BROWSING: Vodafone

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom-Despite economic slowing and sector saturation, profitability of some of Europe's savvy-and lucky-wireless operators is managing to improve across a desolate backdrop. Across the Continent, average revenue per user (ARPU) for most operators has been increasing at about 5 percent quarter on...

LONDON-Vodafone Group plc reported that its Vodafone Holdings GmbH subsidiary completed its acquisition of SBC Communications Inc.'s stake in Transtel S.A., which represented a 15 percent interest in Cegetel Groupe S.A. for $2.27 billion.The acquisition increases Vodafone's interest in France's SFR to 43.9 percent.

LONDON-The U.K. mobile landscape looks set for change after the U.K. Competition Commission recommended in a report released today that the four U.K. mobile operators reduce their mobile termination charges by 15 percent before July 25 this year.MmO2 said it would delay its U.K....

HELSINKI, Finland-Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa and Swedish venture group Investor are planning a spring launch for their so-called 3 mobile telephony service in Sweden. Company chiefs insist the new mobile service will return a profit on operations within five years. Hutchison and Investor are...

LONDON-The U.K. mobile landscape looks set for change after the U.K. Competition Commission recommended in a report released today that the four U.K. mobile operators reduce their mobile termination charges by 15 percent before July 25 this year.MmO2 said it would delay its U.K....

HELSINKI, Finland-Telenor, the Oslo-based Norwegian state telecom company, has been stung into legal action in Portugal, following the "premature and unwarranted" closure of the Portuguese mobile-phone start-up OniWay. The legal action is intended to overturn the closure decision. Telenor holds a 20-percent equity stake...

LONDON-Vodafone Group plc reportedly has pulled out of the bidding for rival British-based wireless operator Mm02 plc's Dutch wireless operations due to cost concerns over integrating the business into its own Dutch operations, according to the Financial Times.The report noted Deutsche Telekom AG's Dutch...

TOKYO-The number of subscribers for picture-phone services in Japan has exceeded 15 million, according to data released by carriers. The first camera phone service, Sha-mail, was initially developed by J-Phone, a Japanese business unit of Vodafone Group.J-Phone on Wednesday announced the number of subscribers...

OXFORD, United Kingdom-While publicly denying they have any plans to offer soft porn via their next-generation networks, deals are being signed that will see an increasing level of adult services become available over European mobile networks. All of Europe's major cell-phone operators, increasingly keen...

NEW YORK-Fitch Ratings affirmed its A+ senior unsecured rating for Verizon Global Funding and A+ implied senior unsecured rating of Verizon Communications Inc., noting progress Verizon made last year in delevering its balance sheet as well as further prospects for continuing that effort in...

LONDON-MSN Mobile in the United Kingdom launched a new picture text messaging service through a partnership with FunMail Inc. and conVISUAL.The service will be available to subscribers of Orange UK, Vodafone UK, MmO2 and T-Mobile UK."We think FunMail is a great application that will...

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands-According to international press reports, MmO2 is in talks with several operators, including Vodafone Group plc and T-Mobile International, for the sale of its Dutch subsidiary. The unit is reported to be worth around $210 million, although the price could increase with...

OXFORD, United Kingdom-The frustration of trying to find a London taxi cab should shortly be greatly reduced, according to the makers of the vehicles, Manganese Bronze Holdings, who say they have reached agreements with Vodafone and MmO2 to introduce the Zingo taxi hailing service.The...

TOKYO-J-Phone said it has requested permission from the Japanese regulator to unify its regional company price plans into six national price plans and seven discount services for its PDC networks, which will be nationally unified beginning Feb. 1.All price plans come with free calls,...

The exit of Sir Christopher Gent from the chief executive post at Vodafone marks a milestone for the company and the industry. Unlike many of his counterparts, Gent is stepping down from his post rather than being forced out. Gent, named RCR Wireless News...

TOKYO-J-Phone said it has requested permission from the Japanese regulator to unify its regional company price plans into six national price plans and seven discount services for its PDC networks, which will be nationally unified beginning Feb. 1.All price plans come with free calls,...

The exit of Sir Christopher Gent from the chief executive post at Vodafone certainly marks a milestone for the company and the industry. Unlike many of his counterparts, Gent has chosen to step down from his post rather than being forced out. Gent has...

TOKYO-J-Phone said it has requested permission from the Japanese regulator to unify its regional company price plans into six national price plans and seven discount services for its PDC networks, which will be nationally unified beginning Feb. 1.All price plans come with free calls,...

LONDON-Following on a promise he made earlier this year, Vodafone Group plc chairman and former RCR Wireless News Person of the Year Christopher Gent said he would retire from the world's largest wireless company on July 30 immediately following Vodafone's annual general meeting.Vodafone announced...

LONDON-Vodafone U.K. has chosen Redknee to supply a comprehensive prepaid data solution for enabling General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) services. Using the technology, Vodafone can offer pricing for prepaid data services using real-time routing and mediation capabilities.

NEW YORK-Walker Wireless, which owns spectrum throughout New Zealand, has contracted with U.S.-based IPWireless to build a broadband wireless network that covers the country's three largest cities and about half its population.IPWireless did not disclose a dollar amount for the deal. IPWireless also...

HELSINKI, Finland-Orange Sweden, the Stockholm-based mobile subsidiary of debt-troubled France T

SAN JOSE, California, United States-Swedish mobile operators TeliaSonera and Vodafone Sweden have entered into a price battle over their recently launched multimedia message services (MMS) services. The newly merged TeliaSonera has set the pace by announcing prices that undercut Vodafone by nearly 20 percent.In...

MELBOURNE, Australia-Vodafone indicated this week it is interested in buying Hutchison Telecommunications' A$3 billion (US$1.7 billion) third-generation (3G) mobile-phone network in a bid to get an early foothold in Australia's wireless data market.The managing director of Vodafone Australia, Grahame Maher, was reported as saying...