The dispute is over connections made through two Rocom dealers Newcastle-based ITS and Wales-based Select Communications both of which have now gone into liquidation.

In the case of ITS its directors uncovered connection irregularities involving alleged collusion between ITS and Orange employees. Once it got wind of the problem Rocom suspended ITSs account. ITS subsequently went into receivership. The matter is now being investigated by Police.

Similar irregularities occurred at Select Communications. Rocom became suspicious about an order to connect a large number of handsets and refused to sanction the deal. Select too subsequently stopped trading. Rocom says Orange sales staff also had a hand in this deal. Orange has since suspended two sales managers (Mobile News November 12) but Rocom officially declined to implicate them.

Rocom chairman Bob Old told Mobile News that Rocom would fight Orange over the 1 million clawback claim.

We are resisting this claim because both accounts involved Orange senior management who approved the deals. Because Oranges people approved the business clawback should not apply. I have not formally been advised that the two managers under suspension at Orange have had any involvement with the two accounts.

However Mobile News has been told an Orange national sales manager was involved with both ITS and Select Communications accounts. He is also believed to have authorised Orange marketing funds to be paid to ITS and Select. This could explain Oranges statement two weeks ago about two staff suspensions for misappropriation of funds.

An Orange spokesperson merely stated:

There are issues that need to be resolved with Rocom.

This means that all global websites that offer free text messages will no longer be able to send to Orange phones.

One user said:

This is like Royal Mail not accepting letters posted from abroad.

An Orange spokesperson said:

Orange can confirm that it intends to begin charging foreign networks for sending bulk messages to Orange customers in the UK. Orange has decided to take this step to protect its own customers from spamming through overseas carriers.

This will also enable Orange to manage its network traffic better and ensure it gains revenue for the service it provides by carrying these messages. We intend to reach a standard agreement for this service as formulated by the GSM Association.

Commercial terms will be agreed bilaterally.

Orange has also withdrawn its support from internet SMS (Cont P2) broadcaster Locust Cellular Services which was given a special tariff allowing unlimited messages to be sent from the Locust website

If you add the killing of Locust to the removal of free 0800 data calls and the pricing of HSCSD beyond the reach of personal users it appears that Orange no longer wants to encourage mobile enthusiasts to be on its network said Mobile News internet columnist Matthew Haigh.

Dealer Jon Morris who writes the Mobile News Sharp End column said:

Locust was good because it wasnt swamped by millions of users who abused the service. This makes it even stranger that Orange would want to force it out of business. Locust had a lot of techie users. They are considered a tiny part of the mainstream market nowadays. But they are quite influential people in the world of IT.

If they leave Orange they will get other people to do so too. They are often the people who have influence within companies for buying decisions.

They will make it their personal mission to punish Orange (see Web Watch and Sharp End inside).

Administrator Trevor OSullivan told Mobile News:

Were still training as normal. All our customers are still with us. There has been a lot of interest in the company and a lot of potential purchasers have been doing Due Diligence. Were pressing them for formal written offers by next week.

Oras board of directors called in the administrators when it became clear the companys profits were not enough to cover its debt which is put at around 15 million (Mobile News November 26).

All Sony Ericsson account directors now report directly to UK managing director Philip Rambech who used to run Ericssons Asia region.

Im sad to be going its the end of an era Nash told Mobile News. Ive been asked to stay on to (Cont P2) Christmas to help with the transition. Im still looking within the Sony Ericsson global organisation for opportunities.

Globally there has been a massive streamlining. The Ericsson UK head count is down from 60 to 25. The business model in all markets doesnt have a role for a sales director any more. All my colleagues in other markets are going through the same thing.

The account management teams will still be looking after the channels and networks as well as distribution and retail. But they will be reporting directly to the MD. I always knew my role could be at risk.

The networks have a low opinion of independent dealers. They look upon us as individuals. They dont think of us as a collective. If we had a unified voice to represent us and raise our concerns the networks would have to take us more seriously said Hull.

If we were told why decisions were being reached we could either argue our case. Or understand their logic. The networks would get something back from us. Far too many of their high-up executives simply dont get out into the field. They have no idea what we are thinking or the pressures our businesses are under.

Mobile News is the only medium we have to express ourselves in the knowledge that people who matter in the networks will at least read what we have to say. Even if they dont act on it.

Networks need to share with us the logic of what they are doing. We need to promote an open (Cont P2) discussion so that we remove the need to churn customers. We could have a dialogue rather than always being faced with a fait accompli. An Independent Dealers Forum with teeth could meet regularly to discuss issues with the networks Hull said.

The Manx Telecom network of 28 base stations was built by NEC and Siemens and will be used by mm02 as a test-bed prior to roll-out in Western Europe.

