Vodafone seeks second place in Japan with slice of growing 3G market
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British giant Vodafone said it aimed to become the second biggest operator in Japan through an aggressive push in third-generation (3G) service which is taking off in the country.
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KPIs show network is performing Vodafone has published its key performance indicators for the last year, and things are looking good for the world's second largest mobile phone operator.â¦
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Vodafone has ushered in a new era in mobile communications with the launch of 3G (third generation) services in 13 countries, including the UK.
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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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(InfoWorld) - Vodafone Group had almost 200 million customers by Dec. 31, but continues to face challenges in the competitive and saturated European market. The operator's European business stagnated, with fourth-quarter revenue growing just 0.9 percent year on year, excluding the effect of acquisitions. Worldwide, its growth excluding acquisitions totalled 6.1 percent. The company accounts for revenue from partly-owned subsidiaries in proportion to its holding. Vodafone said that despite low growth in Europe, some of its new calling plans, such as one that offers users a lower price for calls made within their home area and others that include fixed-line broadband Internet access, are attracting new customers. Price competition, however, is offsetting that growth. Revenue from Vodafone's operations outside Europe, excluding acquisitions, grew 14.4 percent compared to a year earlier. Egypt, Romania, South Africa, and Turkey showed particularly strong growth during the period, Vodafone said. The operator offered no further insight into itsÂ negotiations to buyÂ a controlling interest in Indian operator Hutchison Essar. The board is continuing to investigate the possibility and will only agree to a deal that meets Vodafone's financial criteria, Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin said during a conference call to discuss the results. U.S. operator Verizon Wireless, in which Vodafone owns a stake, also did well during the quarter, with Vodafone's share of the business acquiring one million new customers. Vodafone is still pleased with its stake in Verizon Wireless, although the company uses a different wireless technology to that used by Vodafone's holdings elsewhere in the world. "There is no concept of our selling our interest there," Sarin said. While rumors have surfaced regularly over the past few years that Verizon Wireless might be considering a major technology change, that's still doubtful, Sarin said. Even Apple'sÂ much anticipated iPhone, which operates on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), the technology that competes with Verizon's CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network, is unlikely to encourage Verizon to make a change, Sarin said. The migration to fourth-generation networks, which operators will begin to make in the next few years, will probably cement Verizon's choice. "That's the time Verizon Wireless will think about what next generation of technology that they can deploy and of course they'll try to deploy a technology that is as backward compatible as they can," he said. Data services are also paying off for Vodafone. Non-voice average revenue per user was up 62 percent for the quarter compared to the year earlier. Vodafone has attracted 50 percent of its total customers to sign up for Passport, a plan that offers reduced rates on roaming. The European Commission is proposing a regulation that would require operators to reduce their roaming rates. Vodafone doesn't expect the commission to make a final decision until this summer, said Sarin.
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Japan's NTT DoCoMo will join hands with Cingular Wireless of the United States, aiming to unify technical specifications for third-generation (3G) cellphones and services.
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Vodafone yesterday began its campaign for dominance of Europe&#39;s Christmas market for mobile phones with nine new handsets it will use to provide 3G services offering everything from video calls to downloadable games and television clips.
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Vodafone has launched its UK third-generation (3G) services for mobile phones, offering video calls, music downloads and games. The 3G technology enables users to download data at a faster rate than before
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Mobile phone operator Vodafone said it has brought in an executive from Japanese rival NTT DoCoMo to head up its struggling Japanese unit, Vodafone K.K.
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With most technical issues resolved and giants like Vodafone signing up customers, 2005 could be the year when third-generation (3G) mobile services finally gain a global audience.
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Vodafone has flicked the switch for the start of its &#39;Vodafone live! With 3G&#39; service. Its portal of mobile services has had a 3G makeover for UMTS-based (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) video
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(InfoWorld) - Vodafone and High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC) have signed an agreement to jointly develop and market 3G (third generation) smart phones in Japan, the companies said Thursday. The deal makes Vodafone the second major mobile operator to work with HTC, the world's the largest maker of handsets that use MicrosoftÂ software. In July, HTCÂ inked a deal with NTT DoCoMoÂ to sell Windows Mobile-based smart phones. HTC is a key partner for Microsoft in its battle to win more market share with its mobile phone OS, and Japan is an important market for several reasons, mainly because of the early adoption of 3G services in the country.
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Investor's Business Daily - Europe's largest wireless carrier, Vodafone Group, this month said it's expanded its 3G high-speed wireless service to more markets -- and cell phone makers cheered.
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After some years on the drawing board, Japanese mobile giant NTT DoCoMo has announced its work on a common platform for 3G phones has come to fruition.
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JAPAN&#39;S top mobile carrier has begun marketing a mobile phone for corporate customers that works over both the local wireless and cellular networks.
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InfoWorld - It's easy to be wowed by Japan's mobile communications infrastructure. "Next-generation" 3G coverage is now so ubiquitous that carriers have already stopped launching 2G phones; an impressive array of attractive handsets offer free digital TV; phones can be used to pay for goods and train rides, thanks to embedded contactless smart cards; and on the mobile information superhighway data whizzes along at 3.6Mbps.
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British mobile phone company Vodafone  Plc is set to announce it will sell own-brand low-cost 3G  handsets from October, a source close to the company said on  Wednesday.