<b><u>Nokia launches Music Recommenders</u></b>

Nokia is launching a new online music community fronted by David Bowie in November.

Music Recommenders involves forty leading independent music stores from around the world creating customisable music recommendations to share their passions with users online.

Each month experts from stores like Pure Groove (London) Fat Beats (New York) and Hard Wax (Berlin) compile music from their specialist genre. Users can browse the music search according to recommender music or style listen to clips and read updates interviews and city music guides amongst other features.

Bowie will also contribute every month through features and podcasts. He said: Waking up to a new sound or band is something that makes my day just that bit more exciting.

<b><u>Drivers continue to flout phone ban</u></b>

The amount of drivers being prosecuted for using their mobiles while driving has shot up in the past couple of months because drivers are not aware of the legislation.

According to reports web site Wiltshire police have prosecuted 400 motorists in August alone prosecutions in the East Midlands have doubled (rising to 4248 this year from 2148 last year) and convictions for driving while on the phone in Scotland have reached an all-time high of 15000 convictions doubling last year.

The law changed on December 1 2003. However the number of drivers flouting the rules has increased in recent months. It is believed that the Road Safety Bill yet to become law may address this as when it is passed the penalty will be enforcible. There will be a 60 fine and three points put on your licence. However the Bill has already seen several delays and the risks posed by drivers flouting the law remain a major problem.

Andrew Sarssam director of sales at car kits installer Toad said: The message needs to be made clear and drivers should be more concerned about causing an accident than incurring a fine.

<b><u>Parrot launch hands-free with Renault</u></b>

Bluetooth accessories manufacturer Parrot has struck a deal with Renault to pre-install handsfree kits in its cars.

The Parrot CML TB will be available on the Renault Mégane as of October and on all other vehicles from the Renault range shortly. It allows drivers to display handset features such as phone book call log and contact details on the cars dashboard screen and features noise reduction and echo cancellation.

Parrot Group chairman and CEO Henri Seydoux said: This agreement confirms the recognition of our technological expertise.

Mainline dealer sweetener

Orange distributor Mainline Digital Communications is offering its five top-performing dealers in Q4 a trip to Hong Kong for Chinese New Year in January.

All 34 of Mainlines accredited club dealers – its elite customers in terms of volumes and quality of connections – are eligible. Participating dealers will receive air miles for Orange connections and upgrades between now and the end of the year. The five dealers that earn the most air miles at the end of the period will be able to exchange them for the Hong Kong trip.

Mainline head of marketing Gail Hollinshead said: This is the second major incentive that we have offered our club members as part of an ongoing package of benefits and privileges. All our club dealers have an equal chance of winning – regardless of their size.

Nokia launches the N95

Nokia has announced the next handset in their Nseries range – an all-in-one multimedia computer device called the N95.

Marketed under the tag-line what computers have become the N95 has a two-way slide integrated GPS a 5-megapixel camera and is designed to support high-speed mobile networks.

The two-way slide on the device is designed for a numeric keypad to slide out from one end and a dedicated media keypad to slide out from the other converting the screen into full landscape mode for faster transition from computer to multimedia player.

With a 5-megapixel camera the device can be used to capture edit and upload images and video to the Internet.

The N95 can also be used as a personal navigation system as it has built-in GPS and a maps application covering over 100 countries and 15 million location highlights. You can also purchase city guides and voice-guided navigation tools. The handset also supports a number of musical formats as well as a stereo FM radio and integrated speakers offering 3D effect.

It is designed for HSDPA networks with support for WLAN EDGE and WCDMA networks. This means the device is up to 10-times faster than 3G when browsing the Internet reading e-mail streaming video and downloading large files.

Nokias Annssi Vanjoki said: The N95 brings a range of multimedia ingredients together making it the ultimate multimedia computer.

T-Mobile launches Street Check service

From this week T-mobile has launched an in-store service to check signal availability for customers.

Street Check allows store staff to demonstrate the level of T-Mobile service over a chosen area from the store EPOS terminal. Customers can choose three postcodes to check. Areas with poor signal strength show up clearly in white.

According to T-Mobile marketing director Phil Chapman the service is central to the networks brand image: We are pleased to be the only network who offers this sort of information at street level. The brand is built on trust. You get trust when you are simple to understand.

Streetcheck is available in T-Mobile owned stores along with a 14-day grace returns policy if there are still availability problems.

Avenir hints at channel streamlining

Price backed the general move within distribution to cut off bad connectors. Avenir is reviewing its channel strategy and Price suggested that it could stop working with certain routes to market altogether.

