The OGC launched in October last year oversees the purchasing activity of some 200 Government departments and agencies.

Vodafones specialist service provider for the corporate market Vodafone Corporate has been given supplier status by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) under the Government Telecommunications Mobile (GTM) agreement.

OGC chief executive Peter Gershon said:

The major benefit to any public sector organisation purchasing products or services from the registered GTM service provider is that there is no requirement for the organisation to go through the usual tender process as the contracts have already been negotiated and price checked by independent consultants to the CCTA.

Vodafone has put in place a wide spectrum of products and services to provide total communications solutions for public sector organisations and this agreement provides us with the opportunity to help them run their businesses effectively and competitively.

We will also be able to highlight the benefits of new technologies such as m-commerce through Vodafones internet capabilities said Vodafone s UK chief executive Peter Bamford.

Vodafone Corporate has designed a range of tariffs specifically for the government marketplace.

In addition to its capacity as an advisor on mobile telecommunications issues to the Government Vodafone also acts as a supplier to the public sector including contracts with local regional and central Government departments such as the Ministry of Defence the NHS and the emergency services.

Also George Tennet formally of Ericsson Mobile Phones has joined Phones International data accessories division Data Select as business development director.

I am delighted to welcome these two key industry personalities to our management team. Richard and George will be bringing with them a wealth of knowledge understanding and vision that complements the ethos of our company going forward said Phones International group managing director and founder Peter Jones .

They are Giovanna Hussain (NTG Ltd t/a Mobile Phones 348 Bethnal Green Road London E2 0AH) and Nigel Murray (Rutland Communications 500 Bradford Road Batley)

They are the latest named dealers to receive notice that they are in breach of the FCS Crime Prevention Scheme and that its Inspectorate considers the breach to be serious.

Since the revised rules of the Scheme came into effect last November the FCS Crime Action Group whose members include senior security representatives from all operators manufacturers and service providers has reaffirmed its commitment to the operation of the Scheme and the (Cont P2) maintenance of the agreement on which it is based said James Malcolm manager of the Scheme.

The principles of the FCS Crime Prevention Scheme require adherence to simple rules. Any criminal activity found will be reported to the Police.

It is the Polices role to deal with criminal activity not the FCSs though intelligence arising from the Scheme has been invaluable in unearthing and stopping large scale thefts and other criminal activity. The rules of the Scheme apply to every person trading in cellular telephones or SIM cards or arranging connections in the UK.

Lumina is also now set to become the first UK service provider to offer customers on-line account management.

The facility will also be made available to new customers connected through BTCellnet-owned DX Communications or The Mobile Phone Store.

Business customers will have access to on-line account management from mid-November.

Lumina managing director Hugh Logan said:

The banks allow customers to handle day-to-day account management over the web thus allowing staff to focus on more complex issues.

We believe we should be offering a similar service. We are looking to offer the Internet as a key channel rather than a mandatory one through which to communicate with us.

Paul Lawton Luminas Director of Business Sales and Marketing believes that on-line account management will allow Lumina to focus on developing bespoke solutions.

Our sales account managers will be moving away from a box-shifting mentality and working towards creating a customer lifetime value approach.

They are Tariq Siddiq (Taz Technics 290 Moston Lane Manchester) and Javed Raja Sarwar and Tariq Sarwar (Talking Point. 320 London Road West Croydon). They join the other dealers Not in Good Standing. The full list of banned dealers can be found on www.fcs.org.uk.

The Wales-based company which recently ran an ad campaign featuring Melinda Messenger connects about 20000 subscribers a month.

Some of its direct sell tactics have been criticised by BBC consumer programme Watchdog and the high-pressure tactics of its sales people have been reported in Mobile News.

First Line Mobile head of marketing Sam Thirlwell said:

A combination of tariffs and various different things in terms of customer calling made Vodafone a better choice. Vodafone gave us a better customer offering.

The company denied rumours that it had been facing receivership but admitted that it had been through a difficult time and had restructured where there had been overlap with its service provider Cellular Operations. Around 48 employees were recently made redundant.

It has been quite a difficult time for us. Thirty per cent of employees come from friends and family and redundancies have been taken quite hard. Weve had a lot of local press involvement which has unsettled the staff said Thirlwell.

The men have been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Epping police have also confirmed they are seeking other people in connection with ram raiding incidents on mobile phone premises in the Slough and in the Thames Valley region.

Celltalk which claims it is Oranges biggest contract SP was established in 1991 by Richard Marsden and Jess Meredith Watts and currently employs 200 people. It says it has approximately 150000 corporate and consumer customers and offers connection to all four networks.

Marsden and Meredith-Watts will become joint managing directors of the group and retain control with close to 80 per cent of the equity.

General Industries is an AIM shell with cash and assets in excess of 1 million. It will change its name to Celltalk Group. The company is raising 1.84 million with an issue of 1.6 million new 115p shares. A further 189000 is being raised through an issue of 210000 new shares at 90p a throw.

Celltalk operates two trading divisions. Consumer business is handled through Direct Mobile Phone Warehouse whilst the Direct Business Communications side looks after the corporate business offering fixed line as well as mobile communications products.

Le Pla has spent the last five years working on Sonys telecoms business. He started at the company as a national account manager in its brown goods division.

Sony Internationals advertising and PR manager Danielle Dichter said:

We will strengthen the local team in the UK and we recently launched a recruitment campaign for marketing and sales position.

Mobile News understands that The Carphone Warehouse is planning on completing the acquisition of Cellcom by June 9 depending on due diligence and other formalities.

Cellcoms French operation CMC is excluded from the deal.

Carphone Warehouse managing director Charles Dunstone told

Mobile News:

We are in conversations with Cellcom. An announcement of our intention to acquire Cellcom was made to their employees. They were told it was likely that Cellcom would become part of The Carphone Warehouse. I cant say much more because of confidentiality and a commercial considerations. We still need to consult Cellcoms suppliers and employees further before we announce all our intentions.

Cellcoms marketing director Jack Knight had already tendered his resignation and will leave Cellcom soon to set up a retailing consultancy called Symbion.

Knight indicated that he was leaving because of the changes that were afoot at Cellcom.

The market has changed. The world has changed. I looked and thought Im not sure I want to do what it is turning in to. I made a decision to go.

Dunstone denied that (Cont P2) ownership of a service provider was part of a pre-flotation plan saying that Cellcom would still be a small part of the The Carphone Warehouse organisation.

There is no relationship between this move and any future plans for flotation. This is purely a commercial deal designed to keep CPW at the forefront of customer service Dunstone said.

The Carphone Warehouse wants to strengthen its virtual network brand Value Telecom which is administered by Cellcom. Dunstone is looking to develop fixed line and internet access options for Value Telecom as part of this particular brands development.

Ownership of a service provider would also give The Carphone Warehouse its own billing engine.

The company is convinced the continued integration of fixed mobile and non-voice communications is fundamental to its future growth.

The acquisition of Cellcom which has around 60000 subscribers would be in line with The Carphone Warehouses strategy to provide a seamless service from the initial retail purchase through to billing and customer care.

Cellcoms share holders include the Rothschild Investment Trust and Cellcom chairman Paul Cohen.