Vodafone

OXFORD, United Kingdom—While the cost of integrating a camera into a cell phone is only US$10, silicon chip developer STMicroelectronics has complained that European terminal makers are resisting the move to multimedia messaging service (MMS). The company, which recently acquired …

OXFORD, United Kingdom—In an effort to promote the use of multimedia messaging service (MMS), Vizzavi Deutschland, the wireless portal jointly owned by Vodafone and Vivendi Universal, has requested Alatto Technologies to supply consumer applications that will be delivered via the …

WAKEFIELD, Mass.—The worldwide field of mobile payments continues to grow—albeit more slowly than previously forecast—with increasing interest in standards bodies and payment services popping up. The Mobile Payment Forum, which was formed late last year by several major credit card …

DUBLIN, Ireland—The imminent launch of the XDA, an O2-branded mobile device manufactured specifically for that operator, is clear evidence that European operators are demanding more input into handset development. However, it is more likely to be an extreme but isolated …

NASHUA, N.H.—Octave Communications said Vodafone New Zealand is performing market and technical trials with its instant group conversation platform, Octave Improv. “Our trials indicate that there is strong demand for instant group calling features,” said Derek Collier, technical specialist for …

DUBLIN, Ireland—Some trends are beginning to emerge in the European multimedia messaging service (MMS) market following the launch of services by several operators. However, there is still a distinct split between those charging per message and operators adopting volume pricing …

TOKYO—NTT DoCoMo Inc. said it is launching on June 1 its i-shot service, which allows users to transmit still images taken with mova SH251i mobile phones with built-in digital cameras. The photos can be edited prior to sending, and users …

BERNE, Switzerland—Swisscom Mobile said it will begin offering multimedia messaging services on June 3, following MMS launches from Telecom Italia Mobile and Vodafone Telecel in Portugal last week. Swisscom Mobile will provide the service free during its launch phase until …

OXFORD, United Kingdom—Looking to build on the runaway success of short message service (SMS), two more European mobile operators have joined in the rush to be among the first to launch multimedia messaging services (MMS). Vodafone Telecel in Portugal and …

HELSINKI, Finland—Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM), the Italian mobile operator, has met its May deadline for the launch of multimedia messaging services (MMS) over its General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network in Italy. Nordic vendors Ericsson and Nokia are the main …

CHICAGO—U.S. Cellular Corp. said it entered into contracts with multiple parties relating to its ownership of more than 10 million shares of Vodafone AirTouch plc American Depository Receipts. The carrier said initial proceeds of the approximately $160 million in cash …

DUBLIN, Ireland—A contract awarded to Vodafone Group has become the subject of a formal appeal to the Irish telecommunications industry regulator. A 130 million euro (US$120.4 million) contract for the supply of telecommunications and Internet services to the Irish government …

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.—Sprint PCS signed a letter of intent with eOne Global, an affiliate of electronic payment provider First Data Corp., to establish a mobile payment network enabling customers to make purchases and payments with their wireless devices. A similar …

LONDON—Vodafone Group plc said it increased it ownership of China Mobile Hong Kong to 3.27 percent from 2.18 percent by subscribing US$750 million for new ordinary shares in the Chinese operator. China Mobile will use the proceeds to help finance …

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Wireless giant Ericsson continued to lead the multimedia messaging service infrastructure industry through its new deal with T-Mobile. T-Mobile will use Ericsson’s MMS center to launch services in its Hungary market and plans to roll out similar services in …

Wireless stock prices around the world have taken a beating lately. Vodafone Group has most noticeably suffered investors’ wrath and is now trading at less than a pound. To make matters worse, its shares fell an additional 5 percent last …

OXFORD, United Kingdom—European cell-phone operators seem in no rush to sign General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) roaming agreements with their counterparts over fears of technology mismatches. Given that GPRS services are targeted at corporate users, industry analysts are blaming this …

LUXEMBOURG—Mach said Omnitel Vodafone agreed to renew its contract for Mach clearinghouse and roaming. services. Omnitel has used Mach’s services since it launched service in Italy. The value of the contract was not disclosed.

OXFORD, United Kingdom—Following its successful cell-phone investments in Croatia and Slovenia, Mobilkom, part of the former state monopoly Telekom Austria, admitted that it is investigating further investments in Eastern Europe, especially given that mobile penetration in its home market of …

OXFORD, United Kingdom—Looking to set an example to other European governments, Maurizio Gasparri, the Italian communication minister, has called upon European Union (EU) member states to consider third-generation (3G) bandwidth trading, as it will shortly be permitted in Italy. The …

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—New Zealand plans to auction additional spectrum by mid-year for wireless local loop, local multipoint distribution services and cellular services under revised rules from the country’s last auction of third-generation spectrum, according to the country’s communications minister. The …

LONDON—Vodafone Group plc said it added 1.3 million proportionate net subscribers during the first quarter, ending the quarter with 101.1 million worldwide proportionate customers. The company noted the lackluster net additions were due to seasonal factors and the disconnection in …

TOKYO—J-Phone, a Vodafone Group operator in Japan, announced it will postpone its third-generation (3G) service launch until December to provide “global standard service.” J-Phone had previously planned to launch its 3G service on 30 June. Prior to the nationwide commercial …

TOKYO—Japanese wireless operator J-Phone, which is a subsidiary of Vodafone Group plc, said it was delaying the launch of its next-generation network until December citing delays in agreements on international standards surrounding its planned W-CDMA-based network. The carrier said it …

TOKYO—KDDI, the second-largest telecom operator in Japan, on 1 April launched its third-generation (3G) service based on cdma2000 1x technology, entering the highly competitive Japanese high-speed data market. In Japan, NTT DoCoMo, the country’s leading operator, launched its 3G service …