Vodafone to launch GPRS mobile in Britain
( 2001-06-01 11:32) (7)
Mobile giant Vodafone will this week launch a new breed of Internet mass-market cellphones, the group announced Thursday.
Vodafone said the new generation of mobile phones would hit the shops Friday, offering customers the possibility of open connection to the Internet.
Payment will be based on the volume of information downloaded, not on connection time, Vodafone said.
The technology, called General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), has been dubbed 2.5-generation because it is a halfway house to the full third-generation mobile telephony.
Vodafone plans to introduce the full Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) telephony next year.
Vodafone UK commercial managing director Paul Donovan said that the new GPRS service would enable "more of our customers to benefit from the ability to connect to mobile Internet services both faster and at lower costs than before."
Among the new options open to GPRS customers will be the ability to send email, consult bank accounts, restaurant guides or games on a mobile handset -- and take or receive calls at the same time.
The phones will retail from Friday at 99.99 pounds (165 euros, US$140), Vodafone said.
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