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European posts

European roaming caps finalized for July 1 enforcement

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 24th 2009 @ 5:12AM

The EU's latest proposal to cap roaming costs among its member nations on a tiered multi-year plan passed with flying colors before Parliament this week, meaning the deal goes into law effective July 1. There's a lot of push-back on this one from the GSMA -- makes sense, considering they represent carriers -- and concern that affected carriers will respond by simply raising domestic rates to counterbalance the lost revenue, but ultimately, it seems the powers that be are rolling the bones in the hopes that this works out in consumers' best interests. Telecoms commish Viviane Reding says roaming texts could drop in cost by a solid 60 percent, so yeah, we'd say that's a win.

Telef�nica and Vodafone reach pan-European deal to share network infrastructure

by Darren Murph posted Mar 23rd 2009 @ 7:02PM

Good news, Europe. Telefónica and Vodafone have just made public a milestone pan-European agreement that will enable the two to share network infrastructure in Germany, Spain, Ireland and the UK, with detailed discussions ongoing in the Czech Republic. The collaboration will supposedly deliver efficiencies of hundreds of millions of pounds for each company over ten years, and for customers of each, they can look forward to better coverage across each of those nations. Oh, and subscribers should also expect rates to remain lower compared to what would happen if each operator were forced to build out individually, but it's not like either of these guys are coming out and saying that. At any rate, we figure there's some serious celebration in order for those in the region, no?

DVB-SH mobile TV trials to crank up in Italy

by Darren Murph posted Dec 14th 2007 @ 4:02PM

Though it once appeared as if DVB-SH was headed for high times in Europe, DVB-H eventually won out as the nationwide standard, but that certainly doesn't mean other standards can't compete within the region. Reportedly, Alcatel-Lucent has agreed to launch the first trial of the technology in Italy with RAI and 3 Italia, and while DVB-SH would likely be more costly to implement due to its position in the spectrum, European telecoms are grasping for options to satisfy the growing desire for mobile TV. If all goes as planned, the trials will take place in Turin over the next few months, but it wasn't clear when Jane / John Doe would be called in to participate. Also of note, a cellphone provider has yet to be selected, but it sounds like Samsung and Sagem both made it onto the short list.

[Via mocoNews]

Is this Orange's French iPhone?

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 17th 2007 @ 12:49PM

As we quickly approach Apple's "mums the word" event in London, the reports have been flying in concerning all sorts of carriers rocking the iPhone in the very near future. Now, we've got France's Orange joining O2's supposed UK deal and Germany's Vodafone / T-Mobile juggle. The rumors are saying we can expect a €300 French iPhone (sans 3G and unlimited data plans) on November 29th, with an announcement during the Apple Expo in Paris on September 24th, though the picture we're seeing clearly shows the blurry-as-all-get-out phone touting the T-Mobile carrier name. They say it's roaming, we say; don't sign anything yet.

[Via TechCrunch]

Samsung's SGH-F700 gets (really) official on Vodafone

by Darren Murph posted Sep 14th 2007 @ 4:19PM

Those paying attention should know full well by now that Samsung's SGH-F700 (you know, the Croix) is set to make everyone not a Vodafone customer uber-envious here soon, but just in case you missed it, Sammy is making sure you're up to speed. The handset will boast a three-megapixel camera, a 3.2-inch 432 x 240 resolution touchscreen, QWERTY keypad, Bluetooth 2.0, USB, a microSD expansion slot, HSDPA, and an integrated media player that handles H.263 / H.264, MP3, and AAC formats. We know what you're really after, so check out a bit more eye candy after the jump.

Continue reading Samsung's SGH-F700 gets (really) official on Vodafone

iPhone for T-Mobile Germany announcement on the way?

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 14th 2007 @ 10:20AM

Ever since (and perhaps before) the iPhone hit the US market, we've been hearing rumors of an imminent European release, which was confirmed by the company many, many months ago. Of course, there's been no movement besides rampant speculation and high-school style gossiping... but that may all be changing. According to the ridiculously-respected Reuters in an article published today, the German telephone giant Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile to you and me), has inked a deal with Apple to release the iPhone in the Fatherland (AKA Germany), with an official announcement to be made next week. The report (which is still considered rumor) claims that the phones will go on sale for the initial price of €399 ($554), and that Apple and T-Mobile will split voice and data revenue generated by the phones. Additionally, Reuters says that Apple will make similar arrangements with O2 for the UK, and Orange in France. If this news is accurate, it all but squashes the Vodafone deal rumors, but still leaves questions as to whether Apple will introduce a 3G version of the iPhone when it makes its announcements. Only El-Jobso knows for sure.

