• Bidders: 11 companies including Deutsche Telekom, Mannesman, Vivendi, Viag and WorldCom will join Germany's third-generation mobile phone licence auction, starting on July 31.

• Wired: Export promotion is getting connected. Embassies, the DTI, Business Links and chambers of commerce are coming together at at www.tradepartners.gov.uk .

• Each way: Flutter.com and Lastminute.com are to market each other's services. Flutter enables people to bet against each other, as in pub wagers.