Advertisers have been increasingly paying for placing in search results (a la Google and Overture) while consumers are signing up for more paid services. However, as one analyst says,

The estimates, from pay TV company Flextech, showed sales have slowed since the fortnight immediately following Freeview’s launch. After selling 65,000 boxes at launch, pay TV company Flextech estimates sales have slowed, indicating he novelty value is wearing off. The novelty gift over Christmas appears to have been digital raodios, not digital TV. About a quarter of a million Freeview adapters are in existence but because Freeview has no subsciption

After disappearing under the Taliban rule – they didn’t take too kindly to the internet – Abdul has re-appeared under the new interim administration in the form of a signature on a plain piece of paper which hands over all authority for Afghanistan’s “.af” domain to the transitional government. No sign of Abdul however. How convenient…

In Unstrung.com’s view, mmO2 and KPN Mobile are unlikely to win a Japanese cash injection (unless they merge with one of the other major players).