O2 took a swipe at rival network Orange last week for claiming its new pre-pay overdraft facility Reserve Tank is the first of its kind in the UK. />O2 said: Our Lend us a Quid scheme launched in August 2006 allowing O2 customers to borrow £1 off us when they run out of credit by calling the top-up line. Over 1.5 million customers have borrowed a quid from us since launch. />Oranges Reserve Tank is part of its pre-pay overhaul and enables customers to make £2.50 of calls after their credit runs out. />Orange has also changed the way customers redeem Magic Numbers its friends and family discount call service. Pre-pay customers can now nominate three numbers rather than one. Calls to Magic Numbers cost 15p for a whole hour. />Orange director of pre-pay Pippa Dunn said: Customers have been telling us theyve yet to find a pre-pay plan that offers the right combination of value rewards and simple pricing. The combined launch of Speak Easy Reserve Tank and changes to our rewards show our commitment to making it simpler for our customers to stay in touch. />Orange said it will continue its pre-pay training programme for Orange store staff and dealers. The deals will be backed by TV radio outdoor and press advertising.

3 claimed last week its simplified pre-pay deals still offered the best value in the market place with voice calls costing 5p on its highest value top-ups. />3 last week installed new top-up price points and removed their expiry dates. Customers can now add pre-pay credit of £10-£50. It also removed the requirement to opt in to 3 add-ons its pre-pay voice and text bundles paid for using top-up credits at point of sale. Customers can now visit the 3 portal or dial the 3 top-up line and choose the value package they want. The 30-day expiry period for add-ons stands. />It claimed its premium £25 add-on offering 500 cross-network anytime minutes is the best value in the market with calls at just 5p. />3 marketing director John Penberthy-Smith said: With no monthly bills or contract 3s pre-pay customers now have even more freedom. Whether talking texting or downloading customers can convert top-ups to an add-on that suits their mobile habits.

Vodafone has appointed former AOL president for Europe Karen Thomson as head of its new online business unit. />Thomson joined the network last week and will have a seat on the Vodafone UK board. The new online business will cover its non-voice services and is responsible for Vodafones broadband/fixed line offering Vodafone At Home and its online strategy. />Additionally Mark Evans has been appointed to the role of chief financial officer. Evans returns to Vodafone UK from Vodafone Ireland and will replace Emanuele Tournon who returns to Vodafone Italy. />Vodafone has also agreed a deal with YouTube to enable Vodafone live! customers to access selected video clips from the site for free until the end of June. />Vodafone live! will offer a Best of YouTube service selected and updated by YouTube. Up to 20 new videos will be added each day. />The videos are tailored specifically for mobile.

Yahoo! launched its mobile-only internet search facility oneSearch on its UK website on May 3. />It was also launched in France Germany Italy Spain and Canada. It launched in the US in January. />Yahoo! believes its venture will reshape the mobile internet search market. Vice president for Yahoo! Connected Life Europe Geraldine Wilson said: We created oneSearch because first generation searches for mobiles were not working. We found customers wanted fast answers and different types of information. /> oneSearch is the only mobile internet search facility intuitive to users needs and which provides relevant fast localised results. Its built to recognise what youre searching for and to bring up better results. On current search offerings if you put in a query youll get a long list of links. For mobiles thats just not attractive as you dont know which link is going to give you answers. />Wilson explained that by entering a term like London users would receive categorised links like weather pictures news whats on and maps. By entering a restaurant users would receive its phone number a click to call option and user ratings. />Most often youll get the answer youre looking for on the first screen. The answers are condensed and categorised. Weve thought of all the different search concepts a user could put in Wilson added. />Yahoo! hopes to become present on more operator portals and publisher sites. It is the search tool for 3G Hutchison but is working on agreements with other operators. />There will be huge advertising opportunities in terms of display ads and sponsored links said Wilson. />According to Yahoo! internet on mobiles hadnt yet taken off as it was often a frustrating time-consuming costly and inconvenient experience. />Wilson said: There are more than two billion mobile phone subscribers globally yet only 577 million mobiles are used to search the internet. />An Informa Telecoms & Media report estimated this 577m users would almost triple by 2011. />

More than 500000 companies have registered .mobi mobile internet domains since launch last year said the company in charge of registrations last week. />Mobile internet domains have been registered in 104 countries said dotMobi claiming most major brands have started to register .mobi names. />dotMobi chief executive Neil Edwards said: The consumer focus on mobile internet sites is bearing strong results in a short period. Consumers finally have easy-to-use and affordable made-for-mobile content.

