The deal should mean that Woolwich Open Plan customers registered to use WAP banking will be able to access their accounts in five to 10 seconds compared to the industry average of 30 seconds plus.

This growth will not be universal. Plimsoll predicts only 43 per cent of companies in the mobile industry will see sales increase. Around 30 per cent will see stagnant sales and 27 per cent are likely to see sales decline.

Plimsoll analysed 544 UK companies in the UK and put the results in a 450 report called Profit Predictor Edition 2001: Mobile Phones.

As competition intensifies profitability will be key. Companies must aim to get a better grasp of their costs to improve profits says Plimsolls managing director Don Turkington.

The report includes a 12 month future predictor as well as an individual performance analysis of each of the Top 544 UK companies in the Mobile Phones industry.

The BBC posters boast slogans such as 3… 2… 1… and 3 is the magic num3er.

Many consumers have been confused into thinking that the advertisements were for the new 3G network.

But 3 says it is unconcerned by the sudden appearance of poster advertisements for the new channel and doesnt plan to take any action against the BBC.

We dont have any concerns to be honest. It is still early days concerning the development of our brand but the market research we have carried out into tracking customers shows that people know where we are coming from and are fully aware that these arent our advertisements 3 director of external relations Matt Peacock told Mobile News.

BBC 3s advertisements have a very different style look and feel about them. The key issue is what the consumer thinks about the posters and the research tells us that the BBCs campaign isnt seen as a problem.

Ironically a BBC-owned subsidiary BBC Technology will process and edit content on behalf of 3.

Before content which includes news and entertainment can be sent to next-generation subscribers it requires processing and converting into a format that can be delivered to the handsets.

The court heard the boy then received a series of obscene text messages. Nichols of Barrow Hill Estate St Johns Wood admitted three counts of sending messages of an obscene or menacing nature on July 11 12 and 13.

Nichols was bailed for probation and psychiatric reports.

Completion will take place on August 31. The transaction will result in Thales owning all of the issued share capital of GT. European Telecom will use the money to reduce debt. The company racked up 27 million losses in the last 12 months (Mobile News July 9).

Global Telematics was formed in 1997 as a joint venture between Thales and European Telecom.

A condition of the deal is that European Telecom gets 22.5 per cent of any sale proceeds of over 6 million if Thales sells on Global Telematics within two years. The disposal of Global Telematics is part of European Telecoms strategy to sell off all its businesses not related to the distribution and fulfilment of cellular equipment.

Global Telematics supplies telematics solutions and services under its Orchid brand in the UK South Africa and Australia. The venture lost 7.7 million in the last year. European Telecom shouldered a 3.9 million share of that loss.

European Telecom group managing director David McKinney said:

We are pleased to have reached agreement with Thales on the future ownership of GT allowing ET to focus on its core business. The terms of the disposal provide an opportunity for ET to benefit from any disposal of GT over the next three years.

European Telecom tried to float Global Telematics on the stock exchange last December. But the offering was pulled at the last minute due to adverse market conditions.

Thales is involved in aerospace defence and information technology and services. The group employs 65000 people worldwide and operates in nearly 50 countries.

The contracts are for the supply of cases cords chargers fascias and hands-free kits.

Ora says the contract is bigger than a recent win of a 4 million deal to supply The Carphone Warehouse with accessories.

Ora has been supplying The Carphone Warehouse for around 12 years.

It says most messages have a sex theme with 71 million flirty and romantic messages being sent each week. Around 63 million jokes are forwarded and 60 million messages are sent to make social arrangements according to the report.

Half of all text messages are sent by the 15 to 24 year age group indicating the age bias of texting.

Women are much more likely to send sexy texts than men – 43 million a week as opposed to just 28 million from men. Men may be distracted by texting the four million a week sport updates to their mates compared to just one million by women says Continental Research.

The report says there has been a decrease in the average monthly mobile bill because of more low-spending pre-pay users and falling call charges.

Average mobile bill sizes reduce with age and fall particularly sharply after the age of 55 says Continentals report.

Contract customers account for 55 per cent up from 47.6 per cent while total connections grew by over 18 per cent compared to the same period last year.

We are in a strong position to succeed in a pan-European marketplace that is in significant change said CEO Charles Dunstone.