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By Will Sturgeon, 8 February 2001 09:00

NEWS The story which appeared in yesterday's Financial Times is understandably raising concern among the student ranks and the Telegraph reports that Warwick University Student Union is already planning a protest against the measures. The obvious concern for the Union is that the charge for a three year loan of a laptop - proposed as £1,250 over the duration of a three year course - is little more than a top up fee. The University has already suggested that students on a hardship fee will be offered a saving of around £500 - getting their laptop for a cut-price £850 - though this is still £850 they don't currently have to pay. The question here is not about the validity of the wireless computing business model. For a student attending lectures on one side of the campus and using facilities such as a library or laboratory on the other side of the campus, a laptop would undoubtedly be useful - but the issue the Student Union is raising is that it is not practical. If a student wants a laptop and can afford one, then they can buy one, but to force additional fees onto a student body already reportedly averaging debts of around £10,000 upon graduation is too much... The Financial Times reports that yesterday pre-flotation price cut by France Telecom of its Orange mobile phone arm has caused turmoil in the telecoms sector.. BT, Deutsche Telekom and Dutch firm KPN have all publicly stated that they are still on course for proposed flotation of their mobile arms, however the paper claims behind the scenes advisors are already drawing up contingency plans for fear of their respective IPOs being rendered unprofitable by Orange's entry into the markets. With results out today, BT more than any other of its rivals will be feeling the need to act sooner rather than later with its flotation of BT Cellnet... The Times reports that a consortium led by Irish entrepreneur Denis O'Brien is making a second attempt to buy the controlling share of former state owned telco Eircom. Eircom said yesterday it is now in renewed preliminary talks with the consortium, which last October failed in a £1.43bn bid for the company's fixed line business...