In a statement released to coincide with a strategy presentation in Dusseldorf, Vodafone said 411,000 consumers had bought 3G devices in Germany and that a further 117,000 had signed up for 3G data cards.
Vodafone Germany’s 3G network coverage now extends to 1,200 towns and cities in Germany, which translates to about 60% of the population. It hopes that 70% of the population will get 3G coverage by the end of March 2006.
Meanwhile, it said its MobileTV service attracted some 100,000 German customers during June. These customers are able to watch 15 TV channels online on their mobile handsets, and it also includes four live TV channels including CNN and Eurosport.
It has also successfully launched Vodafone Zuhause, a mobile service offering an alternative to fixed-line services within the home zone.
Vodafone launched 3G in 13 countries last November, with a target of signing up 10 million subscribers to the new offering by the end of March 2006. Due to the high saturation rates of mobile phones in Western Europe, Vodafone has to maximize customer ARPU if it is to meet its target of organic growth in the 6% to 9% range for the year.
For the year ending March 31, Vodafone reported a loss of GBP 7.5bn ($13.8bn), down from a loss of GBP 9bn ($16.5bn). Revenue rose 1.7% to GBP 34.1bn ($62.4bn).
