Vodafone will begin offering a high-speed mobile data
service based on latest 3G technology to customers in selected
markets.
More than three years after acquiring mobile broadband licences
around Europe, Vodafone is entering the wireless market with the
launch of a dual-mode PC card for 3G and GPRS networks.
Vodafone claimed the data card service for notebook users is the
first of its kind in Europe.
The Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G/GPRS data card will, initially,
allow users to download data at speeds up to 384Kbps, said Vodafone
spokeswoman Emma Conlon. The service will be nearly 10 times faster
than GPRS.
Vodafone, which is weighing a $30bn-plus bid for AT&T
Wireless Services, will launch the data card service next week in
the UK and Germany, and in Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain
and Sweden over the next four weeks.
The company will expand 3G coverage continually to its other
markets over the next four years.
Pricing for the Mobile Connect service will vary from country to
country and will be based on GPRS tariffs and include a premium
fee. To use the service, customers must pay for a data card,
monthly subscription and transmission usage.
The German subsidiary of Vodafone said it will offer customers
two pricing options: one based on minutes; the other on data
volume.
Three different packages for each will be available. The Time
XXL package offers users 30 hours of connectivity for €69.60 (£47)
per month with every additional 10 minutes costing €1.04. The
Volume XXL package, also available for €69,90, includes 150Mbytes,
with ach additional megabyte costing €1.04.
A commercial 3G phone service is slated for the second half of
this year. The launch will depends to large extent on the
availability of quality handsets.
John Blau writes for IDG News Service