Vodafone is targeting 10 million customers for its third-generation (3G) mobile phone services by March 2006 as it seeks to recoup about €24 billion spent on 3G licences four years ago.
The world's largest mobile phone company by revenue said today that high-street shops in 13 countries now stocked high-speed 3G handsets, which offer CD-quality sound, stereo speakers and MP3 players, access to 3D gaming, video and audio streaming and video phone calls.
"Vodafone live! (phones) with 3G will become increasingly mass market next year and we expect over 10 million customers to be using Vodafone live! with 3G by March 2006 in our subsidiaries," chief executive Mr Arun Sarin said in a statement.
Vodafone, which has almost 140 million customers, has already been selling 3G phones in Germany, Portugal, Spain and Italy.
In September it said it planned to beef up the offering with 10 new 3G handsets made by six suppliers in time for Christmas.
Its full commercial launch helps shore up its struggling Japanese business, brings the new phones to key markets such as the UK and throws down the gauntlet to small rivals such as 3, the Hutchison Whampoa-controlled 3G operator.
The new phones, which will be upgraded Vodafone live! handsets - the company's flagship phone range - will be available in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
Vodafone said services included a "movie of the month", allowing users to view trailers, clips and download associated greetings, pictures, wallpapers and ringtones.
Vodafone hinted that voice prices might be reduced, saying that customers would get "more value for money" for voice calls as 3G offers greater network capacity than current services.
But it gave few tariff details, saying only that its pricing would be simple and encourage usage.
Web browsing will be free or included in pricing bundles. Content purchases will be charged on an event basis and each market will offer promotional packages to woo early customers.