Alcatel also launched the latest version of its One Touch Easy range in a lighter and slimmer format with dual-band capability. The Easy range now comes in a choice of nine colours.

Alcatel announced at CeBIT an alliance with 3Com Corporation to promote the convergence of handheld computing and mobile phones.

The two companies will work to define standard programming between devices.

A public forum will be open to all industry players to contribute. 3Com makes the popular Palm Computing range of pocket organisers which account for 72 per cent of all personal digital assistant type computers sold.

The unit will be promoted world-wide with a multi-million international ad campaign aimed at first-time buyers. Siemens has set global sales targets of 750000 a month for the C25.

The ( 9.99 with contract and 130 on pre-pay) handset will be the main weapon in Siemens plan to open up new markets especially for consumers in the 16-34 age group.

To appeal to this sector Siemens gimmick is to pre-program the C25 with ring tones mixed by some of Europes up and coming DJs.

It is also expected to come complete with a ticket hotline to the coolest clubs says Siemens and other groovy spots in wherever you find yourself partying for the weekend.

The phone supports the SIM Application Toolkit and can thus be modified to support network information services such as bank balances share prices travel and weather information.

Standby times of up to 100 hours and talk time of up to 300 minutes is being claimed.

McLuskie left 20:20 last year saying he needed time off for rest and recuperation.

McLuskie will work alongside TCL sales and marketing director Rob Musk.

John brings with him a wealth of experience in the mobile communications business. His move is an important landmark for TCL as we develop the company into a major retail/airtime and IT organisation said TCL joint founder Tony Lane.

TCL (Telephone Communications Limited) was set up in 1985 and now operates around 50 shops under its Talkpoint retail brand and currently has a turnover of around 5 million. It describes itself as one of Cellnets largest independent retailers.

The move is part of a new management structure for the UK business which will form one of three VodafoneAirTouch operating divisions later this year.

All Vodafone service provider company managing directors will report to VodafoneAirTouchs UK chief executive Peter Bamford who steps into the role to be vacated by David Channing-Williams who is retiring.

Heads of Vodafone Value Added Services and the paging and data operations report to Alan Harper managing director of Vodafone network.

Our aim is to establish a more integrated organisation which will deliver the best possible service at the lowest cost said Chris Gent chief executive designate of VodafoneAirTouch.

The police and FCS men searched the premises of World Tech Solutions Ltd of 42 Watford Way Hendon and the homes of proprietors Moses Oyediwura and Eric Josep. Both men were arrested and have been bailed to reappear at Colindale Police station.

The company suffered a set back on April 9 when the planning officer for West Berkshire District Council recommended that the politicians should refuse the application.

However at a meeting held on April 17 the Council held a seven-hour debate and then voted by a majority of 25 to 18 to grant Vodafone planning permission to build on the Old Showground.

The application must still be submitted to the Government office of the South East. It will either be rubber stamped or a public enquiry will be held. The former is though unlikely as there has been much debate in Newbury about the application over the last 18 months.

Vodafones first task is to plant 25000 trees prior to the works beginning later this summer for scheduled completion in two years.

The new offices will house the entire 3000-strong VodafoneAirTouch team.

A jury heard last month that the Irish Phone Company in County Meath in Eire realised it was being set up for a sting and helped police set a trap. A decoy box containing pieces of wood instead of phones was delivered to the gang who were arrested by waiting police.

At Londons Southwark Crown Court Mohammed Faruk (25) Shah Alam (21) and Shabir Mohammed (25) denied conspiracy to obtain property by deception. A fourth man Mohammed Aqeel (23) has admitted attempting to handle stolen goods.

The fraud was attempted last October when the Irish Phone Company received a call from an Asian-sounding man calling himself Robert Price saying his company was Telecommunications in Harrow Middlesex.

Prosecutor Jason (Cont P38)

Dunshaw said the Harrow company did actually exist but that the gang used genuine Telecommunications stationary to place their credit order. However the phone and fax details had been changed.

