM-free kit on their existing HSC accounts through their account managers. Sweetlove said that by operating a single trade account model for all products purchased from HSC the accounts side is simplified so that dealers with limited resources do not waste time on administrative tasks.

The combined airtime/SIM free account also offers the dealers the opportunity to sell handsets with commission payments. However the system is not automated. Dealers will be able to calculate what they are owed in commission payments and offset it against invoices for SIM-free kit.

Sweetlove said: We are looking for ways to improve our service and product offering to dealers. We will look to develop additional services around SIM-free as required.

Just in the initial weeks of actively offering SIM-free weve been able to offer the Sony Ericsson S500i and the Nokia 8600 Luna at better prices than our competitors and in some cases are first to market.

He added: We want to be taken seriously in the SIM-free marketplace.

HSC is attempting to reassert itself as a full service distributor under the stewardship of Carphone following the termination of its Vodafone contract at the end of 2006.

It is thought Nokia is looking outside the industry to fill the role vacated by Simon Lloyd in May and that Bernard is most likely to join Motorola.

Neither was available for comment. Bernard was the longest-serving UK team member at LG Mobile.

Of a 20-strong UK team LG Mobile UK head of marketing John Bernard marketing manager Katherine Murray 3 account manager Matt Dixon and web manager Javier Blanco have all resigned.

One source close to LG Mobile said: There is no sales strategy. Returns of the Shine are high and there is nothing sexy in the pipeline for the next six months.

But Barton responded: ³There is no panic or crisis. It is a sad coincidence that we¹re losing four staff but their positions will be filled quickly.

Weve taken the UK number four spot from Motorola and the roadmap is good.

Barton said that LG Mobile will launch several new prepay devices in the coming months as well as a premium imaging phone in Q4 which he described as the finest imaging device we have seen.

But retail sources said that despite early interest in the Shine and Prada sales had slowed to a trickle on both while LG¹s roadmap did not compare with that of either Sony Ericsson or country rival Samsung which is set to unveil a 5.2 megapixel slider phone next week.

LG Mobile¹s share of weekly sales according to GfK data has drifted from around six per cent in mid-April its highest share of UK sales to under four per cent.

Sources said it will not stem the flow with its new devices.

The Shine has been disappointing. Return rates are high and the early interest hasn¹t lasted. The same goes for the Prada. It did well for a couple of months but that has gone now too² said one senior retail source.

The cupboard is looking distinctly bare and the competition is so strong from Sony Ericsson and Samsung.

He added: Samsung has set out to stuff LG since it launched the Chocolate.

The new model will have the same functions as its silver coloured predecessor but its exterior has undergone a makeover changing colour to a dark metallic grey.

LG Mobile Head of UK Marketing Gary Venn said: The addition of the LG Shine Titanium Black to the series will appeal to customers who demand the highest standards in style and technology. This handset takes the LG Shine to the next level offering an elegant and stylish alternative to its predecessor.

The LG Shine Titanium Black will be available in the UK in late 2007.

The deal will enable Orange to rent videos or sell on demand movies made by Walt Disney Pictures Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films. The agreement is a first for Orange who will launch its digital TV service in the UK later this year.

Orange director of ipTV Tim Pearson said: The Disney-ABC International Television deal is the first of a number of content deals were announcing; and demonstrates were gearing up for our launch of digital TV later this year. We intend to offer our customers a great range of the best movies on demand for which this agreement with Disney is a great step.