Phone giant Vodafone took another step in the roll-out of its third generation mobile phone technology today with the launch of commercial 3G services in Europe.

From today, customers in Germany and Portugal will be able to access new services, including news and sport video downloads, on their mobile phone.

It marks the start of the group's push of Vodafone live! technology across Europe, which is due to move into other countries in the coming months.

The company, based in Newbury, Berkshire, is expected to launch the service in the UK over the summer.

The technology gives mobile users improved quality, sound, pictures and videos, as well as increased speed when downloading games and ringtones.

It also enables them to access services such as video calling and video downloads, receive live events to their handset, as well as existing services such as video messaging.

Chief marketing officer Peter Bamford said consumer trials of Vodafone live! with 3G indicated that consumers were keen to try the new technology.

He said: "Over the next year Vodafone live! with 3G will open up a whole new world of communication and entertainment via the mobile phone.

"As well as texting and speaking to friends and family, consumers will be able to use their mobile phones in different ways, helping them enjoy richer communication anywhere, anytime."

Vodafone has chosen Samsung to provide its first 3G phone but hopes to expand the range to include handsets from Sony Ericsson.

The move follows the UK launch of Vodafone's 3G datacards - which offer Internet connections to laptop users at seven times the speed of a fixed-line service - in February.

Users plug the datacard into a laptop computer, enabling them to access applications such as e-mail away from the office.

Tuesday May 04, 2004