Orange, O2, and T-Mobile agree to iPhone revenue deals

by Darren Murph posted Aug 21st 2007 @ 4:59PM

Merely days after we caught wind of Apple's rumored discussions with Vodafone, three other European carriers became the ones to reportedly agree to Apple's terms. According to FinancialTimes, "Apple has succeeded in committing European mobile phone operators that want exclusively to sell its new iPhone to share parts of their revenues with the technology group." The contract, which was signed by T-Mobile Germany, Orange, and O2, "requires that the operators hand over to Apple ten-percent of the revenues made from calls and data transfers by customers over iPhones" -- the same chunk required of those wanting to slap that Made for iPod logo on their accessories. Unfortunately, there's no word just yet on pricing, a launch timeframe, or any other lingering deals with overseas carriers, but we could very well hear more from all sides during IFA.

[Via The Boy Genius Report]

Apple, Vodafone discussing iPhone minutiae?

by Darren Murph posted Aug 17th 2007 @ 1:38PM

While the Apple-Vodafone rumors have been swirling for months, an unnamed "source" has apparently found that the two firms are now breaking down the minute details that are holding back a (potentially) forthcoming launch. Most importantly, it seems that Vodafone doesn't want to "give up as much control" as did AT&T here in the States, and below is a brief list of reported "iPhone enhancements [that] carriers are looking for:"

Vodafone wants the YouTube application to "work much more like the Internet version."
Improvements to Outlook and Exchange support
Improved security and firewalls
Tweaks to Apple's WEP and WPA security key requirements
Web browser improvements, namely, the ability to simply "cut and paste"

So, there you have it -- now how's about we just start compromising and get a deal together for all the patient Europeans, yeah?

Apple's iPhone functioning with Vodafone?

by Darren Murph posted Jul 19th 2007 @ 4:23PM

Here's an interesting one. While just about every citizen in Europe twiddles their thumbs and awaits an iPhone announcement for their side of the pond, more than a few impatient souls have been looking for ways to utilize the device in their homeland right away. Most recently, however, is an intriguing report that a US-sourced iPhone is functioning fine (save for the lack of visual voicemail) on Vodafone after a user swapped an AT&T SIM card into an O2 XDA, had the carrier add it to his current contract, and then stuffed the now-Vodafone-compliant AT&T SIM back into the iPhone. Interestingly, hordes of IRC participants are balking at the story, suggesting that SIM numbers are network specific and that Vodafone should not have been able to pull off the aforementioned feat of magic. Hmm, we wonder if Vodafone's bubbling excitement to get ahold of Apple's handset could have anything to do with it?

Read - US iPhone works with Vodafone
Read - Vodafone "looks forward" to 3G iPhone

iPhone briefly appears on T-Mobile Germany's website

by Darren Murph posted Jul 17th 2007 @ 10:59AM

Ruh roh. Looks like someone just got caught red handed. According to a number of sources who had their screencap fingers ready to rock, T-Mobile Germany will soon be offering up the iPhone in Deutschland. Apparently, the carrier actually had an iPhone-specific page hosted momentarily yesterday, and while it has since been yanked, evidence is everywhere. C'mon T-Mobile, you honestly thought you could trial the iPhone page without one of the 57,000 interested customers taking notice?

[Via Inquirer]

Vodafone selected as Apple's Euro iPhone partner?

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 28th 2007 @ 12:36PM

As much fanfare as Apple's partnership with AT&T is getting stateside, there continues to be eerily little official discussion about the specifics of the iPhone's upcoming European launch. The reason for the silence is a subject of some debate, but the popular theory seems to be that Apple's spoiled brat-like demands aren't going over well with Europe's major carriers. Though T-Mobile's been named as a possibility to eventually cave (or cause Apple to cave?), Credit Suisse seems to think Vodafone makes the most sense -- and now at least one retailer seems to be lending credibility to that theory. This is all super sketch, mind you -- after all, it's been widely believed that Apple would go straight to 3G for its European launch -- but phones2U now lists the 8GB iPhone (though pricing is "TBA") as being available with a handful of monthly plans. It's not out of the question for a retailer to break news like this, so we'll see what happens.

[Thanks, Cassio]

European operators not keen on Apple's demands

by Darren Murph posted Jun 16th 2007 @ 5:21PM

Ah, the plot thickens. Just days ago we got wind that Apple could be facing a few hurdles in the European market, and considering that operators are now referring to the company as "unbelievably arrogant," we'd say the two have some serious issues to work through. According to Avi Greengart, a principal analyst at Current Analysis, Apple is making demands that "simply cannot be justified no matter how hot the product is," but failed to note exactly what these were. Interestingly, it was even noted that several carriers felt adamant that "they would never offer the iPhone." C'mon, who are these guys kidding -- somebody will end up bending to Apple's demands if it means offering up the oh-so-coveted handset. At least, we sure hope so for you folks across the pond.

[Via MacRumors]