Postgate will be responsible for coordinating public service presence across mobile platforms.

Director of BBC future media and technology Ashley Highfield said: Mobile is an increasingly important area for us and a key part of our multi-platform strategy. Matthew brings a wealth of knowledge to the role and will drive the BBCs success in this field.

Prior to joining the BBC as an executive producer in 2003 Postgate worked as an emerging channel strategist with blue chip organisations including Royal Mail Shell QinetiQ and BT.

Dealers hit out last week at Oranges new two-year consumer contracts and the trend among networks to push out the upgrade cycle and reduce dealers repeat business. />Orange launched 24-month consumer packages at the start of April. It said last week the value of the new tariffs for the consumer (see box out) will drive footfall. />But dealers are reluctant to push the longer-term contracts on the grounds consumers are forced to pay for handset upgrades during the term of the contract because the commission payment for signing them does not cover the cost of the handset at upgrade. />Dealers also claimed customers had already started to cancel their two-year contracts. Orange denied this however. />Paul Kopec managing director of Glasgow-based Telecom 3 said asking consumers to hold out for two years for a new handset was asking for trouble and would increase customer dissatisfaction with the networks. He admitted however that dealers are caught between a rock and a hard place forced to push the new contracts to remain competitive with their high street rivals. />Networks asking for trouble />Kopec warned that if the networks push two-year contracts to the point that commission payments on 18-month contracts which currently earn about £65 more than 12-month deals are reduced then dealers will have little choice but to back the new two-year deals. Everything is pound-driven after all he said. />He explained: Its a fashion conscious market. Sales are driven by handsets and new devices are launched every month. Customers on 18-month contracts have experienced all kinds of problems with handsets and networks do little in the way of service. Well have to wait and see if the service gets any better. People are accustomed to 12-month contracts thats just the culture. />Gary Bridger director of Yeovil-based Airwaves branded the new deals a complete waste of time and effort. He said the networks could force sales through the dealer community by cutting commission payments on shorter-term contracts. />Bridger said: Theyll cut the commission from 12 and 18-month contracts as leverage. I understand the logic for business customers but individuals will never sign it. Phones are not built to last two years. />John George managing director of southwest dealership chain JAG said: Im not impressed with 24-month contracts. People are tied for longer than the warranty on the phone. So many things change in two years. Well only start actively selling them if the commissions are more favourable. />Paul Leonard managing director of Essex-based Sprint Communications called the lack of a handset upgrade during the term of the deals the Achilles heel. Said Leonard: The upgrade path is critical. You could have a 36-month contract as long as there was an upgrade path. If customers can upgrade their handset at 12 months I dont see why they wouldnt sign a 24-month contract if it was better value. How long would network staff keep their handsets for? Not longer than 12 months I bet. />A lot of customers become disenchanted because the thing they see most is their handset and if its falling apart theyll end up leaving. />Leonard reckons O2s two-year business contracts hit the nail on the head by adding an upgrade at month 12. />Yes Telecom managing director Keith Curran argued the assumption two-year deals will drive down churn is misguided. He said: Networks think a long commitment is better but they have to be careful Â’Â’Â’ if they look after the customer the contract will look after itself. You could argue why have contracts at all? If a customer got gold star service they wouldnt want to go elsewhere. Two-year contracts just shift churn down the line. />How much commission did Orange give on a 12-month contract and how much will they give now? Their track record is they dont pay as much for a two-year contract as two one-year contracts back to back. />Adapt or die />But is there any point in resisting the inevitable? The market is changing and its adapt or die. The 12-month churn model wont exist much longer. The networks criteria for accepting customers back after 12 months have become more stringent said Fone Logistics marketing manager Julien Parven. />To cater to commitment-phobes and balance the two-year investments it is locking customers into Orange has also launched a SIM-only contract with the same value but allowing for monthly renewal. There are certainly people it will appeal to Â’Â’Â’ those not concerned about the latest fashion phone but about more value said an Orange spokesperson. />Will other networks follow suit? 3 said last week it has no immediate plans to ape Orange and launch two-year consumer contracts. But a spokesperson admitted: Two years ago 18-month contracts were rare and look at them now. Two-year contracts may not become the norm but its the way the market is going. />Virgin Mobile said the benefits of 24-month contracts to networks and retailers were clear but less so for consumers. Head of contract Tim Dowling said: We believe our target audience want to upgrade their handset well within a 24-month period. />Virgin Mobile has launched a SIM-only six-month contract exclusive to Carphone Warehouse with 150 cross-network minutes and 150 cross-network texts for £15 per month.

