Europe’s largest mobile phone operator Vodafone has announced that it has met its target of achieving one million Vodafone Live! customers by the end of this month.
Vodafone Live! is a camera-equipped multimedia service which brings together network and handset technology, enabling customers to use picture messaging, download polyphonic ringtones and colour games and browse infotainment from integrated camera phones through an icon driven menu.
Of the 10 countries where Vodafone Live! (launched on 24 October last year) is available, Ireland has 38,000 customers, representing just 2.2pc of its 1.7 million prepaid and contract subscribers here.
Germany has 375,000 customers, Italy 190,000 and the UK 220,000.
Paul Donovan CEO Vodafone Ireland said: “Ireland has delivered nearly 4pc of the total number of Vodafone Live! customers since we began offering the service here on 6 November, 2002. Given our relative size it is a tremendous achievement and once again points to the higher mobile usage levels in Ireland compared to the rest of Europe.”
According to the most recent results from the company in January, Ireland delivers the highest revenue per user of any operation in the EU.
In Ireland the average revenue per user (ARPU) was €542 for the 12 months to 31 December, 2002 compared to €432 in the UK, €377 in Spain, €347 in Italy and €312 in Germany.
At the time a spokesman said the dramatic difference between Ireland and Germany reflected the demographics of the two countries, one with a young population engaging high levels of voice and data usage, the other with an ageing population and a still relatively high degree of fixed-line usage.
By Suzanne Byrne
