Baskervilles report estimates that at the end of last year there were 952 million mobile users worldwide.

This level was reached on the back of year-on-year growth of 30 per cent substantially down on 2000s growth of 53 per cent.

The first billion mobile subs took 20 years the second will only take seven said the reports owners.

Based on global daily net additions of over 422000a billion-subscriber mark should have been crossed toward the end of April this year says Baskerville.

The report says at the end of last year global penetration stood at 15.59 per cent.

The Asia-Pacific region was the largest cellular market with 329 `million subscribers (44 per cent of these in China).

Next was western Europe with 285 million mobile users then North America (138 million) Latin America (87 million) eastern

Europe (50 million) and the Middle East (36 million) and Africa (27 million).

The Baskerville report says Africas mobile market will grow from 26 million subscribers today to 150 million by 2010.

Th report costs t 999 (paper copy) 1294 (PDF single user) or 1498 (PDF single user plus papercopy).

The bill contains proposals that would create new offences of: changing the unique identifying characteristic of a mobile phone – the IMEI number; and owning or supplying the necessary equipment with the intent to use it for reprogramming mobile phones.

The new offences could be heard in Magistrates Courts or the Crown Court. If dealt with by Magistrates Courts offenders could face the maximum penalty available in these courts of up to six months imprisonment a 5000 fine or both.

If the case is heard in the Crown Court the maximum penalty would be up to five years imprisonment an unlimited fine or both.

The bill was published last week and builds on the action being taken across Government to tackle crime.

Mobile phone operators will soon have the necessary systems in place to enable them to bar stolen phones across all networks – putting them out of use said Home Office minister John Denham.

But if the unique ID or IMEI number is changed on a stolen phone it could continue to be used.

This bill would mean those seeking to change the IMEI on a phone could face five years in prison. It makes reprogramming stolen phones a crime in its own right and backs up police efforts to tackle handling of stolen goods.

There is no legitimate reason to reprogram a mobile phone. Those doing so run the risk of heavy penalties – penalties they deserve because they are fuelling violent street crime.

Tim Godwin Association of Chief Police Officers representative and deputy for Territorial Policing London said:

Mobile phones are property that account for half of street robberies in London.

This is because they are quickly turned into cash by thieves. This measure will reduce their value to a thief and therefore we strongly support and welcome it.

Jack Wraith executive secretary for the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum said:

Members of the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum welcome the introduction of this bill which we feel certain will together with the other crime initiatives taken recently help reduce the incidents of mobile phone thefts.

The activities of individuals have for too long allowed stolen mobile phones to be reprogrammed with impunity.

This bill together with IMEI barring will address this shortcoming and demonstrates the Governments commitment to working with the industry in tackling mobile phone theft.

The Home Offices Mobile Phone Steering Group was set up in January 2001.

As part of the programme dealers retain their own staff and business name but run under the MoCo brand and benefit from national advertising specialist support including administration and IT and access to the latest promotions and products from the networks.

MoCo managing director Ian Robinson said: Smaller dealers are working in an increasingly competitive market; the branding programme is designed to help them fight the bigger players on a more level playing field.

As independent specialists they already have a brilliant understanding of the products they sell to their customers this programme will just give them an edge in terms of market awareness.

MoCo is looking to have more than 20 stores nationwide completed by the end of March. It already has five dealers in England and is looking for another two in the London area. All outlets will sell products on the four networks. MoCo is a distributor for O2 and an Orange Business Specialist.

The phones accessories and support are being supplied by Affinity Telecom which is also providing ringtones and logos.

Affinity Telecom also offers Tinys customers a dial-up credit top-up system which bypasses the usual top-up vouchers.

Other services provided include telephone customer support and a 48-hour fulfilment guarantee.

Packages on offer are Ericsson T68 ( 39.99) Trium Mars ( 49.99) Nokia 3310 ( 89.99). The website also offers the Siemens C35 ( 79.99) Ericsson T20 ( 89.99) Nokia 3310/3330/6210/8210 ( 89.99 to 189.99) Motorola T250 ( 129.99) Sony T250 ( 199.99).

All phones come with 2.50 worth of free calls. A further 2.50 of free calls follow when the customer has successfully registered the phone.

Affinity provides own-label internet and telecom services to major brands including WHSmith Powergen The Royal Bank of Scotland and Egg.

The company was founded in 1995 and employs over 200 people in Europe Africa and Australasia.

Tiny last year sold more than 400000 PCs in the UK.

