The website of Alex Kinch, live from London
Archive for July, 2007
Swedes love Nokia and Sony Ericsson handsets
Jul 3rd
Link: Top ten in mobile phone sales in Telia stores in June 2007
Swedish mobile operator Telia have released sales figures for handsets sold at their retail stores in June 2007, and unsurprisingly enough Sony Ericsson and Nokia feature heavily in the top ten.
- (New) PC card
- (New) USB modem
- (3) Sony Ericsson K810i
- (1) Nokia 1110i
- (4) Sony Ericsson W880i
- (2) Nokia N95
- (5) Nokia 5140i
- (New) Samsung X510
- (New) Sony Ericsson W610i
- (8) Sony Ericsson Z710i
The statistics are based on PC cards, USB modems and mobile handsets in Telia’s 75 retail stores in the country.
UK customs arrest 10 in mobile VAT fraud
Jul 3rd
Link: Ten People Arrested in Mobile Phone Tax Fraud
UK customs officers from HMRC have arrested 10 people across the UK in a clamp-down on missing trader VAT fraud, also known as carousel fraud.
As well as the arrests, 20 premises were searched across the UK, in the operation after an investigation into companies that fraudulently trade in mobile phones – purchasing them VAT-free from mainland Europe to supply to businesses in the UK without paying the VAT due on the sale to the government.
Commenting on the operation, codenamed “Varlet”, Director of Operations, Criminal Investigation for HMRC Euan Stewart said: “Missing trader fraud is a sustained attack on HMRC, and tackling it is HMRC’s top priority. Today’s arrests follow months of painstaking investigative work by dedicated officers. The level of sophistication of these frauds means that our investigations are becoming more complex, but we are committed to working with the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office to bring the criminals behind the frauds to justice and to recovering the money stolen from the British Taxpayer. This crime is not victimless; it is organised and causes real harm.”
Buongiorno buy iTouch for €141m
Jul 3rd
News just in from Italian mobile entertainment group Buongiorno - they’ve today announced the purchase of London-based mobile and voice services provider iTouch for 141 million Euros.
The deal, consisting of €73.7m in cash and the rest in shares, means that Buongiorno will become the world’s biggest player in the mobile value added sector – with over 1,100 staff in 20 countries serving customers in over 40 countries.
Commenting on the deal, Buongiorno CEO Andrea Casalini said: “The combination of Buongiorno and iTouch creates the undisputed No.1 player in the mobile entertainment market worldwide. More than 1,100 strong professionals will now become one team and will be able to align their skills, creativity and passion behind a common goal of bringing digital entertainment experiences to 1billion people worldwide by 2012. We are looking forward to the integration of the two groups that will lead to an even better service for our customers, even bigger professional opportunities for our people and even more exciting perspectives for our shareholders”.
Vodafone give away stuff to boost numbers
Jul 2nd
Link: Vodafone accused of massaging UK figures
Vodafone has been indulging in giveaways to boost its subscriber figures for its first 2007 quarter. It has been handing out free phones and SIM cards with free minutes to help numbers.
It’s not clear exactly how long this practice has been going on for. The company told The Mail on Sunday that the offer was an “experiment in parts of London for contract customers. It may be rolled out nationwide.”
If there’s an N95 giveaway I’m down there like a shot..
3G iPhone to launch on Voda and T-Mob today, apparently
Jul 2nd
Link: Euro iPhone launch will reveal 3G handset for Vodafone, T-Mobile | Reg Hardware
I like rumours and gossip. They keep the industry interesting – although they don’t always come true.
Veteran tech and mobile journo Guy Kewney has reported that Apple are about to announce the launch of the European version of the iPhone. It’ll be 3G, available from the Carphone Warehouse, and hooks into deals with operators T-Mobile and Vodafone.
The announcement is due today, so watch this space.
How to invalidate your iPhone warranty
Jul 2nd
Link: iPhone Disassembly
So you’ve been waiting months for the iPhone. You’ve queued for hours, if not days, at your favourite local retailer to get your hands on one. You’ve spent a frustrating weekend trying to get it activated – and now all is good, you’re the envy of your friends as you’ve got one of the hottest handsets on the planet.
So, what now? In the case of Mac repair specialists Ifixit, you strip it down to it’s component parts, and post some nice pictures of your lovely new iPhone in pieces.
Needless to say it’ll invalidate your warranty 
Pay for your parking in Bulgaria with SMS
Jul 2nd
Link: Bulgaria: Sofia Launches SMS Payment of Parking Tax
Starting today, Bulgarian city Sofia is allowing motorists to pay for parking by text. Launched in a handful of parking zones in the capital, and only available to MTel or Globul subscribers, residents just text a shortcode, pay one Bulgarian Leva (about 34p) plus their normal text charges, and get an hours parking.
The blue zones, where people can pay via SMS for parking, are three. The firs zone includes the Alexander Nevski square, Moskovska Street in front of the Vassil Levski monument and Oborishte Street.
The second zone wraps the Narodno Sabranie square and the side lane of the Tzar Osvoboditel Boulevard. The third zone is at the Macedonia Square.
Meanwhile back in the UK, London’s Westminster Council have recently done away with parking meters completely – rolling out a system that allows motorists to pay by phone or text. The Telegraph has an interesting article on the subject here.
Beating congestion with mobiles
Jul 1st
Link: BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click | Beating congestion with mobiles
Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are using data from mobile-phone networks to create real time maps of people moving around the city. Networks keep track of subscribers to ensure signals stay strong, and because so many people have mobiles, this data can give an accurate picture of where people are in a city.
“This is really the first time that you can take an urban system, like a big city, and try to see in real time how it lives, how people move and what’s happening in the city,” says Carlo Ratti from MIT. “In the city for example you’ve got taxis with GPS, you’ve got buses with GPS, and also you’ve got mobile phones.
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