T-Mobile launched its Wi-Fi internet service on the Heathrow Express last week. It is expected to bid to set up Wi-Fi on the Virgin West Coast route which runs from London Euston to Glasgow Central in the coming months. />Heathrow Express carries 15000 commuters on a daily basis it claimed. Its new HotSpot service provides broadband speeds of more than 2 Mb per second throughout the journey including a 6km tunnel section. Its the first time such technology has been deployed underground. />The Heathrow Wi-Fi service follows T-Mobiles launch of Wi-Fi on the London-to-Brighton train last year. Its partner for the roll-out is Nomad Digital. />T-Mobile head of internet on the move Richard Warmsley said: The service will help passengers make good use of their time which is what T-Mobile is all about giving customers access to the information that matters to them to manage both their business and personal lives wherever they are. />Nomad Digital chairman and co-founder Nigel Wallbridge said: This is a technology breakthrough. For the first time ever the Wi-Fi service offered to passengers on the Heathrow Express trains will utilise WiMAX technology underground thus creating an uninterrupted internet connection throughout the journey between Paddington and Heathrow Airport.

T-Mobile has launched a new USB modem for its Web n Walk service. It gives unlimited internet access to laptop users. />The Web n Walk USB modem uses T-Mobiles HSDPA technology and offers mobile broadband speeds of up to 1.8 Mbps. The device is available for free on selected 18 and />24-month contracts and />costs £29.99 on a 12-month />contract. />It is also the first modem from T-Mobile to support Apple Macs as well as Microsoft Windows.

Orange distributor Mainline said last week it had received 50 new dealer account applications in the past month. It put the rush of business down to its new website and dealer disillusionment its rivals. />It has run its latest dealer recruitment campaign on its revamped website which went live at the end of March. It said 400 dealers had registered on the site already and 50 had applied to connect through Mainline as a result of its website and supporting email campaign. />Head of marketing Gail Hollinshead added: Due to the overwhelming response we are actually holding back on releasing future dealer recruitment campaigns to allow us to get through the mass of leads we have already generated; so we expect this level to continue when we commence our next recruitment campaign. />The quality of the leads has been the biggest plus. We have targeted quality dealers and they have responded. The applications are from established dealers that have become disillusioned with the service levels some currently receive from other distributors. />The new site includes specific dealer pages. The Dealer Insight section contains updates about training and marketing campaigns. It also incorporates a phone specification tool called i-guide to help dealers compare handsets. />Hollinshead said: Were still investing in the website. We are looking at initiatives that add value so look out for an online tool to help dealers work out their commissions simply and effectively for example. Plus we think mobile internet has a key role to play in the future of marketing communications and so we expect further developments around WAP applications. />

The Daily Mirror made the allegations in an article in its Penman and Summerlad Investigate column on January 25.

The national tabloid said: It was never our intention to suggest that Microline was swindling its customers. We accept that this allegation is untrue and are happy to set the record straight.

Microline owners Jaspal and Inderjit Dhother settled out of court last week. Dhother said: We are very glad to resolve this matter amicably.

What was important to us was the protection of our good name.

Microline came eighth in The Sunday Times 2006 Fast Track awards.

Phones 4U marketing director Jim Slater said: We set out to communicate the confusion felt by consumers when they are thinking about a new phone and the fact we go further than anyone else to understand a customers needs before offering the right deal.

Phones 4U has dropped certain secondary characters but Scary Mary remains.