Prosecutor Tim Chittenden offered no evidence against Akpabio but said the Crown Prosecution Service would recharge him at a future date.

Akpabio (25) of Axford House Harder Rise Chelsea was discharged on a total of 51 charges of theft and false accounting.

He had been accused of stealing a total of 2750 in sums of between 50 and 150 in a three-month period between December 9 2000 and March 10 2001 at The Orange Shop in Oxford Street London.

He was also charged on numerous counts of falsifying receipts by pretending they had been signed by customers.

The case had been due for committal to the Crown Court for trial but the Crown Prosecution Service did not have its papers together.

Diffin was the only member of the original Phone People management team to make the transition to a new organisation that was financed by a new team including Dr Simon Berrisford and Mike Bahbout.

Wells (41) has held various marketing and sales directorships with companies such as House of Fraser Cadbury Hasbro Courage and Marstons Breweries.

He set up his own consultancy six years ago advising on strategy and business development to a broad base of clients including Nomura Littlewoods and Interbrew.

Wells has already reviewed all of Phone Peoples operations and commenced a restructuring programme that will refine business systems internal communications and further define management roles and responsibilities.

Phone People is at stage where it has re-established solid trading on the high street regained consumer confidence and forged some extremely lucrative deals with partners such as One 2 One Orange and Virgin Mobile he said.

Wells is planning a new corporate image for Phone People.

Were operating in a tighter and more efficient fashion but we now need to make it our paramount concern that the brand communicates this sharper more sophisticated approach. From our corporate appearance through to the ambience within each store the branding has to spell out that Phone People is a forward thinking and truly customer-centric retailer.

Diffin and commercial director Scott Forbes walked out of Phone People in March last year when it was being run by directors Jason Pickthall and Amjad Baig.

Diffin returned to the company in July from his job as sales director of Manchester service provider Yes Telecom after administrators HLB Kidsons sold Phone People to new backers for 3 million.

She has full management responsibility for the Federations activities including its interest groups across the UK mobile and fixed telecommunications sector.

Five years ago Brookes took on the co-ordination of the FCS lobbying programme that led to changes in the Telecommunications Act and introduced stricter penalties for fraudulent activities.

Commented FCS chairman Jonathan Clark:

Jacquis new appointment within the FCS reflects the high regard she is held in by the mobile communications industry and our key government contacts including the Radio Agency and the DTI.

Her new appointment offers FCS members the means to capitalise on her 12 years experience serving their interests by providing her with a wider remit to boost membership and strengthen FCS contacts at all levels within our industry.

The 109 Go Blue PC Card enables users to gain access to email and the internet with a Bluetooth-equipped mobile phone.

The card also enables dial-up networking electronic fax transmission and the automatic synchronisation of PDAs mobile phones and desktop PCs.

The major handset manufacturers have already released five different Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and the PC Card is compatible with all of them said TDK Systems managing director Nick Hunn.

TDK is a founding member of the Bluetooth Consortium.

Called the Virgin Mobile Payment Plan it it is available in 29 branches of V.Shop for all phones worth 129.99 or more.

Participating branches include Yeovil Weston Super-Mare Dunfermline Gosport Ayr Rugby Letchworth Haywards Heath Bromsgrove Bishops Stortford and Braintree.

Customers can buy a second handset and accessories after an upfront payment of 10 per cent.

For example a Nokia 3330 would require a deposit of 12.99 and 11 equal installments and the Siemens SL45 a deposit of 29.99 with 11 similar installments.

This new service from Virgin Mobile will allow everyone to own the very latest desirable mobile phones with no hidden charges or clauses and no interest to pay. Were planning to roll out the service to all our V.Shops early in 2002 said Virgin Mobile director of corporate affairs Steven Day.

In another development Virgin Mobile customers will be able to save more than the cost of a months calls by paying their bill with the new Virgin credit card to be made available next year.

So said Virgin chairman Sir Richard Branson who announced the Virgin Card. It is being produced in partnership with Virgin Money and MBNA Europe.

The Virgin Card will bring together the main elements of the Virgin group under one roof through a customer rewards scheme.

As well as being redeemable against Virgin Mobile bills users will be offered rewards on all of Virgins core products and services from flights to mobile phones.

The card and the rewards scheme will be backed by a 7.5 million marketing campaign.

MBNA Europe Bank is part of MBNA Corporation which has more than 50 million customers worldwide.

His appointment is part of a management restructure following a multi-million pound commitment of finance from a private investment group late last year. Vanguard managing director Paul Crossman left the firm last month (Mobile News January 27).