Oranges 2-year deals

Dolphin £35 Â’ allows 900 minutes and unlimited texts compared with the 600 minutes and unlimited texts offered by its 18-month counterpart.

Racoon £35 Â’ allows 1200 minutes 150 texts and unlimited landline calls. The 18-month deal offers 800 minutes 100 texts and unlimited landline calls.

Canary £40 Â’ offers 1400 minutes 450 texts and unlimited calls to other Orange users. The 18 month deal gives customers 950 minutes 300 texts and unlimited Orange calls.

Kent-based MoCo has appointed a corporate finance company to oversee the sale of founder Maurice Whelans 45 per cent share in the business. Whelan who turned 65 in October wants to retire from the industry. His brother Andrew Whelan 55 also owns 45 per cent of the business. Managing director Ian Robinson owns the remaining 10 per cent. Both want to drive the business forward with increased financial backing. Henley-based Harlequin Corporate Finance run by former Vodafone Retail finance director Ian Freeman has been engaged to facilitate the sale of Whelans share and has already approached Carphone Warehouse among others. Freeman refused to comment upon suitors but said: MoCo has a lot to offer. We are looking for a partner to take MoCo forward in the converged market place which opens it up [to a wider number of potential investors]. We are looking for a partner that can help the business build on the strong foundations established by Maurice. Carphone was unavailable for comment. MoCo which has both distribution and direct sales businesses would suit Carphones distribution portfolio. It would make sense for Carphone because MoCo is a business specialist and [Carphone indirect airtime distribution arm] Hugh Symons concentrates mainly on consumer connections said a source. Harlequin is also understood to have sounded out 20:20 backers Doughty Hanson and Anglia parent company Redstone Telecom. Dangaard/Brightpoint which is looking for entry into the UK via acquisition is also considered to be a possibility although Harlequin is yet to approach it. However sources claimed last week that two foreign companies had been approached. The guide price for Whelans 45 per cent share would be around 2 million suggested sources. It is understood however that MoCo would consider a substantial bid for 100 per cent of its shares.

MoCo managing director Ian Robinson said: Ideally we want somebody that will help take the business to the next level. Along with Fone Logistics and EBS we are the only independent distributor left in the market. With the growth we are experiencing at the moment we want to look for investors with the right expertise to help take it forward. MoCo said it signed more than 60000 connections and upgrades in 2006 of which more than 60 per cent were to business customers.

Kent-based MoCo has appointed a corporate finance company to oversee the sale of founder Maurice Whelans 45 per cent share in the business. />Whelan who turned 65 in October wants to retire from the industry. His brother Andrew Whelan 55 also owns 45 per cent of the business. Managing director Ian Robinson owns the remaining 10 per cent. Both want to drive the business forward with increased financial backing. />Henley-based Harlequin Corporate Finance run by former Vodafone Retail finance director Ian Freeman has been engaged to facilitate the sale of Whelans share and has already approached Carphone Warehouse among others. />Freeman refused to comment upon suitors but said: MoCo has a lot to offer. We are looking for a partner to take MoCo forward in the converged market place which opens it up [to a wider number of potential investors]. We are looking for a partner that can help the business build on the strong foundations established by Maurice. />Carphone was unavailable for comment. />MoCo which has both distribution and direct sales businesses would suit Carphones distribution portfolio. />It would make sense for Carphone because MoCo is a business specialist and [Carphone indirect airtime distribution arm] Hugh Symons concentrates mainly on consumer connections said />a source. />Harlequin is also understood to have sounded out 20:20 backers Doughty Hanson and Anglia parent company Redstone Telecom. />Dangaard/Brightpoint which is looking for entry into the UK via acquisition is also considered to be a possibility although Harlequin is yet to approach it. However sources claimed last week that two foreign companies had been approached. />The guide price for Whelans 45 per cent share would be around £2 million suggested sources. It is understood however that MoCo would consider a substantial bid for 100 per cent of its shares. />MoCo managing director Ian Robinson said: Ideally we want somebody that will help take the business to the next level. />Along with Fone Logistics and EBS we are the only independent distributor left in the market. />With the growth we are experiencing at the moment we want to look for investors with the right expertise to help take it forward. />MoCo said it signed more than 60000 connections and upgrades in 2006 of which more than 60 per cent were to business customers.

