Issue 562, April 21, 2014
The newspaper for the mobile communications industry £3.45
Mobile news Dogs_Layout 1
02 News VAT fraudsters jailed for 27 years
10 News
EE targets £7bn government contract
22 Feature
Brightstar 20:20 MD discusses 20:20 buy
tradecloudx.com
Midland rebrands as 'Mdee' following radical restructure
• Firm to attack IT and fixed line markets • Aims to double reseller partners in 12 months “The staff are performing
EXCLUSIVE By Michael Garwood
EE airtime distributor Midland Distribution is rebranding as Mdee – as part of a "radical" restructure of the business to help drive sales and penetrate new B2B markets. The Nottingham-based firm,
in which EE owns a 33 per cent stake, will rebrand this month having traded as Midland for 27 years as part of its "relaunch" plans.
Former Avenir Telecom managing director Tanny Jeffrey has been brought in to instigate and manage the operation, with a mantra of increasing profitability
and
doubling partner numbers in the next year to 400, and a focus on those outside of the traditional mobile channel. Jeffrey, who had spells at Brightstar Europe (2009-2010)
1987 Founded by Mark and Gail Liley
1987 Becomes first Orange airtime distributor 2001 Sells 33% share of the business to Orange 2010 Adds T-Mobile airtime following EE JV 2014 Rebranded as Mdee
Jeffrey: Brought in to provide leadership and take company forward
and Shebang (2011-2012), began her
as-yet-untitled role this
month, having been approached by chief executive Mark Liley at the end of last year
Big ambitions and targets Jeffrey told Mobile News that whilst the company has been succesful – its last turnover was £27.5m, up 27 per cent
year on year – it is in need of a fresh injection of ideas and leadership. "Midland is a very family-
orientated company,with loyal staff and a loyal customer base," said
Jeffrey. "Whilst
this has its positives, the lack of fresh faces does restrict the opportunities for fresh, new and innovative ideas.
Elite Telecom adds 13,000 connections with Qualitel buy
B2B dealer Elite Telecom last week completed the "strategic" acquisition of mobile airtime rival Qualitel Voice and Data, adding approximately
13,000
connections. The deal, which was for an undisclosed fee, marks Elite's 10th acquisition since 2008, was signed off on April 11. Qualitel,
a Vodafone Gold
Partner with revenues in excess of £4 million a year, was founded by current managing director Mike Ridgway in Newcastle-under- Lyme in 2003. The company has built a base
Ridgway: Huge opportunity
COMMISSION WITHOUT THE
B*LLOCKS
consisting of more than 600 customers with around 13,000 connections spread across mainly Vodafone and O2. Ridgway, who confirmed to Mobile News he will remain in the role, described the acquisition as a huge opportunity for the business to grow – and will utilise Elite's long-established fixed line and IT offerings within its current and future base. He added Qualitel, which will keep loyal to its Staffordshire
roots, is undergoing a major sale recruitment drive, aiming to increase its current sales force from 10 to 15 as soon as possible, following the purchase. Ridgway said: "We see this as a tremendous opportunity for the business and it ties in with our ambitious growth strategy. We are already recruiting to boost our sales strengths in the market.
4,500 customers The announcement comes three months since its acquisition of Modern Communications in January and almost a year since acquiring Vodafone Gold Partner 21c Telecom, adding more than 1,000 customers totalling more than 9,000 connections. Elite claims to have around 4,500 customers on its books today.
Matt Newing, founder and Continued on page 2
well and the company is
financially strong but they are lacking direction. I'm here to provide that leadership and to help take the company forward and identify
new growth
opportunities. “We are not looking at this as an opportunity to take from our airtime rivals – but more of an extension in to the wider market. "We see a huge opportunity with other markets looking to sell mobile for the first time."
Business updates Liley, who has made a "significant" investment in the firm to finance Jeffrey's plans, added: "We've been a key player in the distribution market for many years and with the market ever evolving, we are keen to further strengthen our relationships and continue to innovate with
by its
new initiatives." Changes to the business outlined doubling
Jeffrey, number
include of
field sales staff to eight as it looks to form closer ties and communicate in person with both new and existing partners. Jeffrey said staff, of which there are currently around 30, will also now have specific dedicated responsibilities, removing some of the inherent "Jack-of-all-trades" ethos in the company.
She said the firm was
overhauling its IT systems, and website design at a cost expected to run into tens of thousands of pounds. A significant part of
this,
includes the redesign of its online connection and account management portal MCD Connect, which, in
addition
to providing improved Continues on page 10
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