EQO is the latest VoIP company to set up in the UK buoyed by the publicity around high international mobile call costs and roaming rates. EQO chief executive Bill Tam said last week the market for international calls is worth close to $300 billion (£148bn) per annum.

It is targeting one million users globally by this time next year and claims to save the user 95 per cent on international calls.

EQO founded in Vancouver three years ago runs on around 300 Java-enabled handsets at present. It requires the user to download a 200KB client from EQOs WAP site. The phone book is imported into a new interface so the user can scroll for a name click and call.

EQO carries the call via a mobile phone network at source. The call is then routed over IP using a circuit switching network and out the other side onto a mobile network in the destination country.

Both legs of the call over GSM networks are charged at local rates. Where both parties on the call are EQO users the cost of the two legs is subtracted from their respective network call bundles. Where the recipient is not an EQO customer the termination cost is subtracted from the callers EQO account.

The propensity to call internationally is higher in London because of the number of migrants and foreign nationals and its dispersed community said Tam.

The primary market in the UK is the migrant market many have left their home countries for economic reasons and want to stay in regular contact with friends and family at home.

At the moment they are either using calling cards or else making VoIP calls from PCs in internet cafes he added.

Replacing Alistair Johnson Barrat joined Orange last month. She was previously head of consumer pay monthly and convergence for Mobistar.

Barrat will be responsible for driving the companys uptake of multimedia and data services as well as encouraging existing mobile customers to adopt convergence services such as data broadband and Oranges fixed-mobile devices.

She reports directly to Orange UK vice president of marketing Jean-Pascal Van Overbeke.

David Hinc has been promoted from head of managed services to commercial director while former head of operations Nick Thomas rejoins the group as operations director. Thomas will be in charge of managing the companys logistics and distribution as well as the groups new warehouse in Hayes.

Thomas said: Returning to Unique will be a huge challenge but with renewed vision clear direction and a hunger to succeed driven by our new Chief Executive Andy Tow the sky really is the limit.

Unique has also appointed Andrew Evison as account manager David Birkett as Unique Airtime operations manager and Ron Wood rejoins as national sales manager. Wood returns having spent several years running sales operations at UniqueAir Vodafone and Vanguard.

Unique Distribution CEO Andy Tow said: The wealth of experience and business knowledge these five key appointments bring to Unique will be invaluable as our business plan for the future is implemented.

With financial security and a clear strategy Unique is in a position to attract talented individuals who can hit the ground running and produce rapid commercial results.

The team talk with John Doctor Shop Ryan about the future of the independent dealer. There is also a review of the Nokia 7900 Prism and a rant from Mobile News Ian White about pointless PR.

To cap it all off Iain Graham and the team take a light hearted look at all the latest headlines affecting the mobile industry. So dont miss out listen to the latest edition of the Mobile News podcast by clicking here.

Vodafone said it was unaware its adverts were appearing on the
BNP page in Facebooks political organisations section because it purchased advertising for the site in bundles.

Vodafone added that it did not support any party political interests.

A spokesperson said: We advertise our products and services across a wide range of online and offline publications. In the case of online bundles of space are purchased across a number of sites including social networking sites.

We were not aware a Vodafone advertisement would appear next to a British National Party group on Facebook. To avoid any misunderstandings we immediately withdrew our advertising as soon as this was brought to our attention.

Vodafone is working with its media buyer to ensure tighter controls are in place before signing further advertising deals.

Meanwhile Orange who also advertises on Facebook said Vodafones actions were hypocritical.

A spokesman said: It sends a mixed message to customers as Vodafone is currently working on a deal with MySpace.

A lot of our customers use Facebook. We find it highly successful.

India is the worlds fastest growing wireless market and Nokia has produced more than half of all handsets sold in the country. There are now 190 million Nokia users in India with a record 7.34 million joining in June.

India is now only second to China for Nokia sales which is a rise of two places from 2005.

Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said: India is playing an increasingly important role in the global economy buoyed by impressive economic growth skilled manpower and tremendous business opportunity.

As the market leader in devices and infrastructure Nokia is committed to build the telecom ecosystem in the country and foster the creation of a favorable environment for collaboration and economic development.

3 has opened two trial concession stores inside HMV shops in Hatfield and Merry Hill.

The stores opened last Saturday and 3 has plans to extend the project to include further concessions in HMV stores in Reading and Leeds. If the project is successful 3 intends to expand the trial to include 10 additional HMV stores.

A 3 spokesperson said: Our partnership with HMV aims to give music fans the chance to buy music they want in the way they want to buy it. People will have access to all our products and services in the stores as well as everything a music lover wants.

Sadique said the constant uphill battlevagainst the networks has finally got the better of him. One customer told me how T-Mobile contacted him saying that if he upgraded the N95 in my store it would cost him £40 whilst if he went through them direct the deal would be free he said.

The direct deals theyre offering my customers are leaving me without a leg to stand on. Its hard to see a future in this business.

Sadique a regular at Hugh Symons dealer forums has been in the industry for eight years. He is moving into property.

20:20 has been given a special prize for its achievement of winning its Best Distributor in the Mobile News Awards for the 10th year in a row.

The company was given the special trophy in front of more than 1100 guests at the 13th Mobile News Awards held at the Hilton on Park Lane.

20:20 is only the second company in the history of the Mobile News Awards to win the trophy. The first went to The Carphone Warehouse three years ago. Carphones run as Best Large Retailer was broken last year by O2 but Carphone was back on track on Thursday night again claiming the Best Large Retailer title.

European Telecom (ET) chairman Nico Dervisaj last week invited rival distributors principally Data Select and Fone Logistics to merge with it to establish a UK force to compete in a pressurised market place.

Dervisaj told Mobile News the networks focus on quality has squeezed the distribution channel to the point where more than half of UK distributors face going out of business in the next 12 months.

ET will consider joint ventures with UK businesses of any size. But it is looking specifically to merge with one of its larger rivals.

Dervisaj said: We are not looking to be a super distributor necessarily but to be a much more significant player. The right size would be if ET combined with Data Select or Fone Logistics plus a smaller distributor.

That would be a good size in this market it would cover all aspects of trade and all channels to market. We are looking really for partners that are complementary to ET in their service offering.

Data Select and Fone Logistics said that no contact had been made.

Some distributors are in a difficult position and consolidation is inevitable in this market place said George McPherson managing director of Data Select parent company Phones International. There will be less distributors this time next year.

Fone Logistics managing director Ian Gillespie said: The market is going to consolidate and distributors have to either merge to get bigger or sell up and get out.

The networks are disrupting things and the market will consolidate further. The Brightpoint/Dangaard merger wont be the last.