Manx Telecom a subsidiary of mmO2 will develop and test multimedia 3G applications. A trial group of 200 customers will receive NEC 3G handsets capable of sending and receiving colour video and entertainment as well as high-speed internet and mobile commerce applications.

The new network covers 85 per cent of the islands territory. But mmO2 chief executive officer Peter Erskine took the froth off the breakthrough by admitting that mmO2 has delayed by six months the launch of its UK 3G network because of lack of dual-mode handsets compatible with both GSM and 3G.

This means mm02 networks in the UK Germany Holland and Ireland will not be ready with 3G until the first half of 2003.

Mm02 knows that it is also crucial that there are viable applications lined up for when 3G is (Cont P2) ready to fly. Data now represents 10.7 per cent of our service revenues.

With the launch of new devices and services and future developments we expect that to increase to 30 per cent within three years said Erskine.

His job will be to head up Hutchison 3G sales activity including development of sales channels with distributors and dealers.

Before joining One 2 One Barton was managing director of Phones 4U and held executive positions at Cellnet and Talkland.

Said Barton: I am excited about the challenge at Hutchison 3G. I know and have a lot of respect for some of the people that work there. My departure from One 2 One was amicable. I cannot confirm exactly when I will commence.

I will probably spend some time doing a spot of gardening beforehand.

Hutchison 3G spokesperson Edward Brewster said Bartons start date had not been officially fixed.

Brewster also scotched rumours that Hutchison 3G was intending to buy Caudwells Phones 4U retail chain.

The convictions conclude a year-long investigation by trading standards officers into a faulty mains travel charger that exploded after a customer purchased it from a branch of DX Communications in Luton town centre last year (Mobile News January 22).

The customer contacted Luton Trading Standards which also found unsafe chargers at Ansertec a smaller retail outlet in Luton town centre. Ansertec bought the chargers from Essex accessory distributor Space Communications which claimed to have purchased the units from Elite.

European Telecoms accessory arm TAG supplied the faulty chargers to DX Communications. Luton Trading Standards dropped all charges against Space Communications.

I am relieved our name has been cleared. We co-operated fully with trading standards. It is now undisputed where the chargers originated from said Space managing director Darren Cooke.

We got our fingers burned buying third-party products. We only buy original products now because we feel confident they will have been tested added Cooke.

An Elite spokesperson said: We pleaded guilty and paid the fine immediately.

We continue to monitor competitors chargers against our own and these tests show that ours are among the safest on the market.

BTCellnet which rebranded all DX stores this year to BTCellnet stores said:

We had already terminated the use of the supplier before the incident happened. There was only one incident. We now stringently check for safety certificates. Customer safety is paramount to BTCellnet.

The Chinese-made travel chargers had false CE markings and failed independent tests ordered by Luton Trading Standards which found that people using the product were at risk from electrical shock.

Elite initially played down the claims made by Space but later ordered a recall and sacked its supplier. It signed a new contract with the company that supplied travel chargers for its Fone Range brand. Elite has also revised its product-testing procedures.

Entries for the Awards should be sent by January 25 to: Mobile News Awards 134 Petherton Road London N5 2RT. Judges include Mike McComb (ex-Mobile Phone Store) Alan Haddon (GSM Suppliers Association) John Strand (Strand Consultants) and Amanda Fisher (ex-Motorola).

ET has purchased Philips 12000-square-metre GSM handset configuration and fulfilment facility which employs 600 people in Le Mans France. Part of the deal will see ET manufacture limited quantities of Philips DECT phone range. ET also becomes Philips preferred repair and return partner in Europe.

European Telecom group operations director Mark Jenkins told Mobile News:

We are not pulling out of distribution. We are just focusing more on the logistics and fulfilment side of the business as we stated last year. The facility will allow us to customise handsets for operators. We will take in the base transceivers mass-produced by Philips in China. We will add the external plastics customer software and any other branding requirements for customers.

We will be the partner betweenthe manufacturer and network. Manufacturers do not like to customise handsets. It is not their key competency. Their competency is designing and manufacturing large volumes. They are not good at dealing with small orders. Network operators are increasingly demanding customisation.

Jenkins says ET has no plans to become a manufacturer.

The production line will allow us to produce low-volume niche products. We have been configuring and repairing handsets for the last few years anyway. This gives us a more concrete platform for pan-European fulfilment and distribution.

Philips is a good partner for us. It has had a quiet year in the UK. It is launching a new range of products in Q1 and Q2 to the European market. It plans to sell four million handsets in Europe this year.

European Telecom last week had its shares suspended at 8p for failing to submit its half-year interim figures in time.

This breached the AIM rules. ET has promised to release its figures later this month.