|
Newsletters
|
|
|
|
|
|
WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
Australia's Vodafone To Unveil 3G Details Early Next Week
SYDNEY -- Vodafone Group PLC's (VOD) Australian unit said Friday that it will unveil details of its entry into the third generation cellphone sector early next week.
Australia's third largest cellphone company, which plans to offer 3G services by mid-2005, said it has firmed up plans to either name a partner or upgrade its current network by using existing funds.
"We are planning on making an announcement on 3G some time early next week," a spokeswoman for Vodafone in Sydney told Dow Jones Newswires.
She declined to comment further.
Earlier this year, Vodafone Australia said its preference was to form a venture with a partner.
Vodafone Australia may join forces with Hutchison Telecommunications Australia Ltd. (A.HTA), given that it is the only telecom rolling out a 3G network in the country. Hutchison Telecommunications is a unit of Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. (0013.HK).
People familiar with the situation also say Telstra Corp. (TLS) is also a possible partner, although Australia's largest telecom is unlikely to earmark any capital for 3G until early 2005.
A spokesman for Telstra declined to comment, while Hutchison Telecom wasn't immediately available to comment.
Last week, Telstra Chief Executive Ziggy Switkowski dampened talk that the company is keen to expand into 3G in the immediate future.
The new 3G technology allows large amounts of data to be transferred at high speeds, making possible services such as person-to-person video calls and internet applications on cellphones.
Vodafone Group, the world's largest mobile phone company, already owns 3G networks in most western European countries, as well as in Japan.
|
|
|
