AN enterprising new telecommunications firm promising to knock pounds of telephone bills is setting up operations in Mitcheldean.

And FirstFone development manager Lyndon Head says he sees business soaring and his the current workforce of five tripling 'within weeks'.

He is already providing his unique service to the national charity Scope's 400 UK centres in a deal which he says will not only save them money but can create revenue from well-wishers by passing on a proportion of their savings from calls.

"In simple terms we buy large amounts of call time from BT at a reduced rate which we can pass on to our customers," he said.

"I don't think any other company is doing what we are doing. We have all been in telecoms for some time, and got the service up and running on June 7. With Scope as a major customer, we can approach all their members and helpers and offer them cheaper telephone bills and the chance to help the charity at the same time.

"That is a big start for us because we will be contacting 5,000 people and our market research shows that a reasonable percentage will be attracted by our offer."

He said the service is available for members of the public and companies alike and it meant no change of telephone number or equipment in most cases – some, though, might need a small coded insert between their telephone plug and the socket.

"We reckon we can offer savings of around £30 on a £100 BT bill," he said. "Customers will still pay their line and phone rentals to BT of course but the bill for calls will come from us."

Managing director Tim Dean says: "In a world where the market is usually dominated by the big companies, it comes as a refreshing change to discover that a far smaller organisation has the wherewithall to tackle the virtual monopolies held by the likes of BT and win."

The firm, at the moment consisting of five core enthusiasts, has set up its billing and control centre in The Mews, Brook Street, Mitcheldean with a brand new computer system and plans to start spreading the word on its services soon.