Electronics giant Hitachi has developed a new GSM Sim card capable of being upgraded to 3G applications. The new Sim features 196K of ROM said by Hitachi to be the worlds largest on-chip Rom. Hitachi says it has 30 per cent of the Sim devices market

The Carphone Warehouse has kicked off its Christmas offensive with a 2.5 million pan-European ad campaign.

The campaign includes new 40-second and 30-second TV commercials radio commercials colour press ads in-store point of sale and direct marketing.

The theme of the commercials is an animated mobile phone whose unhappy life is transformed when he is taken to a Carphone

Warehouse.

Ad agency Clemmow Hornby Inge which has also carried out work for French Connection and Tesco says the idea for the latest CPW ad effort is based on the fact that all phones are created equal but those cared for by The Carphone Warehouse have happier and more productive lives.

The ad blitz also introduces a new strapline: For a better mobile life.

The campaign includes new 40-second and 30-second TV commercials radio commercials colour press ads in-store point of sale and direct marketing.

The theme of the commercials is an animated mobile phone whose unhappy life is transformed when he is taken to a Carphone Warehouse.

Ad agency Clemmow Hornby Inge which has also carried out work for French Connection and Tesco says the idea for the latest CPW ad effort is based on the fact that all phones are created equal but those cared for by The Carphone Warehouse have happier and more productive lives.

The ad blitz also introduces a new strapline: For a better mobile life.

Sendo has currently signed an agreement to build a 71000 sq ft facility at Eagle Court adjacent to Hatchford Brook Golf Course Coventry Road.

The new building will be one of three schemes to be developed on the 10-acre site brought to the market by Birmingham City Council. Hugh Brogan chief executive of Sendo said:

This brand new state-of-the-art building will allow us to expand our development facilities in the UK.

Sendo which claims to build the lightest GSM phones was founded in August 1999.

One of the companys main share holders is CCT Telecom Holdings Limited. Sendo has its Asia Pacific Operations Centre in Hong Kong.

Its mobile phones are currently manufactured in China and its European distribution centre is based in the Netherlands.

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.