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Study expects 32 million LTE subscribers in three years after launch
With Planet Earth's wireless juggernauts jumping on the LTE train while there's still room, we suppose the latest report from ABI Research isn't all that shocking. According to it, there will be some 32 million LTE network subscribers by 2013, and with the commercial launch not expected to go down before 2010, our abacus suggests that we're talking about 32 million over just 3 years. The firm asserts that the Asia-Pacific region will account for most of those folks (around 12 million), while the rest get split 60% / 40% between Western Europe and North America. You think we're just going to let you make this outlandish claim and then fuhgetaboutit, don't you ABI? Nah, we're creating a Google Calendar reminder for this day in 2013 right now to check back and see just how accurate you really were.[Via SlashPhone]
HTC Touch Diamond lands on Vodafone's "coming soon" page
Sure, we may have run the HTC Touch Diamond into the ground in recent memory, but seeing as we're not remorseful bunch, here's a bit more. Vodafone's business shop has dropped the Touch Diamond on its pages, tangible proof that a real carrier launch is just around the corner. While still slated as coming soon, we now know it will be priced from £free and they're even throwing in a free Bluetooth car kit. Good on ya Vodafone, now hurry up already, we're awful tired of waiting.[Via CoolSmartPhone]
Vodafone expects BlackBerry Bold in August?
Remember that time Vodafone was targeting May for the launch of the BlackBerry Bold? Yeah, those were the days! Let's not dwell on the past, though -- no use crying over spilled milk, our mommies always used to say. Instead, let's focus on exactly when Vodafone thinks it can launch the Bold now, which happens to be August -- and this time, the word comes from an official Voda website that was intended for public consumption, so they have more eyeballs on it and more liability if they miss the date. Thing is, the description of the phone lists the Sony Ericsson W980i, not the Bold, so maybe there's just a little smidge of buffoonery going on behind the scenes. August sounds totally plausible, though, so we're sticking with it until we hear otherwise.[Thanks, Andrew]Update: It's been updated to July -- sweet. It's like the opposite of a delay!
Unsubsidized iPhone 3G priced at ???499/???569 in Europe
This morning we're getting a first look at unsubsidized prices for the iPhone 3G in Europe. Vodafone Italy have set an out-of-contract price for the iPhone 3G at 499/€569 ($773/$881) for the 8GB/16GB models, respectively. Subscription rates have not yet been announced. While steep, those prices are actually smartphone-reasonable in Italy (and around Europe) where an HTC Touch Cruise with its WiFi, tri-band HSDPA data, GPS, and touchscreen sells for €549. Capisce?[Thanks, Andrea]
Vodafone Station brings FMC service to Italy
Truth be told, Fixed Mobile Convergence still isn't talked about much (comparatively speaking) 'round these parts. Yeah, we've seen a few FMC routers scattered about, but Vodafone's taking a stand by rolling out its Station in Italy. The box, which was developed in cooperation with Huawei, is an integrated switch / router with ADSL2+, WiFi, UMTS / HSPA (via a removable USB key) and four Ethernet ports. Essentially, it's designed to combine voice with fixed and mobile broadband services, and it enables users to make calls on their handset through a fixed line connection when they're kicking back at home. We're also hearing that the device will eventually make its way to other Vodafone markets, but there's been no word yet on future rollout dates.[Via GigaOM]
Vodafone UK launches LG KF750 Secret
Alright, Vodafone's making this too easy: going to its link for the LG Secret is currently producing a "Sorry, we could not find the product requested" error, which only serves to reinforce the phone's stealthy name. We're figuring they're just working out a few technical details on their end, but at any rate, LG's fashionable 5 megapixel slider should now be available from Voda retailers in the UK, offering a 2.4 inch scratch-resistant display, carbon fiber shell, HSDPA, and all the other spoils that go with being a high-end device these days. It clocks in at just 11.8mm to boot, which should be slim enough to make it a secret in your pocket, too. Looks like the carrier's selling it for anywhere from free to £250 (about $491) depending on the plan you select, so cost shouldn't be a concern (upfront cost, anyway) if you absolutely must have this one.[Via MobileBurn]
Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin stepping down, to be replaced by Vittorio Colao
You know how you quit your job that one time because you just weren't seeing results and the coffee kind of sucked? Well, not this guy. After five years at the helm of the world's largest phone company, Arun Sarin is leaving his CEO spot at Vodafone at the ripe old age of 53. His #2, Vittorio Colao, the current Regional CEO of Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa for Vodafone, will be taking the top spot, with the handover to happen on July 29th. Sarin's rule of Vodafone included a failed bid for AT&T Wireless and considerable expansion into emerging markets like India, Turkey and Romania. It's certainly paid off for the company, with full-year profits of $13.25 billion. According to the man himself, "I've done what I came here to do. The time is right and the time is now." It does appear he'll be sticking around a bit in an advisory role, and rumor has it his next gig will be private equity-related.
AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone mulling Huawei bid
There's apparently no shortage of interest in Huawei's generous offer to sell a healthy chunk of itself to one or more foreign investors in exchange for cold, hard cash, and the list of interested parties is turning out to be quite a who's-who. AT&T, Verizon, and Vodafone have all emerged as potential suitors (with the latter two possibly working on a deal together, we'd imagine), suggesting that carriers have a lot of interest in sidestepping manufacturers altogether and manufacturing at least a few phones all by themselves. Bids are officially due next week and the stake is expected to fetch up to $2 billion, so if you've got service through any of these carriers, rest easy knowing that your monthly fees could be helping to fund a megasale.[Via Cellpassion]
BlackBerry touchscreen phone to be dubbed 'Thunder'
The industrious Boy Genius has apparently unearthed more juicy tidbits about that rumored BlackBerry touchscreen device. Word from BG is that the new iPhone-ish handset is now internally dubbed the "Thunder," and will come to Verizon and Vodafone as an exclusive device. The phone will reportedly have four physical keys (send, end, menu, and back), sport a hybrid CDMA EV-DO Rev. C / GSM HSPA radio, and could come equipped with a 4G LTE component. Outside Waterloo's labs, the device could be known as the BlackBerry 9500 -- though it's possible that designation could change. BGR has included a self-made mockup (above) of what the device may look like, but as of now, no one has laid eyes on this mythical creature.
Vodafone to sell iPhone in 10 countries
Today Vodafone announced that it is partnering with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten countries: Australia the Czech Republic Egypt Greece Italy India Portugal New Zealand South Africa Turkey The official announcement doesn't offer much in the way of details. We have no idea when the iPhone will be available in these countries, or if Vodafone will have a special iPhone plan. Also worth noting is the lack of any mention of exclusivity in these countries.Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Vodafone releasing iPhone in Australia, Italy, India, and seven other countries
Vodafone's just got a tiny, minor, insignificant announcement to make this morning: it's signed with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten markets, including Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy (so much for Telecom Italia), India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey. Expect the phone later this year -- that's all we know for now. Score one (or ten?) for Voda.[Thanks, iB3nji]
New Vodafone plans include unlimited internet -- and fine print
New plans being lauded by Vodafone in the UK are going to run mobile internet fiends £7.50 (about $14.80) less than they otherwise would've thanks to the inclusion of unlimited data right in the bundle. The packages start at £25, and those over £40 also get their pick of unlimited texts, unlimited landline calls, or unlimited Vodafone-to-Vodafone calls. As any skeptic could've easily guessed, there's some critical fine print attached to the deal: the "unlimited" isn't so unlimited, getting capped at 500MB as part of Voda's fair use policy. For a sub-$15 plan that's not intended for tethering, that doesn't seem to be a problem -- but seriously, why even throw the word "unlimited" out there then?
Vodafone recommends "more discreet" communication methods in public
Although it should be painfully obvious, we can't deny that chatting about sensitive information in public takes place practically everywhere. To that end, a new study commissioned by Vodafone UK found that over 70-percent of all workers "talk business on their mobile phones in public, with one-in-five talking about business-critical subjects such as sales leads." Worse still, 15-percent admitted to "openly discussing confidential new products or services whilst traveling," while 26-percent admitted that they have actually followed up on a lead in which they received via listening in to another's public call. Not surprisingly, the company recommends that individuals utilize more discreet methods of communicating in public, suggesting texting and emailing in particular. Of course, it's a good bit more difficult to tell a story through those two methods, but it's a lot better than having your most promising client snatched out from under you, yeah?[Via textually, image courtesy of Miloh]
China Mobile, Softbank and Vodafone to collaborate on mobile internet services
Simmer down, we're not talking about yet another homegrown 3G standard from China here. Oh no -- Vodafone, Softbank and China Mobile are teaming up to establish a Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) that will "promote the development of new mobile technologies, applications and services." More specifically, the trio is aiming to accelerate the "commercial deployment of mobile internet services" such as mobile widgets. For starters, the initiative hopes to conjure up a platform for said widgets that can leverage the unique capabilities of mobile operators, and it's most certainly keeping the door to the party wide open for anyone who wants to get in on the action. As expected, we're not clearly told what to expect from this little tie-up, but we'll be keeping an ear to ground for any developments.
iPhone coming to India on Vodaphone in September?
