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Vodafone to extend super fast mobile broadband network

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Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Plans to extend its market-leading mobile broadband network to a further three million people have been unveiled by Vodafone (13-05-08).

The telecoms giant currently offers the UK’s fastest mobile broadband at speeds of up to 7.2Mb, and yesterday announced a multi-million pound investment to bring faster speeds and a more reliable connection to Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Reading.

Currently Vodafone's (www.Vodafone.co.uk) top speeds are only available in London and major British airports and roll out of its extended network is expected to be completed by autumn 2008.

It will also use HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) to increase upload speeds to a theoretical maximum of 1.8Mb, compared to 300Kb at present.

Amid complaints from rival 3 (www.Three.co.uk) over its advertising of theoretical, almost impossibly attainable top speeds, Vodafone also announced that from June customers could expect to see a change in the way it sells mobile broadband.

“For example, customers can expect to see more information at the point of sale to help them understand the time it will take to download files, films and music on the mobile broadband network. The number of emails a customer can expect to download or the number of web pages they can browse will also be more clearly illustrated,” it said.

Nick Read, CEO of Vodafone UK, said: “We are committed to keeping life simple for our customers in terms of access to information about services and speeds, keeping pricing clear, as well as ensuring our device range comprises easy to use, plug and play modems. From June we will focus on providing additional relevant information with details on everyday usage scenarios, which will ensure customers can continue to make the most of Vodafone’s high speed mobile broadband service.”

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, added: “As with fixed line broadband, consumers need to be aware that the speeds that are advertised are a top speed that is rarely achievable.

“As a relatively new market, mobile broadband suppliers have the opportunity to break away from unrealistic advertising and be more transparent about the speeds their customers will actually get. I hope that as the UK’s fastest mobile broadband provider, this is where Vodafone is now heading,” he concluded.

Related article - Mobile broadband.

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