Vodafone has formed a new alliance with a range of global computer firms to provide mobile computing services to its business customers.
It said it had signed global agreements with computer equipment suppliers Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Psion Teklogix and Toshiba to offer mobile computing using devices such as notebooks and personal digital assistants.
The deal allows business customers to acquire, via Vodafone, palmtop computers made by these manufacturers, ready for use on the "Connected by Vodafone" GPRS network it set up this month.
"All 'Connected by Vodafone' customers will enjoy the benefits of Vodafone's extensive GPRS footprint, enabling them to seamlessly access their services whenever they travel abroad," the company said.
In a separate announcement, Vodafone said it had appointed Mr Brian Clark as chief executive of its new Asia Pacific division which will group its assets in the region and is based in Tokyo. Mr Clark joined the company in 1997 from South Africa's Telkom Pty.