Vodafone Trials 3G Service In Sydney

Submitted by Varun Krish on July 19, 2005 – 2:49 pm

Vodafone has recently started external 3G trials in Sydney, Australia. They are giving 180 customers the ability to use and test drive the 3G network for three weeks. The testers will be given 3G enabled phones, and data cards for usage with their notebooks, and etc. In the last week, they’re gonna have to report to Vodafone stores to talk about their experiences, usage problems, etc…

During this task, they’ll be assigned tasks such as downloading MP3 tracks, videos, and 3D games – why? To see how well the 3G network operates and stands up. These results in the stores are going to be used to properly train Vodafone staff for the full network launch later on.

Vodafone has assigned sets of tasks for users to complete during the trial. Mobile handset users will be asked to download specific Vodafone live! content, such as the latest music tracks, sports action and 3D games. Business customers will use the VMC with 3G data cards to test mobile email with attachments, internet access and wireless working using various enterprise applications.

“We want to evaluate the customer experience across all areas of content and delivery so we’ve deliberately set objectives for users, but beyond that it’s up to them to decide how and what they want to explore,” said John Casey, Chief Marketing Officer at Vodafone Australia. “We’ll use feedback from the trial to give future 3G customers an unbeatable mobile experience.”

“At Vodafone, an unbeatable experience means much more than how the technology performs; it’s about how successfully we meet and exceed customer expectations on service and support and how effectively our products and content fires imagination, “ added Casey.

The external trial follows a three-month internal test programme, which evaluated the functionality of the Vodafone 3G network, handset and data card provisioning and support systems. The internal trial involved more than 100 Vodafone employees in Sydney.

“Our Australian customers will benefit from everything that Vodafone has learned in rolling out new 3G networks in 14 other countries around the world,” said Casey.

source:Cellular-News