London, Nov 7 (IANS) Mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse is introducing the ultimate throwaway accessory - the 99-pence mobile phone.

Available in a range of colours, the handset is the perfect Christmas gift for the hard-up shopper. The retail chain claims the OT-209, made by French firm Alcatel, is the cheapest pay-as-you-go phone ever to be sold in Britain - cheaper probably than a cup of coffee.

Customers, who are not tied to an expensive contract, will be connected to the Virgin network, the Daily Mail reported.

The only catch is they will have to buy 10 pounds of credit to make calls. There are no more fees other than the cost of making calls and text messages.

The phone is aimed at first-time users and people fazed by technology. It has just a few features and is uncomplicated to use.

Executive chairman Charles Dunstone said it is also useful for consumers to have as a back-up phone. "You have to remember at Christmas the one question we get asked the most in our stores is 'what's your cheapest phone?' and at 99p this is the lowest its ever been."

"I guess it reflects just how competitive the UK mobile market has become between carriers and manufacturers. Mobile phones are such an important part of people's lives and so many are manufactured that they have become very cheap to make."