From today Tesco will cut prices from 40p per minute for outgoing calls to 35p. It will also slash the cost of receiving calls to 15p a minute.

Tesco Mobile CEO Andy Dewhurst said: We welcome the new legislation but we want our customers to get better value right away. It seems ludicrous that some mobile phone companies may make customers wait until the end of the summer to lower their mobile roaming prices.

HSBC First Direct Alliance & Leicester and from later this summer Royal Bank of Scotland NatWest and Ulster Bank have all signed up to the new service.

Vodafone will allow customers to check their balance request a mini-statement or top-up their phones via the internet.

Customers will be asked to provide their bank details into a secure application called MONILINK. Once registered they will be asked to enter a password before being able to access their bank account.

Head of Vodafone Internet On Your Mobile Al Russell said: Banking is one of the most important services that our customers use and by partnering with the MONILINK network we can ensure that all of our customers are able to access their bank accounts on the move whenever they wish.

Samsung chief Mark Mitchinson also confirmed that it has struck a trial deal with Unique.

Samsung continues to work with 20:20 and Data Select which remains under review. It was apparent in the first few weeks it wasnt going to happen with Elite said Mitchinson.

Extreme Mobile will launch in 2008 and McFarnon will oversee the launch of its push-to-talk MVNO which will target the 16-24 year old youth market.

McFarnon will also be responsible for establishing Extremes sister company Advantage Cellular Communications Ltd as a leading distributor.

Our aim is to handle this important sector of the mobile market in an entirely different way offering considerably more than just standard voice and text and appealing equally to both young men and women said McFarnon.

Extreme Mobile chief executive Simon Earle is delighted that McFarnon has joined the group. Earle said: The appointment of John McFarnon as Group Managing Director is a significant step forward in the development of our business.

Brightstar opened preliminary discussions with the top handset manufacturers in late May and early June. It is already negotiating a deal with Samsung and is expected to make a formal presentation to Nokia in the coming weeks.

Deals with both are expected to be confirmed in August.

Samsung UK director Mark Mitchinson told Mobile News: Weve had negotiations at the highest level within Brightstar were very impressed with these guys and it could well materialise into a trial.

Nokia has also been contacted in recent weeks by Brightstar. Its UK managing director Simon Ainslie said Nokia was keen to develop its routes to market and hear Brightstars pitch.

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Dealer directory indie-guides.co.uk was launched in May to encourage consumers to buy from local suppliers rather than the big multiples.

Indie-guides MD Steve Wickens said while subscriptions for the free 90-day trial membership were strong in England numbers were low in other parts of the UK.

Wickens said: The cause of independence is felt keenly in Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland and we believe the indie-guides philosophy dovetails well with that. We target consumers who appreciate the value of buying locally from independents. It is a simple concept designed to be an inexpensive yet effective way of helping businesses prosper against the tide of corporate competition.

Members are given space for a 200-word profile up to two images contact details including website and email hyperlinks plus the chance to add keywords to make the most of the indie-guides search facility.

It said it would be compatible with more than 75 per cent of handsets in the UK.

Omnifone CEO Rob Lewis said the company was in negotiation with a major UK phone retailer but would not comment further.

The Carphone Warehouse has been tipped to be the one but a spokeswoman said it was all speculation.

Lewis said Omnifone would only identify the rollout partner for MusicStation the day before handsets were available in-store and UK rollout plans would remain confidential until then.

Over a 19 month trading period HMRC officers identified losses of over £85 million in VAT linked to the group. The fraudulent trading was tracked across the North West Midlands Republic of Ireland and Europe. The Government says it has been one of the biggest missing trader frauds to be prosecuted.

HMRC head of criminal investigation (North West) Peter Hollier said: This was not a victimless crime but fraud on a massive scale perpetrated by criminals bent on making fast and easy profits at the expense of the British taxpayer. The sentence sends out a clear message to others who may contemplate such activity.

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Avenir Telecom has signed a deal with Hewlett-Packard (HP) to provide HPs top resellers with support on mobile data connections and its own dealer base with support on IT solutions for SME customers.

Avenir will be responsible for delivering full connections support including tariff selection credit checking configuration SIM provisioning porting and billing to HP resellers. Avenirs dealers will get HP laptops and handheld PCs at better prices through the tie-up.

Avenir managing director Tanny Price said the deal would allow both mobile dealers and IT resellers to offer full data solutions. Avenir claimed to be the first airtime distributor to set up a mobile data partnership with IT resellers.

More resellers are expressing an interest in mobile data but the opportunities for both resellers and the networks remains largely untapped said Price. There are opportunities for all parties to work together in order to provide customers with value-driven end-to-end data solutions.

The deal also increases network reach into the IT channel to bolster data connections said Price. Avenir will work as a connections house for all five networks for HP resellers.

HP mobile business development manager Graeme Badenoch said: HP and Avenir are both focused on simplifying sales of ready-connected devices. Providing resellers with the right advice and support infrastructure is essential to help them increase their offerings.

O2 head of indirect partners David Plumb added: There is a wealth of data expertise within the reseller channel and great opportunities
to increase data use among customers. The partnership will act as a good conduit between these markets.

Unique said McFarnon wanted to spend more time with his family and to make way for his successor while the business was in good health.

McFarnon has overseen two successful years at Unique transforming the business after its administration in 2005. It has moved with the times switching its focus from box-shifting to fulfilment. Unique claimed last week it was now the UKs second biggest distributor behind 20:20.

Unique parent company IGB Group recently invested in a new £12 million distribution base in Hayes Middlesex which will complete in August.

IGB Group MD Tamraz Riaz said We would like to thank John for his hard work and dedication during his productive and successful time at Unique Distribution. Regrettably we understand his decision and wish him every success in his future

McFarnon will remain at the Middlesex distributor until a replacement is found.