Another possible candidate for the job is Orange group sales director Gareth Jones.

Brennan an Australian joined Orange in 1993 as group IT and operations director having spent the early part of his career with Hutchison Whampoa in Hong Kong overseeing the development and operation of the groups IT systems throughout south east Asia.

His responsibility at Orange included the development of a proprietary IT infrastructure and the evolution of IT systems which has helped establish Oranges reputation as a leading communications company.

Brennan was appointed UK group commercial director of Orange in March last year.

The award was given from feedback from a July survey by the CMA of UK communications technology industries.

The award was based on users ratings of their suppliers across 31 subject areas from service and technical innovation to clarity of billing complaints handling and geographical coverage.

The first network facility to be made available to students will be based on GPRS. Vodafone will incorporate the latest GPRS standards into its live GSM network and will begin full customer trials this month. The GPRS network will be followed by a third generation test network in the spring.

Once the infrastructure is in place Vodafone will work with the University and manufacturers to ensure that sufficient phones are available to carry out the trials which will initially be within the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory.

Vodafone is making a pioneering investment in advanced mobile network technologies in Cambridge said Vodafones UK Strategy director Tim Harrabin.

It offers a huge opportunity to develop innovative services and applications for the millions of mobile phone users in the UK.

We are delighted to supplement our own development activities by providing facilities to support the University and other organisations committed to turning ideas for future mobile applications into reality.

GPRS delivers internet applications to mobile devices at speeds up to five times faster than GSM.

Sainsburys says from next year it will launch a service called Sainsburys One which will offer customers the best call rate against every standard tariff and charge the lowest cost. Prepay customers will get a credit every three months for calls that would have been cheaper on another network.

The service is similar to their BTCellnet First scheme that has been available for the last two years.

It is not anything like the Virgin One 2 One tie up said BTCellnet sales director Mark Stansfield.

Sainsburys are not going to become a Virtual Network Operator (VNO). Though I cant talk about the specifics of the deal no one must think Sainsburys are going to become a VNO.

It is a normal kind of tie up. It is a loyalty scheme targeted at Sainsbury Reward Card holders. We thought long and hard about the proposals before we went ahead.

Stansfield denied the Sainsburys venture represented a branding of BTCellnet.

The scheme is based on airtime that the supermarket buys from us in a normal way and to which they are trying to add value. It is part of a wider scheme. From Sainsburys point of view this is not just about mobile telephony; they will be looking at other services too.

I was very clear that I didnt want anything we did as a company to undermine our commitment to the dealer channel. This is about having the right propositions in the right channels. Dont forget that BTCellnet has the First programme which guarantees that the customer is always on the best tariff something that no other network offers.

We are extending into a reward area which is normally a segmented part of the market. We will still trade with the grocery channels but we are supporting the independent channels with chequeback commercials pre-pay packages and other initiatives which they need to get to their target groups.

None of the product that will be sold in Sainsburys will be own brand. It will all be BT branded. Vodafone have joined up with Centrica but we have made it quite clear that we are not in the wholesale game at the moment.

There are more serious questions to be addressed. I am saying that the BTCellnet product will not be in any way compromised. A similar question ought to be asked about any plans Vodafone and Tesco might have.

The BTCellnet proposition will not be devalued or price cut. We are not looking at a BTCellnet proposition being cheaper in Sainsburys.

Stansfield said dealers will always be able to compete.

We are 100 per cent committed to supporting the BTCellnet dealer community. Work is in progress on the BTCellnet Sainsbury deal at this moment but from what I have seen this deal is complementary to the rest of our activities.

As far as the independent sector is concerned we know they will have the right post-pay propositions the right support. One size does not fit all.

We dont want the independent channel to enter the commodity market; we need to support them in the right areas to add value to their businesses.

Sainsburys is just another distributor agreement. Clearly when you do something like this it means you work more closely together but we are also very committed to the other grocery channels and we dont want to loose those relationships.

In the same way wed be very disappointed if Tesco having made their choice of preferred partner didnt still want to continue to trade with us.

