Vodafone’s start-up division to launch corporate offering next July

The Czech branch of the mobile operator Vodafone set up a special team to prepare a new offering for big businesses, slated to be launched in July 2007, Vodafone Czech Republic’s CEO, Grahame Maher told CBW.
We are bringing all technologies together now, and we are building the capability for businesses first, to satisfy all communication needs,??? Maher said, adding that the offering will also include fixed line Internet connection and VoIP.
The project, which works independently as a start-up company, is called Oskar version 2, or just V2, and is run by a team that Vodafone created this July to find ways of entering the big business market.
Vodafone will run its first trials with customers in the first quarter of next year. The Oskar Version 2 team might grow from the current 12 members to 25 members next year, but it will be incorporated back into Vodafone before the company launches its new offering next July. Vodafone hasn’t done this anywhere in the world yet,??? Maher said, adding that the company wants to tap both Oskar’s entrepreneurial background and Vodafone Group’s resources to make the project reality.
It will never be sold as a separate brand. It’s just outside of the business while it’s being started so that we don’t slow it down,??? Maher said. While he was tight-lipped about the exact cost of the project, he said that the investment is in tens of millions Euro.
So far we have dealt with smaller customers, with up to 20 phones, and this is our chance to enter into the area which T-Mobile and Telef³nica had to themselves, really,??? Maher said. He added that Vodafone will have the chance to build and handle global accounts.
The whole offering will be prepared Oskar-style??? and Vodafone wants to enter the big businesses market with different, aggressive and radical offers.  The single biggest difference will be in pricing for VoIP,??? Maher said, pointing out that no one’s doing that yet. Vodafone plans to offer simple pricing with a fixed monthly payment so that clients will not be surprised by the amount of their phone bills. In addition, the company will manage all technological upgrades for the customer. We want to take the complications away so customers don’t have to worry about it,??? Maher said.
A similar offering should be available for residential customers as well, but Vodafone doesn’t have any time-schedule for such launch yet.
Source- http://www.cbw.cz