Vodafone launches 3G mobile service

The carrier's service will initially be available in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, in addition to the airports of Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Customers will be able to enjoy mobile TV, video calling, games and music, among other content and services.

Vodafone previously said the network will be rolled out to Brisbane and the Gold Coast by March 2006, and Perth and Adelaide by July 2006.

Like Hutchison and Telstra, Vodafone will offer 3G access via selected mobile phones, and a PC Card-based broadband modem for wireless Internet access.

Vodafone's phone service is based on its Vodafone Live! multimedia platform, which it has been using in other countries for some time.

Six handset models -- Sharp 903, Motorola V1050, Samsung Z500, Sony Ericsson V600i, Sony Ericsson V800, and Nokia 6680 -- which have been trialled by more than 500 people over the last three months will be available at launch.

There are myriad ways to sign up for the 3G service. The phones have a recommended retail price, without contract, between AU$399 for the Sony Ericsson V600i and $1,199 for Sharp's 903, Australia's first 3-megapixel camera phone. Monthly caps include AU$49, AU$79 and AU$149 options. Most 3G content will be charged on a usage basis, although video calling is included in the cap.

The PC Card will cost $400 or $16.63 for 24 months. Three monthly broadband plans are available: $29.95 for 100MB, $49.95 for 300MB and $99.95 for unlimited downloads -- which will be subject to a 'fair use' policy after the 1GB mark is surpassed. Otherwise, customers will be charged two cents for every additional KB.

Over 100,000 music tracks and 200 video clips are available for download directly from Vodafone's portal to 3G handsets for AU$2.79 and AU$2.49, respectively. Music is stored in protected MP4 files and can only be played back on the customer's handset. Videos are saved in the 3GP file format and follow the same Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrtictions as music. Mobile TV is offered in the form of built-for-mobile "mobisodes", such as 24: Conspiracy and South Park, as well as streaming looped three-minute updates from Sky News and Fox Sports.

Vodafone Australia's chief marketing office John Casey said the company will be targeting Australia's three million strong "young, active and fun" 18 to 30 year old demographic with a multi-million dollar advertising campaign encouraging customers to 'make the most out of now'.

According to Casey, the carrier has 3.2 million customers, including 430,000 who already use the Vodafone Live! platform. It also has 8,000 clients using its existing 2.5G Vodafone Mobile Connect card to access the Web from notebooks.

Hutchison was the first operator to launch third-generation mobile telephony in Australia. Called '3', it registered 532,000 subsribers as at June 2005.

Vodafone shares the same 3G network infrastructure as Optus -- the two carriers partnered on a network-sharing deal earlier this year. Optus has yet to deploy its third-generation mobile offering.

Vodafone Live! 3G phones	Features
Motorola V1050 See images	In a nutshell: Exclusive to Vodafone live! with 3G, the Motorola V1050 is a matte black handset with a 1.3-megapixel camera, a 262K-colour screen and an MP3 player. It also supports up to 256MB of removable memory. More info: See specifications Rate this phone
Nokia 6680 See images	In a nutshell: Nokia's 6680 is a candybar-style 3G handset based on the Symbian smart phone operating system. It has a 1.3-megapixel camera, 10MB of internal memory, an MP3 player and weighs in at 133 grams. More info: See specifications Rate this phone
Samsung Z500 See images	In a nutshell: Samsung claims the Z500 is the world's most compact 3G phone. It uses TransFlash media cards and features a dual camera -- one-mexapixel for stills and VGA resolution for video calls. More info: See specifications Rate this phone
Sharp 903 See images	In a nutshell: Australia's first 3-megapixel camera phone, Sharp's 903 will be available exlusively on Vodafone's 3G network and comes with Bluetooth, a 260K-colour LCD and 28MB of internal memory. More info: See specifications Rate this phone
Sony Ericsson V800i See images	In a nutshell: The V800i is a Vodafone tailored version of the Sony Ericsson Z800i (generic model), one of the carrier's launch phones for its 3G network. The only difference we can see is the black case and the Vodafone live! portal. More info: See specifications Rate this phone
Sony Ericsson V600i See images	In a nutshell: The V600i is basically a rebadged Sony Ericsson K600i with different colouring for Vodafone's 3G network. It has a 1.3-megapixel camera, 32MB of internal memory and comes in black and silver models. More info: See specifications Rate this phone

A Vodafone spokesperson said at the launch in Sydney that a low-end Motorola handset as well as the much hyped sucessor to the ultrathin RAZR, the 3G-capable RAZR V3x, would be made available on its 3G network in January 2006.

Jeremy Roche from CNET.com.au contributed to this article.