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Vodafone launches 3G in UK today! |
Msjodin
Joined: Mar 21, 2002
Posts: 28
From: Stockholm
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Has anyone heard anything about prices?
According to Vodafones swedish pressofficer, Voda UK will launch 3G today. The PC-Card will be the only product...
//M
Mats Sjödin
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masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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I just called vodafone and the operator couldn't find any pricing details but will call me back.
edit: its still in trial for the next month or two... no prices yet!
In the meantime for people wanting more info I dug this out about the trials that started last month
from www.3g.co.uk
Europe UK : Vodafone UK announced it has launched trials of its unique 3G Mobile Connect laptop PC data card. Vodafone is the first operator in the UK to announce such trials and will be conducting them initially with corporate customers adding smaller business customers as the trial progresses.
With 3G capacity currently in London, along the M4 to Newbury and in cities such as Birmingham and Manchester, the first phase of 3G deployment is concentrating on major urban areas. This will equate to 30 per cent population coverage expected for initial commercial introduction in Spring 2004.
Vodafone's 3G Mobile Connect Cards will deliver faster access speeds, improving the efficiency and use of business applications such as corporate email, intranet, shared files, corporate applications and Internet access.
Gavin Darby, CEO of Vodafone UK, commented: "As the first UK operator to trial a 3G data card, I am extremely pleased that we are in the unique position of being able to give our business customers this first opportunity to trial 3G. This is the first step along our 3G path, and paves the way for the development of a range of enhanced offerings for businesses."
The Vodafone 3G Mobile Connect Card is an evolution of the 2.5G / GPRS data card launched in January 2003. The 3G data card is the first product to integrate both 2.5G and 3G technologies, with transmission speeds of up to 384 Kbps when in 3G coverage areas. When out of 3G coverage areas the data card has been designed specifically to seamlessly revert to using the 2.5G network.
_________________
...Unless I'm very much mistaken
[ This Message was edited by: masseur on 2004-02-12 09:44 ] |
Msjodin
Joined: Mar 21, 2002
Posts: 28
From: Stockholm
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In a press release today Vodafone writes:
Ahead of its original schedule, Vodafone UK announces the launch of its Vodafone Mobile Connect
3G/GPRS datacard service for its corporate customers. From Monday 16th February, Vodafone
UK will launch Europe’s first high-speed laptop datacard with the start of targeted marketing activity
to its key corporate customers.
In keeping with its leadership position, Vodafone’s Mobile Connect 3G/GPRS datacard is the first
product in the UK market that integrates 3G and GPRS functions, enabling transmission at speeds
of up to 384kpbs. Customers will be able to access all their usual office applications like email,
calendar and Internet at up to ten times the speed of GPRS, improving business productivity.
“Today’s businesses are more and more dependent on mobilising the workforce and keeping realtime
access to corporate databases, as well as access to the Internet,” says Bill Morrow, CEO of
Vodafone UK. “Building on our already highly successful GPRS capability, the unique 3G service
is yet another step towards making the mobile virtual office environment a true reality.”
Vodafone was the first operator in the UK to commence 3G datacard trials. Feedback on the trials
to-date has been extremely positive, with both corporate and business customers impressed with
the high-performance, high-quality and high-speed service. Trial customers confidently expect the
3G datacard application to greatly increase workforce data productivity and flexibility.
From February coverage is available throughout London and along the M4 corridor, and will rapidly
roll out to other major urban areas, including Birmingham and Manchester to reach 30 per cent of
the UK population by April.
Mats Sjödin
Editor
Telekom Online
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kasei
Joined: Jan 17, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: somewhere
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This will have videoconference? How fast will be?
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peejay
Joined: Feb 13, 2004
Posts: 40
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I've got one since Wednesday. I really got a connection at 384Kbps. It is faster than my ADSL line! |
rencomp
Joined: May 08, 2003
Posts: 188
From: Netherlands
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UMTS price in the Netherlands on Vodafone: 0,75Euro/mb, streaming video (250kb/s) at 1,40Euro/60sec....
This message was posted from a WAP device |
masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
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more on this topic from this BBC article
Vodafone extends UK 3G coverage
Mobile telecoms giant Vodafone is rolling out its third generation (3G) services for business customers to all major UK cities.
The expansion follows a trial scheme in London and the M4 corridor.
Aimed mainly at business users, the service needs a plug-in card to bring laptop PC users high speed data while they are on the move.
Vodafone has not yet revealed when 3G services will be made available to mobile phone users.
Launch delays
The new 3G technology promises to provide speedy e-mails and data transfer, allowing pictures and video clips to be sent to mobile phones.
But the high cost of 3G licences has put strain on the finances of those companies that bid for them and won. Vodafone spent £6bn to obtain its licence and are confident of recovering the cost.
It has taken time though for firms to launch their 3G services and the consumer market has also shown less interest than expected.
Chief Executive of Vodafone UK, Bill Morrow, said "Many customers see the change from 2G to 3G in much the same way as the mark-up from dial-up to broadband".
Customers will pay £50 if their companies are buying the datacards in bulk to £180 for individuals who travel infrequently on business.
Hutchison launched its 3 network in March 2003 and last month said it had 361,000 customers in the UK.
Vodafone already has 3G up and running in Italy and Germany.
The Japanese are well ahead of Europe with mobile phone users, particularly younger people, using e-mails and pictures on a regular basis.
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riflogic
Joined: Jun 17, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: London,UK
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Does this card works on by slotting it in the PCMCIA slot of the computer? On the Vodafone website, it says Type II PC Card slot required, is that different or the same to PCMCIA?
I do not have a laptop but the Sony desktop PCV-W1 computer which has 1 PCMCIA slot available and so I am just wondering if it will work with my computer?
[ This Message was edited by: riflogic on 2004-04-04 01:38 ] | |
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Posted: 2004-02-12 09:57
