EBS has combined with Orange and Sony Ericsson on its latest dealer incentive scheme Rock the Kasbah. The new scheme rewards dealers for the quality of the Orange connections they put through EBS.

Rock the Kasbah offers EBS dealers the opportunity to earn points based on sales of Sony Ericsson handsets and Orange connections. Higher levels of points are given on specific handset and higher Orange tariff sales. Bonus points are also rewarded to dealers based on reducing levels of returns and bad debt or fraud.

The new scheme is in line with Oranges quality drive. Orange is looking for a reduction in returns and bad debt from its dealer base.

Orange national sales manager Mark OMeara said: With such fierce competition for dealer loyalty and market share incentive programmes are becoming the key to creating and driving communication and loyalty. We are keen to work with the channel to ensure dealers distributors and in turn Orange benefit from improving quality alongside driving retention and sales.

He added: To ensure we create an incentive that not only delivers return on investment but impacts the bottom line we have incorporated the traditional sales volume targets with two additional measures based on dealer returns and bad debt. This will result in a better quality of sale for all involved and deliver results against the bottom line.

EBS commercial director Mark Jennings said: Unlike previous years when a network has decided to go it alone and shift their focus from quantity to quality this year all networks are delivering the same message. They all want quality connections. This is something that can not be ignored.

Sony Ericsson UK & Ireland managing director John Harber said: Sony Ericsson is committed to supporting Orange in ensuring quality sales and reducing return rates. We are excited to be sponsoring the Rock the Kasbah incentive which promotes our Walkman and Cyber-shot range.

Jennings added: EBS has run many successful dealer incentives over the years but they have all been driven by delivering volume connections on high talk plans. We have recognised that this needs to change for us to fit into the current model being delivered to ourselves and quality needs to become a measurable commodity.

Top scoring dealers on the incentive will win a trip for two to Marrakech in Morocco with a jeep safari through the Atlas Mountains a visit to the Bahia Palace and a trip to the famous Souks to boot.

Go Mobile has acquired all 14 Activmobile stores from Northeast distributor Fone Logistics for an undisclosed amount.

The purchase takes Go Mobiles retail footprint to 53 and consolidates it as the second largest independent dealership chain behind JAG and the fourth largest indirect retail chain behind Carphone Warehouse Phones 4U and JAG.

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.

Go Mobile currently with 39 stores will assume control for the 14 Activmobile outlets immediately on conclusion of the legal transfer and will seek to incorporate them into the current estate.

All existing Activmobile staff will have their employment transferred to Go Mobile and the stores will begin trading under license from February.

Go Mobile managing director Iain Humphrey told Mobile News: I said last year that we would look to expand the chain further and in the right manner. We are ensuring that our retail footprint is right – that it is an asset to the networks and not a competitor of them on the high street. The acquisition consolidates our position as a quality dealership chain.

Fone Logistics said that it will concentrate its efforts solely on developing its network relationships and capitalising on market opportunities.

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.

Humphrey added: Our business model is built around achieving a critical mass of stores and in trading each of them to its max. We are pleased to have made this acquisition which represents the next step in Go Mobiles development.

US distributor Brightstar has teamed up with US IT distributor Tech Data to launch a new UK and European handset distribution business.

The new company Brightstar Europe will distribute mobile phones and other wireless devices to network operators dealers agents retailers and e-tailers throughout the UK and Europe. Tech Data and Brightstar will have a 50 per cent joint ownership of Brightstar Europe. The joint venture arrangement will be finalised in the coming weeks.

Brightstar Europe will be headquartered in the UK with access to 10 logistics centres and 16 sales offices across Europe. The company is expected to commence operations in March pending regulatory and other required approvals.

Tech Data CEO Robert Dutkowsky said: The formation of this joint venture with Brightstar is a new and exciting approach towards extending Tech Datas reach into new product and service markets. Tech Datas established pan-European footprint and logistics capabilities in combination with Brightstars knowledge of the mobile device market and its relationships with many of the worlds leading mobile manufacturers and operators will provide customers with unparalleled service.

He added: Brightstar Europe will serve as a critical supply chain partner enabling manufacturers and operators to reduce costs improve delivery times and invest more in next generation technologies.

Brightstar president and CEO Marcelo Claure said: The European mobile device market is highly fragmented in terms of supply chain and distribution services. We believe that Brightstar Europe will transform service levels provided to operators retailers and manufacturers significantly reducing operating costs and improving mobile device delivery throughout the region. We are introducing next generation distribution to the European market.

Last week Brightstar confirmed that it had struck a global distribution deal with Motorola.

Motorola executive vice president and president Ron Garriques said: Motorola is working aggressively to build our brand strength as well as our distribution reach in markets throughout the world. Brightstars expertise are proven. It brings rapidly expanding capabilities that can help us seize and capitalize on market opportunities.

Gareth Jones has joined Northampton distributor EBS as a non-executive chairman.

