www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Network of Vodafone Greece in Athens has been upgraded by the company with peak theoretical speeds of 28.8Mbps (download), via HSPA+.
The speed can be commercially received through Vodafone 4505 USB Stick, free of cost by subscribing to a ‘Vodafone Mobile Broadband’ tariff plan.
The rolling out of the upgrade in other part of the country will take place later in the year.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: After attracting almost half-a-million paying subscribers to its DRM-free services since March 2009, Vodafone has claimed to rule Europe’s mobile music market. The clear pricing policy of the carrier has been credited behind the subscription of 450,000 users for its music services.
A monthly bundle allowing the users to download 10 tracks, or a variety of all-you-can-eat packages has been provided to the subscribers. Some 100,000 subscribers have signed up in December alone in Vodafone’s eight key European markets – Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the UK.
The company has signed deals with Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music, and Universal Music, to provide DRM-free MP3 content.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Amsterdam-based holding company Ogalar and Bosnian telco Telekom Srpske are in negotiation with each other regarding the purchase of a 49% stake in Montenegrin cellco MTEL.
The remaining 50 percent of MTEL is owned by Telekom Srbija whose 80 percent is owned by the Serbian government and 20% by Greece’s OTE. Meanwhile, 65 percent of Telekom Srpske is owned by Telekom Srbija and 25% owned by three funds based in Republika Srpska (10% by a privatization fund, 10% by the company’s Pension and Life Assurance Fund and 5% by its Restitution Fund).
10 percent of the company is owned by public.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: According to an unnamed source, Greece may not after all go ahead with a recently announced plan to sell an additional 5% stake in incumbent telco OTE to Deutsche Telekom (DT) to help cut national debt. Currently, both state and the German group hold equal shares of 25% in the former monopoly, which includes mobile group Cosmote, and the government has a put option for selling a further 5% to DT which expires in October.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission President Nikitas Alexandridis pledged for cheaper internet, fixed and mobile telephone tariffs in the near future during a press conference.
Broadband access penetration will reach 17% in October against 14.5%, according to EETT’s officials.
Right now, 2 out of 3 subscribers have the possibility of choosing a provider other than HTO while 50% of the Greek population has geographical access to the internet.
Reviewing his 4-year term, Mr Alexandridis estimated that further cut back on broadband connections is possible, saying that prices “are relatively competitive,” given that high speed packages have dropped as much as 78% from December 2008.
Low speed and medium speed packages have dropped 59% and 66% respectively.
As far as mobile telephony goes, forecasts are that until the end of October 2010 charges will be 4,95 cent per minute.
For more information, please visit www.eett.gr/
Vodafone Greece announces the launch of the most advanced mobile broadband services in Greece and among the first in Europe, using HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access) with theoretical peak speeds of 21.6 Mbps (download) and 5.7 Mbps (upload).
New upgraded services will initially be provided in selected areas of Athens, which will be continuously expanded.
Vodafone Mobile Broadband subscribers shall enjoy new high speeds via the exclusive new USB stick Vodafone ?4505, available in its commercial network as of Wednesday July 8th, in limited quantities.
Vodafone Greece, which constantly upgrades its networks, is playing a leading role in developing mobile broadband services. Earlier this year Vodafone Greece was the first and still is the only company in Greece to offer its customers mobile broadband speeds of a peak theoretical rate of 14.4 Mbps (download) and 2 Mbps (upload), through its upgraded HSPA network and the exclusive USB stick ONDA MV815UP.
Vodafone Greece, true to its commitment to provide its customers with quality services, offers actual mobile broadband speeds, which are considerably higher than those offered elsewhere in the market. The average download and upload speeds provided by Vodafone Greece network, are 20% and up to 90% higher than other providers’ networks, depending on cell usage according to independent trials across all operators commissioned by Vodafone and conducted in a wide range of metropolitan areas.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news:
Vodafone UK business customers now have even more ways to reduce their roaming and international call costs with the introduction of Vodafone Europe.
By adding Vodafone Europe for £20 per person, per month, customers can make business calls and texts in 12 European countries and make International calls from the UK for 5p per minute. Sending texts costs 5p per message and there is no charge for taking incoming calls. Calls are billed by the second, offering the best possible value.
“Our business customers have told us keeping in touch with customers – be it by voice, data and email whilst overseas – is vital in giving them a competitive edge” says Peter Kelly, Enterprise Director, Vodafone UK. “By adding Vodafone Europe to our suite of roaming options, customers can make decisions in real time, knowing they have greater budget control and clarity on what they and colleagues are spending when using their phones abroad.” (more…)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: OTE, the Balkans mobile operator has sought to purchase Zapp, the Romanian mobile operator for a price of 207 million euros ($292.5 million) to gain a 3G service in the region’s largest mobile phone market.
“The price … is expected to reach 61 million euros (equity value) while Cosmote will assume debt and other obligations worth about 146 million euros,” OTE unit Cosmote said in a statement.
OTE anticipates that its Romanian mobile operations to boost revenues as business in its other markets slows down due to economic crisis.
“With the deal signed today, a new cycle of growth … begins for Cosmote Romania,” said Cosmote Romania’s chief executive Michael Tsamaz.
The deal is subjected to regulatory approval.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Vodafone Portugal customers will be able to make calls on the networks of Vodafone operators in 19 countries, including the leading destinations in the European Union, for the price of the first minute in their national tariff. The offer applies between 1 July and 30 September 2009.
To benefit from this campaign, customers simply need to call 1222, activate Vodafone Travel and subscribe to the Summer Promotion. As from 1 July, subscribing customers will benefit from special terms from the date they subscribe until 30 September.
Vodafone operators can be found in the following countries: Albania, Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Subscribing to the offer costs €4.90 (including VAT).
This promotion is part of the differentiation strategy of Vodafone’s roaming service aimed at making it even more competitive and attractive to customers, both by reducing prices and by launching new tariffs and services that meet its customers’ varied usage profiles.
For further information, please contact Vodafone Portugal’s Corporate Communications, Governance Support and Social Responsibility Department on +351.210.915.219 (phone), +351.210.915.480 (fax) or by e-mail at press.pt@vodafone.com.
