Telecoms firm O2 has unveiled a new service providing small businesses with a landline number which rings straight through to a mobile phone.

The service, said by O2 to be the first of its kind to be offered in the UK by a major mobile operator, has been designed for small firms which maintain a landline number to show customers their business is established, but spend long periods away from their desk.

Research showed that, despite small businesses spending record amounts of time out of the office, nearly 70 per cent still had a fixed landline number.

Simon Devonshire, of O2, said: “The fixed nature of a landline is at odds with how businesses operate day to day.”