al customer base including France and the rest of the world totalled 33.2 million up from 20.9 million as at March 31 last year.

The mobile internet is not just another buzzword to cover marketing initiatives of wireless vendors. It is set to completely transform the way companies communicate with their customers suppliers and employees. Its the one developing area companies cant afford to ignore said Business Intelligence publishing director Simon Lan-caster.

Meanwhile business over the Internet is growing in Europe despite the recent turmoil in the stock markets says analysts IIDC. IDC estimates European Internet commerce will surpass the $1 trillion mark by 2004.

The multimedia applications were provided by Nokias experimental All IP Mobility Core system and application servers run over a trial 3G All-IP network. The system is based on industry-backed standard IPv6 required for proper service and security in IP networks.

The services being trialled allow the users to be able to initiate and complete a number of different applications within a call session.

This follows the extension of Vodafone Corporates agreement to supply the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) with mobile communications by inclusion in the Defence Communication Services Agency (DCSA) catalogue.

Under this arrangement Vodafone Corporate will be providing mobile communications services to the MoD. The deal became effective this month and gives Vodafone Corporate the potential to sell kit to thousands of personnel .

Vodafone Corporate MD Graham Ward said:

This new agreement builds on our existing strategic partnership with government in which we have helped to deliver significant cost savings.

We are delighted to have won this contract and look forward to working with the DCSA to bring the benefits of mobile communications as well as maximise savings across Defence through the widest take-up of the new deal.

Plimsoll predicts between 25 and 35 companies in the industry could fail in the next year regardless of any deteriorating conditions in the economy.

Most of these companies will be sold or bought out. If a recession does hit Plimsoll expects this figure to double. Several of these companies could be major players.

Its analysis found that 347 out of 544 companies in the mobile phones industry are at a high risk of failure and 157 companies were even given a danger rating.

This does not mean the industry is in complete demise. For almost as many companies Plimsoll rated as caution or danger they have also rated in similar numbers as strong or good.

Ninety eight strong companies in the Mobile Phones industry know how to sustain a successful business. This figure is up from last year by 18 companies.

This is nearly double the 580 million text messages sent between the networks this time last year.

MDA figures show that the growth in UK texting which culminated in the landmark billion breakthrough for August continues.

Britons now send 36 million texts each day more than double those sent last year with an annual total so far of 8.5 billion.

European Telecoms new joint venture in France with Cyber Telecom is believed to have picked up a logistics and fulfilment contract with Philips France.

European Telecom chief executive David McKinney said: I can confirm that European Telecom is currently in discussions with Philips France.

However these discussions are yet to be concluded. When I can let you have further details I will.

European Telecom last month sold a majority 81 per cent stake in ET France to Cyber Telecom for 1.15 million. Both companies then contributed 193000 each to establish a new French logistics venture.

Under the agreement T-Mobile is able to offer three separate sky packages on its mobile TV service. Each package costs £5 per month and customers have the option of choosing the news and sport entertainment or music packs.

The deal offers T-Mobile customers a large choice of Sky channels including Sky One Sky Sports News CNN MTV Sky Sports 123 The Box and Paramount Comedy.

The service also offers 92 live Premiership games which heralds the first time that live football as been streamed to mobiles in the UK.

T-Mobile head of entertainment Damien Byrne said: The web has transformed the way we watch video and this is fuelling an increasing interest in Mobile TV.

The timing of the Sky deal couldnt be better as it combines with our mobile TV offering to create an awesome package with more choice than ever before.

Jo Groves managing director of Kent B2B dealer Active Digital has been shortlisted for the Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award part of the Fast Growth Business Awards sponsored by T-Mobile.

Groves 28 said Active Digital was O2s second best performing dealer in the South of England last year behind Azzurri after recording the best quarter across of its channel partners. Its turnover jumped 80 per cent last year compared with 2004/5 and it doubled its number of staff to 30.

The company expects turnover to double again this year and Groves is recruiting more than 10 new staff across its sales support and development teams. Active Digital has just moved to a new 5000 square-foot HQ near Tunbrige Wells.

Groves said: The achievement is great. It puts the business on the map and its good for staff morale. Last year was our best ever. We took on a couple of very big corporate clients. This year we expect to grow the business further.

Active Digital is on the O2 Advance Dealer programme and is a Vodafone direct dealer. Groves co-founded Active Digital in 1996 with her brother business sales director Richard Groves.

The Fast Growth Business Awards are run by magazine Growing Business.

We have not cut supply lines from any distributorsaid a Tesco Mobile spokesperson.

We have increased business with one distributor but our business with the others remains constant. Business has not been switched between suppliers.

Sources claimed last month that Data Select had picked up certain product lines from rival manufacturers 20:20 and Unique. Tesco Mobile was initially unavailable for comment. However it said last week: None of our suppliers has lost business.

It refused to confirm what percentage of Tesco Mobile supply lines Data Select is now responsible for but sources claimed it was as high as 50 per cent.

Meanwhile former Unique boss John McFarnon who joined Advantage Cellular Group last month stated he was not using his ties with Tesco Mobile to win new business for Advantage.

Bernard has taken a position in Sony Ericssons global marketing team and will deal with its network partners.

Bernard will report to Sony Ericsson global marketing director Ben Padley.