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Orange debuts consumer 3G service with Ł30 to Ł70 monthly tariff packs Under Orange's new 3G tariffs, Ł30 buys 200 monthly minutes, Ł50 buys 400 minutes and Ł70 buys 700 minutes. The first handsets available are the LG u8150, the Sony Ericsson Z1010, the Samsung Z107 and the Sanyo S750. The Sanyo S750 is free on any tariff. Premiums are attached to the other handsets of between Ł49.99 and Ł119.99.

No pre-pay is available yet, and the independent channel won't be brought online until the new year "Orange was the first operator to demonstrate wireless broadband in Europe, five years ago in Bristol", claimed CEO Sanjiv Ahuja. "Today we are offering our customers in the UK and France access to the largest 2G/3G network in those countries, as well as 3G roaming in six others". Meanwhile, T-Mobile said it would launch its consumer 3G services in time for the January sales. T-Mobile is going for a soft 3G launch with just a single handset, the Nokia 6630. O2 says it will launch the fastest 3G network of all the networks in the summer, with the deployment of a super-fast, 3G data network that uses HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access) and IMS (Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem) technologies.

The ubiquitous no-frills Easy group yesterday launched a new low-cost mobile phone service, only to be undercut instantly by a key competitor.

EasyMobile.com has teamed up with the Danish mobile service TDC, and claims to be the first mobile service to operate purely through online sales. Its introductory offer includes 9p per minute calls and 3p texts to all UK mobile users. Customers will be required to spend a minimum of Ł5 over a three month period, or they will be charged 75p.

Launching the service, easyMobile.com's CEO Frank Rasmussen said: "Many customers prefer a service that is simple to buy and manage, and with clear and attractive tariffs."

Meanwhile, in a move that the group admitted was "no coincidence," Carphone Warehouse yesterday cut its "Fresh" tariffs in half, charging 7.5p per minute to any mobile or landline and 2.5p for texts. Customers have to use their call and text quota within 30 days or it expires.

Charles Dunstone, chief executive of Carphone Warehouse, said: "Carphone Warehouse is making everyday, low-cost mobile calls a reality for everyone. Fresh has always been price leader. Now we want to make an even bigger difference to our customers' mobile bills. We are halving them."

Stelios Haji-Iannou's long-awaited foray into the mobile phone market has caused a stir among other mobile service providers too. Orange, owned by France Telecom, argued with easyMobile.com for six months over its use of the colour orange in its branding, and has now begun legal action against the Easy group for trademark infringement.

Rival company Virgin Moblile criticised easyMobile.com's practice of charging customers who do not make Ł5 worth of texts and calls over three months. Steven Day, corporate affairs director at Virgin Mobile, said: "Stelios could certainly claim an industry first for his easyMobile launch but for all the wrong reasons. Never before has a mobile phone provider made a "demand" - their words, not ours - that a customer spend Ł5 every three months.

"To claim no hidden fees on one hand, then demand a minimum spend on the other - with a possible monthly fee penalty, even when no calls are made - is hardly the hallmark of a company which is putting the consumer at the heart of its service."

By Paul Roberts, IDG News Service

The first mobile phone virus that spreads using the popular Mobile Messaging Service (MMS) is circulating among Symbian Series 60 mobile phones, anti-virus companies have warned.

The new virus, dubbed CommWarrior.A, was first spotted yesterday. When opened, it places copies of itself on vulnerable mobile phones and uses the phone's address book to send copies of itself to the owner's contacts using MMS.

Anti-virus experts believe CommWarrior, which has been spreading slowly among mobile users since January, is not a serious threat. However, the virus could herald a new age of malicious and fast-spreading cell phone threats, according to Mikko Hypp"nen of F-Secure.

MMS is a popular text messaging technology closely related to SMS but allows you to send multi-media content such as sound files or photos between compliant phones. "My kids use it all the time to send messages, or photos," said Hypp"nen, who lives in Helsinki.

Victims receive MMS messages with file attachments that contain the CommWarrior virus. The messages contain enticing messages such as "3DGame from me. it is FREE!" and "Nokia RingtoneManager for all models," F-Secure said. CommWarrior can also spread between phones using Bluetooth.

Those who do get infected with CommWarrior can easily shut the virus down by pressing and holding the menu button on their cell phone, then selecting the CommWarrior from the list of applications that appears and pressing the "C," or "Clear" button, said Victor Kouznetsov, senior VP of mobile solutions at McAfee..

Once the virus is disabled, mobile phone owners can use file management tools on the phone to locate and remove the virus files. F-Secure and McAfee both posted bulletins listing the folders where the CommWarrior virus is installed on infected phones.

Mobile phone retailer Phones 4u is spending Ł10m on sending its 3,500 workers on a week-long training course, in its latest move to try to topple number one rival Carphone Warehouse.

Phones 4u owner John Caudwell admitted the investment will cost his business 50,000 man-days while up to 100 staff-a-day are training. But he said training was the main factor which would set him apart from competitors.

"In the market we are in we all have the same products, the same tariffs," Caudwell said. "The one thing we can differentiate ourselves on is on quality of service. It is a drain on resources, but it is about what we are trying to achieve. It is about building a business which has something to differentiate us from the rest."

All staff, existing and new, will be put on the expenses-paid course at his training academy in Yarnfield, Staffordshire. The course aims to ensure staff understand what customers are looking for when they buy a phone.

Classes of 20 staff will be taught at a time with up to five classrooms of staff being taught on any training day.

The Caudwell group, has lost a trade mark action against the owner of Phone4u.co.uk.

Caudwells Phone4u.com sued Phone4u.co.uk owner Abby Heykali, but the Judge said that, at the time Heykali registered the domain name Phone4u.co.uk the Caudwell group as not acquired the requisite goodwill or reputation in the expression "Phones 4U.

Whether the owner Abby Heykali of Phone 4u.co.uk will sue for substantial damages will have to be seen. It does however prove that if you register a domain name and someone else obtains a domain name after your date of registration, and their name sounds very similar to yours, then the law is on your side. If you have a problem with domain names, and other having domains similar to your own, their is an organisation that can help. They are NOMINET the domain name registration source which registers domains in the UK. They have a dispute service, which can help you before going to court.

Mobile Phone News