Vodafone hits 10 million mark for 3G Live!

Telecoms giant Vodafone has announced that the number of customers using its Live! service on 3G has surpassed the ten million mark, peaking several weeks before the company's previous target deadline of March 31st.

Vodafone launched its 3G services in November 2004, projecting a rapid growth in the adoption of the enhanced multi-media, communication and gaming functionality that simply isn't possible on 2G or 2.5G networks. The company has steadily introduced more 3G capable handsets to attract new customers, and the success of its Live! service has now been cemented with the early achievement of its initial goals.

Chief Executive Arun Sarin said: "This is an important milestone for Vodafone and I am very pleased that we have achieved our target ahead of time. It is also clear that our customers value the additional services and benefits of Vodafone live! with 3G."

3G represents an immeasurably important technical milestone for the wireless industry, enabling high-speed downloads of music, video, television and film clips, in addition to live video conferencing, instant Internet applications, shopping and entertainment services and real-time mobile gaming. Extending mobile communication beyond basic voice and text, 3G technology allows for the continued growth and extension of all aspects of the wireless space.

The company is committed to furthering the growth of 3G on a global basis, and Vodafone UK has recently announced the successful completion of initial trails for its HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) network, which offers mobile data transfer from the Internet at four times current 3G speeds. Additionally, the HSDPA network will allow three times the capacity of current 3G levels, meaning more customers can enjoy the same high level of data transfer, information and entertainment services at the same time.

Vodafone expects all major UK towns and cities to have high speed Vodafone 3G broadband by the end of the year, rapidly closing the gap between wired internet services and that of the mobile industry.

Further information on Vodafone's range of Live! 3G services, including handset availability, tariffs and data charges can be found by visiting the Vodafone UK website.