20:20 Mobile Group has confirmed that five roles within Dextra Solutions are at risk rather than the 20 per cent reported in the last issue of Mobile News.

A Dextra spokesman said: In an effort to allay any undue concerns the company has stressed to staff that the confirmed number of roles under review comprises only two per cent of the whole workforce at the division.

However despite confirming that plans were in place to make such a move Orange said that it would not be ready to do so as soon as January. There are plans for the future but not early next year said an Orange spokesperson.

Moco managing director Ian Robinson said: We have been told that it will launch a quarterly price book in January. Its a step in the right direction because the price cuts have been quite sudden and severe this year and in the worst cases it has meant that dealers have not been able to budget for sales have lost deals and have been left holding stock.

Vodafone and O2 already run quarterly price books.

T-Mobile has struck a deal to provide on-train Wi-Fi access to Heathrow Express customers from early 2007.

Uninterrupted broadband access of speeds of up to 8Mbps will be available to customers for the 23-minute journey from Paddington to Heathrow airport terminals including all tunnel sections.

Users will be able to purchase Wi-Fi HotSpot passes on the trains or elsewhere and use them at other T-Mobile HotSpots after they have disembarked.

T-Mobile HotSpot manager Jay Saw said: This builds on the success of the service we launched in April 2005 on the London-Brighton Southern train line. Whilst the Heathrow Express is a relatively short route the Wi-Fi service will enable business users to check their email or send documents prior to a flight or meeting.

The Heathrow Express carries 5.3 million passengers per annum and includes a relatively high proportion of business travellers.

Finnish GPS handset manufacturer Benefon has appointed Louise Turley as international marketing manager on the back of the launch of the TWIG handset brand to new markets.

Turley will support channel sales and raise TWIGs product awareness in new markets across the globe. She will pull together and push trade-oriented incentive schemes consumer-focused promotions and merchandising.

Turley joins Benefon from Orange PCS where she was channel marketing manager and responsible for indirect sales and marketing strategies for independent Orange dealers distributors and high street retailers.

Benefon chief marketing officer Jeremy Newing said: It is critical to the success of TWIG in the consumer SatNav market to cement the brand with our distribution partners customers and consumers. Louise will utilise her previous experience in the mobile distribution retail sector to drive these elements of the marketing mix. Louises enthusiasm and previous experience make her a valuable addition.

Orange has confirmed the purchase of 46 stores from O2 at once increasing its total store portfolio by 13.5 per cent to 339 sites.

The new stores a combination of former Link stores and unwanted O2 sites will take Orange into 19 towns in which it doesnt already have a presence.

Orange said that the first of the new stores will begin trading as Orange on November 13 in time for the Christmas rush.

The new stores will be used next year as part of store design overhaul to showcase Oranges quad-play offerings – mobile fixed line broadband and television.

Orange expects to take on around 250 new staff members as part of the deal. Staff will undergo a week of training prior to transferring to Orange.

Emblaze are launching its new handset today through Currys in an attempt to
build more consumer awareness around its handsets.
The Touch 7 has a 1.3 mega pixel camera with flash Bluetooth MP3
and MPEG4 video playback and an expandable memory. It is available in pink
or black and has slider with a depth of 16mm.
Laurence Alexander CEO and President of Emblaze said: The handset is part of our
strategy to make Emblaze mobile become a brand name in its own right in the
consumer handset market.
Currys parent company DSG international has recently undergone a significant rebranding excersise losing both Dixons and The Link fascias. However the company has stated its commitment to stocking mobile phone ranges in its stores.
Working with Emblaze Mobile has enabled us to add depth and choice to the range of consumer handsets we can offer our customers said Jon Lyngra
Head of Trading and Communications at Currys and DSG international.

3 has appointed a deputy CEO from its counterpart in Australia as the network prepares to switch on its mobile broadband services. Kevin Russell was previously CEO of 3 Australia where he has held the post since 2001. He will take over his new role from January 2007 and report directly to CEO Bob Fuller.
Fuller said: I am delighted to bring in such an experienced leader. Ive worked with Kevin for over ten years.
Russell has held high-level positions within Hutchison since 1995 when he took the role of group finance manager for Hutchison Telecommunications in Hong Kong. From there he moved to CFO partner communications in Israel in 1999.
Russell said: 3 (in the UK) has developed leading market positions in the mobile media sectors under Bob (Fuller) direction and I am keen to further this position in mobile broadband.

A total of 28 stores are planned to open before the end of next year. The new retail chain will be branded 3Stores and the expansion program will create over 200 retail jobs before the end of 2007 with the investment program estimated to be worth ?10-?15million ( 6.7- 10million) in the Irish market.

The first two 3Stores to open will be in Cork and Waterford next month and a flagship store for Dublin will open at an as yet undisclosed location shortly after.

BenQ Mobiles UK division has filed for insolvency. In a letter to its network and distributor customers last week BenQ Mobile UK managing director Philip Rambech said it has exhausted all avenues and followed the German business unit into administration.

Rambech said: Unfortunately despite our best efforts there have been too many factors working against us and we have exhausted all avenues to ensure minimal impact on our joint plans for the Christmas quarter.

We have always strived to deliver a total product experience. Although we have found ways of securing deliveries directly from Taiwan and from the administrator in Germany in the meantime we regret that we have reached the stage where it is no longer possible for us to keep up the level of service needed in order to fulfil our ambitions. Therefore I am sad to inform you that BenQ Mobile UK has filed for insolvency in the Court in London.

Robert Birchall from PriceWaterhouseCooper has been appointed as the administrator. Around 30 UK jobs could be affected.

The decision came just 18 days after BenQ Mobiles German operation – consisting of the headquarters two factories and the European distribution centre – was shut down reporting losses of ?840 million ( 566 million).

BenQ Mobile is estimated to have shifted just 500000 units in the UK this year.

A source within the company confirmed that Essex based B2B telecoms provider Business Comms is in financial difficulty after an employee defrauded the company.

It is understood that the matter is being investigated by police.

Director Kevin Veitch said: This is an internal matter that I am not willing to comment on.

Business Comms predicted turnover for this year was 2million.