Vodafone erwartet zum UMTS-Start weder Video noch Musik per Handy - 500 Beiträge pro Seite | Diskussion im Forum

[dpaAFX]

LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Zum Start des Multimedia-Mobilfunkstandards UMTS im kommenden Jahr können die neuen Telefone nach Einschätzung des Branchenführers Vodafone zunächst weder Video noch Musik übertragen. Die Geräte seien noch zu langsam und für die Kunden zudem zu teuer, warnte das Unternehmen nach einem Bericht der "Financial Times" vom Freitag gegenüber Analysten. Vodafone hat bereits rund 13 Mrd. Pfund (fast 22 Mrd. Euro) in zehn UMTS-Lizenzen in Europa gesteckt. Am teuersten war die Lizenz für D2 Mannesmann in Deutschland.

Den Angaben zufolge werden die Mobilfunk-Angebote von Vodafone im zweiten Vierteljahr 2002 noch nicht die technischen Mindestvorgaben für UMTS erfüllen. Handy-Nutzer können dann aber mit den neuen Geräten im Internet surfen. Vodafone hatte im Juli bereits angekündigt, die UMTS-Investitionen des Konzerns zu bremsen, weil sich Engpässe bei den Endgeräten abzeichnen./pin/lob/FP/js

Autor: dpa - AFX (© dpa),09:15 07.09.2001

[BigBlender]

Eine beschönigende Meldung, die Wahrheit sieht etwas anders aus:

Vodafone fails 3G test


Multimedia 3G phones could be disappointing

Vodafone has admitted that its third-generation (3G) mobile phone networks will not be fast enough initially to offer full multimedia services.
This means that transmitting live music and video clips is likely to remain slow and expensive while the technology will fall below the internationally-accepted standard definition for 3G mobile services, analysts said.

Vodafone has spent about £13bn acquiring 10 European 3G licences.

On Friday, investors continued to mark down the shares, which lost 2.5% to 134p in early trading, having already lost 3.7% the previous day.

Debt repayment fears

Vodafone and other phone firms have built up massive debts buying 3G licences, spending a total of about £70bn on European licences over the past few years.

And some analysts fear that Vodafone`s warning could send telecoms shares tumbling further.

Stocks in the sector have fallen steeply in recent months because of investor concerns about the telecoms companies` ability to repay those debts.

For many investors, the news that 3G will not live up to expectations has long been the nightmare scenario.

Vodafone said its service would run at a minimum of 64,000 bits per second, which will allow it to offer improvements in text messaging and text-based internet information, but is insufficient for good quality pictures and sound files.

It said "most coverage areas" would be capable of 384,000 bits per second.

Anger in the City

Existing WAP-based mobiles offer text messaging and text-based internet, but most analysts consider these services have disappointed consumers.

Vodafone is also attracting criticism in the City of London for releasing the news to telecoms analysts, without making an official stock market announcement.

The warning follows an earlier one in June, when Vodafone said the launch of its 3G phone services could be delayed into 2003, rather than taking place in 2002 as originally scheduled.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1530000/153…

das war erst der Anfang.

gruss,
bigblender