Bramwell sales manager for Uniques SIM-free department had been with the company for eight years. Unique is searching for his replacement.

Unique sales director Jolyon Bennett said: Matt has worked extremely hard over the eight years but he now wants to pursue other challenges. We wish him all the best.

Bramwells next destination is unknown.

Meanwhile Unique lost a morning due to the flooding that swept the UK last week. Sales staff were moved from flooded ground-floor offices to a higher level.

The Bush administration yesterday upheld the The US International Trade Commissions ban on the importation of the chips which are carried by many operators including Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel.

The ITC imposed the ruling citing that Qualcomm chips infringe on patents belonging to Broadcom Inc. including push-to-talk and video compression.

Qualcomm will now launch an appeal and renew its request for a stay of the ITC ban on imports of future 3G mobile broadband handset models.

Qualcomm CEO Dr Paul E. Jacobs said: We are committed to preserving the enormously successful mobile broadband industry in the U.S. and to protecting and advancing the significant gains that have already been achieved in communications disaster preparedness and emergency response.

We will pursue all legal and technical options available to us to minimize the impact of the ITC order on consumers our customers and the entire wireless industry.

The database by the Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum (TUFF) will be made available to all mobile retailers in September.

TUFF chief executive Jack Wraith said the database would be fully functioning in time for the Christmas shopping season when mobile retailers traditionally take on more staff.

Wraith said mobile outlets had been reporting an unacceptable level of employee crime which retailers had attributed to frequent staff movement. I would like to see that concern disappear he said.

The new 40-acre site will create around 650 jobs but the 300 staff currently working in Coventry face an anxious wait to see if they are offered positions at Ansty.

Ericsson UK managing director Jacqueline Hey said: The site at Ansty will enable us to create an operating environment specifically designed to suit the needs of our business both now and for the future.

We recognize both the skills that we have in the UK and the importance of maintaining the capabilities we have.

This is an important step securing employment in the area that is likely to create new job opportunities.

Oxby has more than 15 years experience in the industry having previously worked as vice president of global mobile for Cable and Wireless and more recently as UK marketing director at 3.

Virgin Media chief operating officer Neil Berkett said: Graeme has been working in the mobile industry since its infancy and has helped pioneer the bringing together of mobile communications and entertainment.

His commercial acumen and pedigree marketing credentials will ensure Virgin Mobile retains a dynamic and compelling presence both in the mobile market and as part of Virgin Medias unique quad-play proposition.

Commenting on his new role Graeme said: Virgin Mobile has a well deserved reputation for doing things differently. Ever since its creation in 1999 it has consistently challenged convention and established itself as a genuinely distinctive choice for consumers.

I look forward to the challenge of building on this legacy and the opportunities that come with being part of the UKs only fully integrated entertainment and communications provider.

ET went into administration in June after failed attempts to find a buyer.

TAP head of corporate development Harb Sangha said TAP had bought ETs intellectual property including its company name trademarks brand names and web domains.

Sangha said: We will be adding to our large stable of companies and this will fit in very nicely. Although the company went into administration European Telecom had a good name. Our executives are brainstorming for ideas on how this could widen the field for us. This will see us leapfrog a lot of other companies.

Sangha would not confirm rumours that TAP paid more than £500000 for ETs naming rights

It follows proposals by state and territory police in Australia to introduce a 100-point identity check with customers required to present documents such as a passport or birth certificate to purchase SIM cards. Australian authorities claim the move will help them track down criminals.

However the House of Lords said last week that such a scheme would not deliver any significant new benefits to the investigatory process.

Meanwhile Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum (MICAF) and Telecommunications United Kingdom Fraud Forum (TUFF) spokesman Jack Wraith said the initiative would spur a black market for SIM cards.

The debate has been prompted by the increasing use of SIM cards as detonating devices in terrorist attacks and organised crime where suspects are found in possession of multiple SIM cards.

After the June 29 terrorist attacks when two cars carrying gas cylinders and nails were found in central London and a burning car crashed into Glasgow airport British police tracked a SIM card found on one of the men accused and alerted Australian authorities.

Australian police charged the man Muhammed Haneef 27 with supporting the bomb plot by giving his SIM card to the other two accused.

Haneefs defence was that he passed on the SIM card so the others could take advantage of his mobile tariff. It has not been established whether the SIM card was used in the foiled attacks.

In the House of Lords on July 16 Viscount Waverly presented the question of whether the Government would make it compulsory for proof of identity to be produced when purchasing SIM cards.

The House of Lords said: The compulsory registration of pre-pay ownership would not deliver any significant new benefits to the investigatory process and would dilute the effectiveness of current self-registration schemes.

Wraith said the UKs position was to encourage voluntary registration of mobile phone users via the Immobilise website which currently has 21 million registrations.

A network spokeswoman told Mobile News: This is something we are considering in selected cases. Since May we have not implemented any cases but we do not rule it out in the future.

3 UK sales director Marc Allera said in Mobile News in May that 3 was within its rights to consider clawing back customer airtime and usage costs from the dealer
channel.

The network also admitted last week that as a result of its strategy to acquire the majority of business through its direct channels its distribution partners have suffered. 3 is currently putting in excess of 70 per cent of its business through its direct sales channels.

We havent cut off any distributors but we are doing less business through a number of them. This reflects our increased focus on our direct channels. Its a competitive market and while we compete for quality customers our partners must abide by our terms and conditions said the spokeswoman.

She added: We are moving towards direct because we want quality connections. This is what we will be looking for over the coming months.

He said: We have a handset line-up for Christmas that will incorporate music email and web browsing facilities. We are feeling good about the alternatives. If we get the iPhone fine. If we dont that is also fine because we have our own line-up of devices.

Sarin said the fact the iPhone was not a 3G device made Vodafone less keen to range it anyway. Its a software-driven product and a good device but it doesnt have 3G connectivity. Economics are something one has to look at when they think of carrying a device. If a 3G iPhone was made available we would love to carry it he said.

If you are going to have an internet device it needs to have 3G connectivity and thats the key point. The good thing about the iPhone is that it raises the bar for the industry [in terms of design].

The Tesco Mobile distribution contract considered to be one of the prize supply deals within handset distribution is split between the three. Data Select is now taking charge of around 50 per cent of the product lines that Tesco Mobile invites its distribution partners to tender for.

Data Select managing director George McPherson said: We are making significant gains in the marketplace. We have won a greater share of the Tesco Mobile account.

McPherson would not comment upon the detail of its agreement with Tesco Mobile.

One source close to Tesco Mobile said: Unique and 20:20 have reduced business on certain lines to Tesco Mobile. Data Select is covering about 50 per cent of the supply chain at the moment.

Both 20:20 and Unique maintained that business with Tesco Mobile was good. A 20:20 spokesman said: Tesco Mobile is a key customer and has a high profile within the business.

20:20 is recruiting a Tesco Mobile account manager to replace Heloise Bessy who joined Vodafone earlier this year to take charge of its Asda Mobile business. Bessys replacement will report into Matt Child 20:20s Tesco Mobile account director.

Matt has extensive experience within the grocery sector. We will appoint a new Tesco Mobile account manager shortly which will enhance our resources said a 20:20 spokesman.

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