EBS founder and majority shareholder Ray Kingston said: Gareth and I have been friends and colleagues since the early nineties. I have great respect for Gareths in-depth knowledge of the industry and his proven track record. I believe his appointment will further enhance our current excellent management team ensuring we are well placed to achieve our ambitions and strategic plans.

Jones said: I have watched Ray and his team develop a first class and successful business over the years and I am delighted to be joining them and involved in their exciting future plans

Jones was sales director for Orange until 2001 and chief operating officer at 3 for two years following its launch in early 2003.

JAG has announced the expansion of their direct B2B operation and their intention to continue that development this year.

JAG managing director John George said: We have been planning the expansion of our B2B operation for almost 12 months.

In April last year I appointed Gareth Evans a senior member of the JAG team to manage the business department in a drive to expand it.

Gareth has been in the business for over a decade and brought a wealth of experience and know-how with him.

JAG has also recruited three new business managers to its ranks and will be looking to expand its team to around 16 B2B managers.

The new managers are operating from Romsey Llanelli and Cwmbran signifying a move into southern England and Wales over recent years which have been covered by JAGs retail expansion. This trend is expected to continue as more managers are recruited.

Vodafone UK head of convergence Andy Bord said: It s hard to pinpoint who we ll go up against because there are a shed-load of players out there at the moment. We re looking to improve our existing customer service and further raise customer confidence.
Bord said that the network had invested in round-the-clock support for the service.
We ve had many requests from our customers for improved customer service so it s something we want to push forward he added. We are also strengthening this push with a 30-day money-back guarantee for customers who experience any faults with the service.
The new service is available on an 18-month contract and costs 25 a month. Customers who cancel their mobile contract will be required to pay 35 a month for broadband. Subscribers will receive up to 8Mbit broadband with inclusive anytime calls for up to 60 minutes to UK landlines. Vodafone said it is available to 97 per cent of UK households.
Vodafone mobile customers get the Vodafone Mobile Connect USB modem for a half-price fee of 58. Wireless 3G connectivity is available at 29 per month.

Around 14.6 million Symbian devices shipped in Q4 last year up from 3.3 million the year before. There were nearly 7000 Symbian-driven phone mobile phone applications at the end of last year.

Former Carphone Warehouse commercial director George Dymond is returning to the UK to take up the role of trading director at Carphone vacated by John Durkan earlier this month.

Durkan replaces Richard Walker as chief operating officer.

Dymond had been working on Carphones US joint venture with US consumer electronics retailer BestBuy called BestBuy Mobile. Dymond opened nine BestBuy Mobile stores in New York a combination of concessions and standalone outlets over the past six months.

Walker will work within BestBuy and in a consultancy role for TalkTalk in the US.

A Carphone spokesperson said: George went to America to bring his experience in the UK to them as their market is so different. He will be based in the UK but will travel to the US about once a month to check on the companys progress.

Vodafones new flat-rate data roaming tariff which boasts overseas mobile-laptop access to the internet email and business networks has been dismissed as out of touch with reality by London telecoms analyst house Ovum.

Vodafones European customers with mobile-enabled laptops can roam abroad for a flat-rate fee of 12 Euros a day from July 1 allowing customers to download up to 50MB of data.

But Ovum principal analyst Jeremy Green said: The tariff is available to laptop card users and apparently not to other data users. Its down to the user to work out when a 12 Euro outlay is cheaper than just paying on a per-MB basis.

Vodafones suggestion that that 50MB per day constitutes practically unlimited data usage seems a little out of touch with reality a short while browsing BBC websites can easily rack up 10MB. So this isnt really a flat rate and it isnt really unlimited either. Its an offer thats roughly comparable to what you might pay on a daily basis to use hotel broadband.

However Green has lent his praise to Vodafones offer to other operators for lower wholesale data roaming rates on a reciprocal basis deeming them a small practical step towards ending the roaming logjam.

More than 65 per cent of the UKs equipment providers are in the dark about the governments new electronic waste directive which takes effect from July 1 and face heavy penalties for non-compliance.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive requires companies to recycle a proportion of goods that pass through their warehouses.

Companies that import manufacture rebadge and sell electronic goods should have registered with a WEEE compliance scheme by March 15 and compliance schemes should have registered members with the Environment Agency by March 31.

A survey by waste disposal provider WeeeCare found the majority of businesses had no idea what to do or even if they needed to be signed up to a WEEE recycling scheme.

The EA said it had taken every opportunity including producing fact sheets and holding workshops to ensure businesses knew their obligations. But an EA spokesperson said the department would not be hasty in handing out fines to non-compliant businesses but warned there would be eventual consequences.

He said: We appreciate its quite difficult and we recognise that businesses are trying to adjust. It doesnt mean to say that if we find a business who has purposely avoided the requirements that we wont take action. It will be pursued by our legal department if a business has had enough time to meet the requirements.