CPS will develop location technology based on the Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) standard.

Nortel Networks will integrate and market CPS products into its e-mobility location center. Nortel Networks believes that OTDOA will become a powerful location method that will have minimal cost impact on both handsets and infrastructure.

The mobile location market is estimated at more than US$30 billion by 2005. Nortel Networks is a global Internet and communications company with technologies spanning optical wireless local internet and eBusiness.

Digital Radio will allow listeners to hear in CD quality stereo while being able to call up the stations web site and choose the musical output for the day.

Listeners will be able to vote for and influence a daily play-list of music and introduce additions to the play-list using 3G devices.

The most popular tracks will be played at the highest rotation with users being able to interact using the mobile internet.

Manx Telecoms NEC-built 3G network is scheduled to be launched next Spring.

Subject to approval by the Isle of Man Communications Commission Virgin Radio plans to operate a trial Digital Radio licence on the Isle of Man using a Digital Radio technology service provided by Crown Castle.

Scottish Media Group Virgin Radios parent company will present the new digital only service for the Isle of Man – currently named Manx Choice.

The Group says this will be the worlds first interactive radio station. Radio programmes will be selected by the public on a daily basis using 3rd generation technology.

In the future it is anticipated that Digital Radio reception and 3G capability will be combined into Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).

Lee Roberts commercial development director of SMG Radio who created the concept behind Manx Choice said

Virgin Radio has always been an innovator in broadcasting. We were the first radio station in the world to launch a WAP site and we have been looking at 3G as a potential platform for several years.

Manx Choice new type of radio station for the 3G user using the latest telecommunications and broadcasting technology and shows one possible version of future broadcasting. It is the worlds first truly interactive radio station totally programmed by the listener using the worlds first example of a hybrid 3G and Digital Radio network.

Crown Castle president Bob Giles added:

We are very proud to be able to offer our support to such a technologically advanced project in the world of Digital Radio and 3G. After having been involved in the design and build of this network Crown Castle is delighted to be able to roll out converging services to make Digital Radio and 3G a reality.

Four new handsets will be available. Two from Motorola and one each from Siemens and Sagem. The Motorola V100 Pagewriter priced at 149.99 (RRP) is built around a complete QWERTY keyboard for SMS text messages or e-mails. Calls are taken on a headset.

Priced at 99.99 (RRP) the Motorola v2288 will be available exclusively in black. The phone will be sold with two coloured phone wraps and includes a built in FM Radio with headphones for music and news on the move.

The Sagem MW936 which will be priced at 89.99 (RRP). Featuring an in-built hands free speaker phone changeable front covers and WAP hot key for quick access the MW936 is ideal for a users first foray into WAP.

The Siemens C35i will be priced at 129.99 (RRP).

Tim Yates Marketing Director for One 2 One said:

We are launching our pay as you go WAP offering with an extremely strong range of handsets. Our WAP content has developed considerably over the past few months and the deals such as those with Time Out Loot and lastminute.com have added a great deal of value to our users. The handsets are sure to appeal to customers and we are confident that our pay as you go WAP range will help us retain our current status as the fastest growing network in the UK.

WAP calls will be charged at 10p per minute at all times. On the pay as you go standard plan users are able to make 23 hours and 58 minutes of calls each day for a flat rate of 5p per minute. The first two minutes of local or national calls or calls to other One 2 One customers each day will be charged at 30p per minute. After the first two minutes such calls are 5p per minute for the rest of the day.

New additions to the existing WAP offering include Time Out Sports.com Games Zone and Teletext. Other services such as e-mail both to and from PCs and between mobiles and a View My Bill section for checking your current balance and recent payments are invaluable to those constantly on the move. A range of interactive games and a favourites section where you can bookmark your favourite WAP sites are also available.

GSM network.

Dolphin has brought out a new range of free call net services aimed at specific industries and public and private safety organisations and construction companies. Dolphin is part of Dolphin Telecom Europes biggest mobile radio operator.