Vodafone does Russian branding deal

Vodafone has agreed a partnership with Russia's Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) network that'll see Vodafone's products and services offered to MTS's 87 million subscribers across Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. [Press release]

New UK MVNO offers foreign-language customer care

A new UK virtual mobile network called GlobalCell has launched in partnership with Orange. It's a SIM-only prepaid service aimed at Eastern Europeans in the UK, with all customer interaction conducted in the customers’ native language. Choices include Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, Slovak and English. International calls cost from 10p per minute. [Press release]

UK mobiles sent to Russia for funeral

Mobile phone recycling is gaining popularity - but a UK company has a different idea about dealing with 'dead' mobile phones. Mobile Fun, a UK-based ringtone company, is sending mobile phones to Russia for a formal burial service in the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly. For an additional £5, your old mobile phone can send a farewell text message from Russia to your new mobile. [Sources: PR Newswire; Cellular-News.com]