Apple sources are telling the Business Standard that the iPhone is launching in India on carrier Vodafone, with an expected release date this September. The 8GB version is supposedly launching within the year for sure, with a 16GB version "based on buyer response" in 2009.These "sources" seem to know quite a bit -- they also claimed that Vodaphone was being considered for an Australian release, and said that "multiple carriers" might even be likely. Of course, don't forget your grain of salt on this one -- Vodafone officials denied any knowledge of the deal. But it's very true that India is one of the biggest players in the "grey market" for iPhones, so a deal there, with Vodafone or another carrier, wouldn't be unexpected at all.There is one catch -- apparently the price specified by Apple sources is around Rs 28,000, which is a whopping $700 US (for comparison, the price in the UK was £300 on release before the price drops, which comes to $599 US). So if these sources are legit, anyone wanting to take advantage of a Vodafone deal won't be doing so cheaply.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Vodafone chief: Verizon needs LTE before we do
BusinessWeek recently engaged Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin in an interesting, lively, and positively revealing interview about his company's 4G prospects, Android, and its marriage to Verizon, among other juicy morsels. The whole transcript is a good read, but we were particularly interested about his comments about LTE, the GSMA-adopted roadmap to 4G for GSM carriers. Despite the presumption that Vodafone would be moving to LTE alongside virtually everyone else, Sarin is careful to note that the company has not committed to it yet; they're still concerned about some intellectual property and technical issues, so they're steering clear of signing their names on the dotted line for the time being. He also says that partner Verizon is in more desperate, immediate need of LTE than it is, because EV-DO can't scale up to near-4G speeds to bridge the G gap the same way HSPA can. Either way, though, he says that Voda will be rolling out LTE in the 2011-2012 time frame, and that "for nobody is it an experience before 2010" -- so what difference does a year make, really?[Via mocoNews]
Samsung's touchy F490 launches on Vodafone
As planned, Vodafone has launched the Samsung F490 -- you know, that full-screen touch piece for those of you that find themselves without need of the QWERTY keyboard afforded by the F700. The virtually button-free phone offers pretty much every feature a modern mobile warrior could be looking for -- save a smartphone operating system -- with a 5 megapixel camera, HSDPA, stereo Bluetooth, microSD slot, and that Croix interface Samsung spent a good deal of time touting when it was introduced last year. As is frequently the case with European carriers, there are creative ways to make even this high-end device free depending on the plan you choose, so go ahead and commit yourself to one bajillion minutes and texts per month if you want to keep your wallet stowed when placing your order.[Via MobileBurn]
Vodafone CEO urges industry to rally around LTE
Late last year, we were still wondering whether LTE even had the backing to keep up with WiMAX. Fast forward to CTIA 2008, and my, how the tables have turned. Vodafone, which already teamed up with Verizon in order to initiate an LTE trial in 2008, urged the rest of the wireless sector to put its support squarely behind Long Term Evolution. Vodafone Group's CEO, Arun Sarin, suggested that we could all see mobile internet speeds more similar to those enjoyed on the PC today if the industry "rallied around one broadband standard," specifically noting that "we need to look at LTE as an all-encompassing standard." The push comes hot on the heels of Sprint's unfortunate delay of its XOHM WiMAX network, but it should be noted that infrastructure vendors in attendance tended to feel that the two would coexist at least in the short term. Sheesh, let's just forget this whole LTE / WiMAX spat and place our bets on TD-SCDMA.
Vodafone cleans house, 450 big wigs shown the door
If you're going to cut the fat and get down to business, we suppose there's no better place to start than somewhere vaguely in the middle, and that's exactly what Vodafone has taken to doing in a just-announced round of job cuts. 450 heads in management will roll, mostly in the megacarrier's UK headquarters, while the overall population will remain stable by replacing 'em with 330 "retail advisers" specializing in explaining data services to customers and another 160 in various sales, service, and billing roles. Along with the Orange tower synergy, we're really starting to notice you getting a little thinner in the waist, Voda.[Via mocoNews]
Vodafone lining up the Samsung F490?
Say hello to what may well be Vodafone's newest, shiniest, and touch-screeniest new set, the Samsung F490. While we've not seen anything official from Vodafone on this, the pic is looking pretty convincing and the rumblings from near and far seem to agree. Pricing is set -- apparently -- from $free on the right contract. No word on when we can expect this to land on the shelves in the UK, but we'll drop you all a note as soon as we hear something substantial.[Via Phonemag]
