Vodafone Lets VoIP into 3G Data Sessions "Up to a Point"
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Vodafone Group says that it allows users of its 3G data cards and laptops with embedded connections to its network to run a VoIP client, although claims that it must monitor this closely as it does not want it being used as a gateway.
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(InfoWorld) - Don't expect new mobile phone services based on the Internet Protocol to become nearly as prevalent as those running over PCs. That's the view of Hamid Akhavan, CEO of T-Mobile International, one of Europe's largest mobile phone operators. VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) services provided over mobile phone networks will have "far less impact" than those offered over fixed-line networks, Akhavan said Tuesday on the sidelines of a news conference at theÂ 3GSM conferenceÂ in Barcelona. "There are all sorts of technical issues that make mobile VOIP services difficult to implement," he said. Technical issues related to how networks pass on IP addresses of mobile users have not been completely resolved, he noted. "Take reachability, for example: How can the call come to me?" Akhavan also said emergency phone service and "always on" connectivity are also big issues, since staying online takes up bandwidth on pricey mobile networks. And then there's price: "When people talk about VOIP, they think free," Akhavan said. "With any mobile service provided over the Internet, you're going to need to buy a data package." Mobile VOIP "will take a small share" of revenue generated by mobile voice services, he said. Akhavan's views on the technical and commercial hurdles are shared even by some of the key advocates of mobile VOIP -- namely Skype. In a recent interview with a Finnish newspaper, Skype co-founder and CEO Niklas ZennstrÃ¶m spoke of "technical obstacles" and conceded that efforts to make Skype work had been taking "much longer than expected." Earlier, Eric Lagier, Skype director of business development for hardware and mobile, called the lack of attractive flat-rate fees for most mobile phone services a key commercial hurdle to mobile VOIP usage. He said the company didn't want to be in a position of claiming that its service is free, but facing users who at the end of the month are docked with a huge broadband usage fee. At last year's 3GSM World Congress, Skype and the Hutchison 3 Group (Hutchison 3G)Â announced a partnershipÂ to provide what they had hoped to become the world's first commercial VOIP service for mobile phones. Hutchison 3G, which operates IP-based mobile broadband networks in several European markets, was one of the first mobile phone operators to embrace VOIP, a technology many in the industry view as a major threat to their cash-cow voice business.
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Cell phone giant Vodafone Group PLC, which has spent years struggling to recoup billions spent on 3G licences, finally launched the cutting-edge service Wednesday in much of Europe and introduced or beefed up its operation in a dozen other countries.
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Vodafone customers will be able to access and update MySpace pages from their mobile phone, the firms say.
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LONDON/HONG KONG  - Vodafone Group Plc VOD.L   launched its first own-branded 3G handsets on Thursday, as the   mobile phone giant tries to expand in the market for   higher-paying third-generation services by luring more pre-pay   users.
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By HUGO DUNCAN Daily Post Correspondent  MOBILE phone giant Vodafone said yesterday that it will offer its millions of UK customers high-speed internet connections in the home.
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Vodafone have launched the long-awaited third generation, 3G, mobile phone service that offers video calls and music downloads. The use of 3G technology promises faster data rates for mobile users that will
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Mystery package Vodafone has thrown its hat into the fixed-line broadband market courtesy of a deal with BT Wholesale. The company expects to have the service up and running by the end of the year, in addition to its mobile offering.â¦
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3G in the home ip.access has launched a consumer-friendly 3G cell, called Oyster, that's designed to be plugged into the internet. Oyster routes normal 3G calls over the customer's broadband connection; supplying all the advantages of a VoIP solution with none of the complexity.â¦
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Vodafone is to enable its users to access video website YouTube via their handsets, in its third internet tie-up this week.
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O2 has outlined its plans to catch up with 3G rivals Orange and Vodafone by rolling out what it claims will be Europe&#39;s first super-fast 3G mobile data network.
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Vodafone has heralded a &quot;new era in mobile communications&quot; as it unveiled its long-delayed 3G services, which will allow video calls, downloads of film clips and a new generation of games.
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InfoWorld - Vodafone has begun offering new fees and features to stir demand for mobile Internet services as competition hits the company&#39;s profits from voice services.
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SYDNEY, AustraliaâFollowing a similar announcement by rivals earlier this month, Vodafone Australia and Optus said they agreed to share third-generation network sites and infrastructure.
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Shhh, don't tell the terrorists Vodafone is telling customers that VoIP services are insecure - even as Sky News is reporting that VoIP calls threaten our war on terror because such calls can't be intercepted.â¦
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VODAFONE, the world&#39;s largest mobile phone network, launched its third-generation services in 13 countries today, including the UK.
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After a four-year wait, billions of pounds spent on licences and numerous delays, Vodafone finally rolled out mass-market third-generation (3G) mobile telephone services.