Said Price: Our strategy is to focus on delivering quality business and generating increased handset revenue through all networks. During the next 12 months I see distributors specializing on different routes to market rather than equally working on all routes. To this end and in line with our strategy Avenir will be investing in the business-to-business arena particularly supporting dealers who service the SME and SOHO market for both voice and data services.

She went on: At the same time we will underpin this business with good quality consumer connections generated ethically though quality dealers and qualified routes to market. We are currently reviewing those routes that present levels of exposure to us that we deem as commercially unviable.

Avenir 2005/6 UK turnover increased five per cent on last year to 135.2 million euros (GBP91.8 m). Avenir Telecom Groups UK distribution business represents 18 per cent of the companys total turnover. Group sales for the year saw a like-for-like increase of 21 per cent and reached 746.1 million euros (GBP501.5m).

The increase was largely down to the strength of its retail operation overseas which recorded a sales jump of 40 per cent to 253.5 million euros (GBP170m) and comprised 34 per cent of its overall sales. Wholesale distribution was up seven per cent to 492.6 million euros (GBP331.1m).

Operating income for the group rose 48 per cent to 19 million euros (GBP12.7m). Retail contributed 6.7 million euros (GBP4.5m) compared to 400000 euros last year and wholesale contributed 12.3 million euros (GBP8.3m).

The Link set to go by Christmas

O2 CEO Matthew Key told Mobile News that the 100 stores the network is keeping will be rebranded in time for the holiday season.

He said: We have a rebrand and refit job but if you go back in history to mid-2002 we were in the same position because we had three chains and we brought them under O2. We hope to have all of the Link stores trading as O2 by Christmas.

The news comes as The Carphone Warehouse announced it has acquired 28 Link stores. All stores will be re-branded as CPW which will take on around 150 Link staff as part of the deal. CPWs announcement follows confirmation last week from Phones 4U that it was in discussions with O2 about 11 sites trading as The Link.

A Phones 4U spokesman said: We havent exchanged contracts yet but we are in discussions about 11 stores.

T-Mobile is said to be interested in 11 stores. Orange said that no contracts had yet been signed with O2 and that the nominal figure of 47 Link stores announced this month could still rise or fall. Both Orange and Phones 4U are understood to be planning a rebrand of The Link acquisitions by Christmas should their bids be accepted.

O2 targets 60 dealers over slamming

O2 is considering legal action against 60 dealers for mis-selling O2 products and services it said last week.

O2 has started legal proceedings in the High Court in London against Cardiff-based call centre dealer Communications Direct for trademark infringement and passing off.

It is the second Cardiff-based distance caller that O2 has taken legal action against for mis-selling O2 customers airtime contracts on rival networks a sales tactic known as slamming. It fought Landmark Communications in court in December last year. Landmark eventually settled out of court for &pound;500000.

An O2 spokesman said: The problem is widespread but we are currently reviewing 60 other companies who may be guilty of similar practices.

O2 has received up to 100 complaints from customers per month about the behaviour of Communications Direct. O2 is now waiting for Communications Direct to file its defence against the claim.

O2 said last week that it had received a growing number of complaints from customers about call centres that claim to call on behalf of O2 but churn them to a rival network when they agree to an upgrade package.

Dextra confirms Nokia win

Dextra Solutions has confirmed that it has been reinstated as an official Nokia accessories distributor as reported in Mobile News last week.

The deal means Dextra regains its status as the worlds largest distributor of Nokia accessories.

Nokia terminated Dextras distribution contract in April on the discovery of counterfeit stock during a warehouse audit. Former Dextra managing director Mark Ormerod headed a high-level delegation to Finland following the termination. However despite ongoing talks Nokia had refused to re-sign it until now.

Dextra – part of the 2020 Mobile Group which formed after the sale and break-up of the Caudwell Group – will distribute Nokia accessories through independent dealers multiple retailers network stores and non-specialist channels such as Asda and Tesco.

The agreement also covers the repackaging of Nokia enhancements to address the individual requirements of the businesses that Dextra works with.

2020 Mobile Group CEO Mark Ryan said: This deal is great news for Dextra and it demonstrates the strength of our relationship with Nokia. It ensures that we can give our customers the very best product offering and service in the marketplace.

Nokia UK managing director Simon Ainslie said: We are delighted to announce the signing of this agreement with Dextra and look forward to developing our business relationship together. It is very gratifying to see the enthusiasm with which this news has been greeted by the staff at both companies.

Nokia has used Dextra for accessories distribution for 15 years.