An unlocking solution for new Nokia handsets is to be auctioned and made available in the UK for the first time claimed traders last week. It could fetch up to £50000 in a bidding war. />Dejan Kaljevic an unlocking engineer based in Belgrade and revered within the global unlocking community announced to traders in an online forum that a solution for Nokia handsets with BB5 chipsets is ready for sale. The solution is considered to be the Holy Grail among unlocking traders who are turning away huge amounts of business because no unlocking solution is available yet for new Nokia handsets. />More than 20 Nokia handsets run off the BB5 chipset including Nokias latest mass-market devices as well as its high-end Eseries and Nseries phones. />Kaljevic is rumoured to have sold the original solution to China-based unlocking team Rascal for £1 million for a six-month exclusivity period. Kaljevic is now ready to release the solution on to a global market by auctioning it to the highest bidders. />Fone Doctors proprietor Faisal Sheikh said: We spent £40000 trying to develop our own solution and got nowhere. Working BB5 kit would be lucrative. Last year we were in contact with a guy that was negotiating with five exporters that were sitting on 22000 Nokia handsets that needed unlocking. />Another small London dealer said: Its worth thousands and thousands to anybody that got hold of it because there is still no way to unlock the latest Nokia phones. If Dejan put 10 boxes up for auction worldwide he could get £50000 for each no problem. Maybe more. /> Another dealer based in the North of England said: We are turning a lot of business away Â’Â’Â’ probably one in two customers. Dejan could get £50000 for that kit straight away. />Nokia said the unlocking industry is run by criminal gangs and that the BB5 crack may just be a fake auction to raise money for criminal gain. />We have made it as difficult as possible for these guys. Other manufacturers have not been so successful said a spokesperson. />But these guys arent industry-friendly. They are very dangerous and operate in large organised gangs. The whole practice skates on the border of illegality. In the past these auctions have tended to involve criminals. And this might not necessarily be a solution Â’Â’Â’ it might just be an auction to raise money. />Dealers can make £5-£50 by unlocking handsets and argue that with independent retail in decline there is little choice but to offer an unlocking service. One dealer said: The way this industry has gone it is just about all we have left Â’Â’Â’ even the video shop down the road does contract phones. We make most of our money from unlocking now. /> Another source said: Unlocking is the only thing keeping us afloat. />But traders agreed the unlocking industry has become a breeding ground for undesirable elements. />Unlocking developers are software hackers. They take a new phone and reverse engineer it and then sell the solution through resellers in different countries. The networks have buried their heads in the sand but consumers want choice and that means unlocked phones. The networks have created a powerful underworld in the mobile industry.

Chatterbox proprietor Andy Wilson fought off a violent attacker in his store in Wakefield last week after being stabbed in the back with an eight-inch carving knife. />A 26-year-old Wakefield man was charged with attempted robbery and appeared in Wakefield Magistrates Court last Wednesday (April 18). The case has been handed up to the Crown Court and will be heard at a later date. />Wilson was taken to Pinderfields Hospital on April 16 after an assailant stabbed him in his Westgate End store around 5pm. />Wilson said: The inch-deep wound in my left shoulder could easily have involved my spine lung or heart. />As I bent down behind the counter to retrieve a mobile he plunged the knife into my back and I fell backwards. He then vaulted the counter and got on top of me raising his hand which I grabbed. I was extremely fortunate Â’ both to fight him off and take control of the knife. />I could easily be facing the end of everything I have worked for in the past 13-and-a-half years in Wakefield he said. Wilson has since returned to work. />

