Priced at around 49 the Ora Call Kit boxes are designed for use with the relevant model of pre-pay phone.

The Call Kit box contains a leather case charger power cord and a personal hands-free headset.

Over half a million new pre-pay connections were made during the last three months said Ora marketing manager Ian Davies.

There are a tremendous number of users who must want the flexibility of hands-free operation easy recharging and a case for their phone.

Pre-pay is an easy route to access the mobile network and our Call Kits have been designed to be an equally easy way to buy a set of popular and useful accessories said Davies.

Ora says that as far as it is aware it is the only accessory company offering ready-packed accessory product to pre-pay users.

The network is now building a new call centre in Birmingham to beef up its level of customer support.

Vodafone also expects to bring out a fully-automated system for topping up call credits which will triple its current capacity. The network says between October and March it will have spent 20 million on improving PAYT customer service.

JWE will immediately pay 6 million for the company and a further 2.5 million or more depending on Midlands final results for its year ending next March up to a maximum of 9 million.

This purchase price is based on a multiple of six-times Midlands pre-tax profit for the year ending March 1999.

The acquisition which is expected to add more than 30000 subscribers to JWEs base is due to be completed by the end of this month.

It also gives JWE a presence in the West Midlands region. The number of JWE employees goes up from 400 people to nearly 500.

JWE floated on the Stock Market in May at a share price of 1.03p and is now capitalised at around 25 million. At the time of writing the shares were 1.51p.

Under the terms of the acquisition Midland Phones and its 14 outlets will operate under the JWE brand name.

The deal is a major landmark in the groups development and an important first acquisition following on from our flotation said JWE joint managing director Tony Farmer.

JWE started talking to Midland in July about a takeover.

JWE has been operating in the mobile telecoms market since 1986 and was last year number 30 in Price Waterhouses list of fastest-growing companies in the country.

It is a leading BT Communications Centre and distributes mobile phones and airtime through a dealer network of more than 200 dealers and 30 business centres and High Street shops.

First Direct will soon start selling phones to customers that will allow account details to be sent as a text message for up to three different accounts: cheque savings and credit card.

The service which requires customers to pay their air-time bill by direct debit from their cheque account will later allow customers to request First Direct to send them messages when specific credits and debits hit their account.

People with existing digital handsets will be able to access the basic service. But a dedicated First Direct handset will be needed to access new services as they develop.

The three dedicated phones are the Motorola d520 ( 39.99) Motorola cd930 ( 79.99) and the StarTAC 130 ( 199.99).

First Direct says it will try and offer customers the latest handsets and up-date the choice on a regular basis.

A range of Cellnet calling plans are available.

Also included is a handsfree kit itemised billing Cellnet Traffic Line First membership and for an extra 2.49 a month insurance and Call saver to reduce the price of local calls.

It is a natural progression for the first company to offer telephone banking to now enable its customers to access banking information wherever and whenever they need to said Cellnets MD Peter Erskine.

First Direct chief executive Andrew Armishaw added;

We will use the latest technology to give our customers yet another simple way to bank with us.

Evans is donating his six-figure fee to charity. The new commercial will be the culmination a a three-month 15 million One 2 One Christmas marketing campaign and will be seen from mid-December.

Evans follows model Kate Moss Beirut hostage John McCarthy comedian Vic Reeves inventor Trevor Bayliss and footballer Ian Wright in the One 2 One campaigns.

Orange is seeking permission for a further mast with service cabins in an area designated to be protected from development.

Government policy is that local authorities must assist phone companies seeking sites. Planners at East Hampshire District Council look set to steamroller the Orange application through despite strong local environmental protest.

Another tower could be put up without further Planning Committee discussion.

We are not against progress nor mobile phones. But there has to be some way of containing the pursuit for coverage at the expense of our countryside said local resident Mike Napier.

If all the companies shared masts they would have the same reception and the same coverage. But by competing for coverage every hilltop in the country will eventually have these monstrosities on them.

We are not the only people protesting. There are outcries across the Country. The networks want to keep the lid on local protests and contain them in isolated groups to prevent them from having a strong united voice. But the issue is becoming too big for them to keep the lid on it.

Orange already has two masts close to the village. Cellnet received planning permission for a separate tower at a nearby sewage works.

Protestors feel the small gain in Orange and Cellnets coverage does not justify erecting any more towers or masts in the area.

Trade creditors amount to 26556. The Inland Revenue is owed 45405.

Hermes is owed 28538 by trade debtors but only 5000 of this is expected to be collected.

The liquidation is being handled by accountants Moore Stephens Booth White 3-5 Rickmansworth Road Watford WD1 7HG.

Even cellular operators who have managed to double or triple their subscriber base have not necessarily doubled or tripled their revenues. In fact revenue per subscriber has tended to fall in proportion to the increase in the number of subscribers says Romtec in a new report called Maximising Subscriber Revenues.

The combined pressures of competition and churn are forcing cellular operators to reassess their market strategies claims Romtec senior analyst Roman Panas.

Increasingly they are refocusing on ways of maintaining existing subscribers rather than concentrating on capturing new subscribers. They are discovering it costs far less to maintain an existing customer than it does to attract a new one.

The Romtec report suggests that combating churn may be a losing battle. This is because it merely means that operators retain unprofitable or marginal customers. The old 20:80 rule applies. That is 20 per cent of customers generate 80 per cent of the revenues.