Vodafone goes live - at a price

By PETER GRIFFIN

The much-vaunted mobile services platform Vodafone Live! becomes available today but Vodafone customers will have to shell out $1000 just to join in the mobile fun.

The world's largest mobile operator has gradually been rolling out the content portal for its millions of customers region by region, with each country receiving a customised version of the same thing.

Vodafone Live! combines messaging - both text and pictures - with news, entertainment, information services and limited product ordering services.

Local content providers such as Independent Newspapers (INL) and the Automobile Association have climbed on board, taking advantage of revenue-sharing deals.

Users can download still pictures taken from web cameras stationed at surf beaches and ski fields around the country and the AA has set up a web camera at Vodafone's headquarters above Spaghetti Junction so users can gauge traffic flows.

The service is a major advance on Vizzavi, Vodafone's previous content portal. But it operates on Vodafone's reasonably low-speed GPRS data network. Vodafone had learned a lot from its Japanese subsidiary J-Phone and was seeking to repeat the roaring success of NTT DoCoMo.

The Japanese operator's i-mode service was a huge hit but was based on relatively simple technology.

"This is much more advanced than anything outside of Japan," said Vodafone's managing director Tim Miles.

He was expecting a "huge increase" in data traffic across Vodafone's network as new subscribers began buying Vodafone Live! services.

"In Europe we picked up a million customers in no time. This is just the beginning. If you could see the product road map for Vodafone Live! your eyes would be out on stalks."

The one major drawback is that customers will have to invest in a new mobile handset to access Vodafone Live!

A colour screen model from Sharp with an inbuilt digital camera has gone on sale for $999.

Miles said either prices would drop over time or more features would be packed into new models at the same price point.

Pricing was split into "one-off events" for which users would pay 20c to 50c, or weekly or monthly subscriptions which typically cost $1 to $2.

Ringtone downloads, games and screen backgrounds vary in price from $3 to $7.

The launch of Vodafone Live! has shaken rival Telecom Mobile into action. Last week it pre-empted its arrival with the debut of some new mobile entertainment and messaging services that are integrated with Telecom's internet provider Xtra. The coming months are likely to see a flurry of marketing activity as Telecom and Vodafone attempt to lure customers on to their new services.

Telecom Mobile general manager Kevin Kenrick said Xtra's 400,000- strong subscriber base and 300,000 people on the 027 network could access new services on a wide range of handsets already in the market.

Vodafone Group

* World's largest mobile phone company

* Based in UK

* Active in 28 countries

* Posted Europe's biggest ever loss last year of £16.2 billion (since exceeded by Deutsche Telekom)

* Group revenue of £22.8 billion (year to 31/3/02)

* Vodafone NZ revenue $703 million (year to 31/3/02)