Orange has overhauled its Impact marketing support fund completely worth £15 per box and passed down the job of allocating dealer funding to distributors themselves. />Dealers face a reduced marketing pay-out as distributors work the commercials as they see fit. One source said: Orange is showing distributors how to work the system. Id rather do the marketing and get the money for it. />To date Oranges Impact funds have been paid at £15 per connection to distributors and at £20 to direct dealers. Oranges direct partners have been paid in cash. Distributors have been required to claw funds back from their marketing spend at up to £15 per connection and then pass it down to dealers at six-month intervals. />But Orange has pulled the £15 deal completely replacing it with a straight £10 payment for each connection and a £5 bonus for marketing activity which they can pass down to dealers on proof of marketing activity in the old manner. />Fone Logistics said in a dealer bulletin that in fact Orange had pulled the old scheme altogether. />Fone Logistics marketing director Julien Parven said: Orange has removed Impact from its standard proposition. They have renegotiated the way they deal with all distributors across the board. Theres a different model in place. Beyond that I cannot comment. />An Orange spokesman said: Orange is not removing funding from distributors but restructuring the marketing system. />Several other distributors refused to comment and described the move as a hot potato.

Police intercepted a shipment of 20000 mobile phones at Heathrow airport at the end of last month. The handsets were suspected to be stolen. />The investigation is being carried out by the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit (NMPCU) and follows surveys of the cargos IMEI numbers. DI Kenny McDonald said 97 of the handsets were considered suspect. />The NMPCU is working with a network to find the devices origin.

Vodafones five pre-pay distributors have signed up to stringent new terms on box-breaking while North-London electrical distributor BDC has been dropped having been warned of the new terms in January. />20:20 Data Select Elite Mobile European Telecom and Swains Â’ better known as a distributor of photographic equipment but also a pre-pay supplier Â’ have agreed to crack down on box-breaking and increase their vigilance around the practice. Vodafone head of channel partnership Alistair Firth said: Weve worked closely with these guys and recognise their ability to reach customers we cant. />It formalises our commitment to that channel and gives our partners a clear view of our expectations. It removes the ambiguity in what were looking for as a network. />The contracts which carry heavy claw-back penalties for box-breaking incorporate new forecasting stock reporting and brand usage as part of their revised terms. />BDC which had its contract terminated on March 1 refused to comment. The Vodafone logo was still displayed on its website at the time of going to press. />Firth said: We saw too much suspect SIM activity from BDC and tried for months to find a solution. It was one of the catalysts but the decision had been on the agenda for some months. We couldnt work out between us how to deliver an improvement in quality. />Firth said Vodafone would review its pre-pay distribution contracts as the need arose and would regularly monitor data from its distributors. />Group director of Data Select parent company Phones International George McPherson said: Weve been working with Vodafone for some time on how to benefit everyone. Its accommodating the fact there is nothing perfect in this world. Last year we were regularly reviewing things with Vodafone Â’ if there was ever an issue we worked within the channel to improve things so were used to working in that environment. />Swains managing director Alan Comer said: It was an issue we were constantly keeping an eye on because its in nobodys interest. />Were hoping to monitor it more closely. For instance with any one who orders a large quantity of handsets that particular order will be investigated. />If we dont take greater care then there will be penalties but were comfortable with that on the basis of the monitoring process we are putting in place. />20:20 CEO Mark Ryan said: Pre-pay business has been very demanding over the years. Vodafones extensive review has resulted in a commitment to work with 20:20. />Elite Mobile managing director Ajay Gokani said he welcomed the contract changes and that it would be business as usual. />In terms of monitoring box breaking he said: Were in a fortunate position in the way we work that we go down responsible channels so its not been a major factor.

Orange has been forced to issue new dealer passwords after a security breach of its Enable online credit checking system. />Orange suspended its system after reports that an unauthorised user had been able to access customer data. />An Orange spokesperson said: We recently became aware a third party was trying to access our sales system which some of our sales channels use to register new customers and upgrade existing customers. We have suspended the system while we investigate the matter further. />The Enable system allows dealers to process customer upgrades using confidential customer information. />