But the Irish Phone Company had been similarly defrauded before in another scam and had supplied equipment on credit without receiving payment. They checked the company out and contacted the police. It was decided to lay a trap by filling the phone boxes with wood and arresting the men when they took delivery.

Faruk and Alam claimed to gave been visiting a cousin when they signed for the parcel not knowing who it was for. The trial continues.

The Ericsson-supplied system for One 2 One is based on the new General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology announced at the GSM World Congress in February. It is part of a 45 million investment programme .

GPRS will soon offer data transfer speeds of 384000 bps. This is 40 times faster than current GSM data transfer rates of 9600 bps.

The new technology will allow customers to remain permanently connected to the internet as they will only be charged for the amount of data sent rather than the length of time connected.

The two networks will also have to stop charging for unanswered calls.

This follows the recommendations of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission following its investigation made at the request of Oftel into the price of calls to mobiles.

Consumers have been paying too much too long for calling mobile phones said Oftel director general David Edmunds.

I am pleased that consumers calling Vodafone and (Cont P38)

Cellnet will soon be paying much less. I look forward to Orange and One 2 One reducing their charges as well so that consumers will also get a fair deal when ringing handsets on their network.

Oftel referred the cost of mobiles calling fixed phones to the MMC a year ago. Orange and One 2 One escaped the investigation because their rates have been regarded as lower than Cellnet and Vodafones and as later entrants their market position was perceived differently.

The boundaries between local and national calls have been scrapped. The only exception is for pre-pay customers who decline to take the new daily charge option. They will still pay 40p a minute.

All customers will be able to make calls for no more than 10p a minute to any fixed line anywhere in the UK during the day and 2p a minute evenings and weekends.

The new post-pay tariffs are One 2 Anytime ( 15 a month) One 2 Anytime 60 ( 18 a month inclusive of 60 minutes) and One 2 Anytime 1200 ( 25 a month inclusive of 1200 off peak minutes).

The pre-pay variations are Up 2 You Anytime Daily (50p a day) Up 2 You Anytime Daily 2 (60p a day and two free minutes) and Up 2 You Anytime Daily 40 (83p a day and 40 off-peak minutes).

Orange points out that it can match the One 2 One offerings under its Orange Value Promise Scheme but reckons its Everyday 20 tariff of 20 minutes a day for 50p is a better offer.

One 2 One has designed the 2p a minute tariff on pre-pay to appeal to people who wont sign a contract and who are fearful of high pre-pay call charges.

One 2 Ones research indicates this is a sizeable market that will be attracted to a service which combines the opportunity to pay up front and make calls at attractive post-pay customer rates.

The network will offer three different ways of running a phone. Post-pay will have calls paid for monthly in arrears.

Pre-pay can be bought with a daily charge credited in advance with calls then charged at the (Cont P19) new low rates. Voicemail continues to be free across all the tariffs.

The current 40p a minute pre-pay option is still available for Up 2 You customers who dont want to incur a standing daily charge.

Our mission is to provide a service that allows people to use their phones the way they want pay in a way that suits their lifestyle simplifies the cost per call and provides great value so people need not be concerned about being hit with huge call costs.

This breakthrough in tariffing provides customers with greater choice and for the first time calling from as little as 2p a minute on a pre-payment basis. said One 2 One managing director Tim Samples.

The new tarifffs have generally been welcomed by dealers.

The simplicity of the message is what impresses me most about the new tariffs said Tony Raynor of Abbey Telecom in Blackburn.

These tariffs are excellent. They do two things; bring the cost of using a mobile phone into the same realm as that of a fixed phone and also push the industry another step forward remarked John Abbot of ECT in South Woodford.

Amanda Ridgway of Manchesters AAA Telecom commented:

The 60 tariff is blinding and the Precept tariffs are fantastic but I cant see a market for the 1200 tariff at the moment.

Sales people will sell the simplest thing that there is to sell. Without doubt the 10p/2p aspect is simple but some of the tariffs have an underlying complexity which might be difficult to get across (full dealer reaction P12).