Vodafone has made the UK's first live voice call over a third generation (3G) mobile network, more than a year before its commercial launch of the service.
The world's largest mobile phone company said it made the call using a prototype handset for 3G, which will provide high-speed Internet access and the ability to transmit pictures, videos and music.
The call, made in conjunction with its principal 3G infrastructure supplier Ericsson, was sent over Vodafone's initial network of 30 base stations in the Thames Valley, west of London.
It began building its 3G network last autumn and anticipates a commercial launch in the second half of 2002, focusing on major conurbations and transport routes.
Vodafone said that it hopes by 2007 to have exceeded its licence obligation of covering 80 percent of the UK population.
It was one of five groups that paid a total of £22.5bn for British 3G licences last year, kicking off a global round of auctions that piled a mountain of debt on the mobile industry.
Vodafone said it will deliver 3G services at launch using dual mode handsets that will also work with its GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) network, which offers similar services at slower speeds. It launched GPRS, also known as 2.5G, on April 2nd.
It said it is working with handset manufacturers including Casio, Ericsson, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic and Siemens.
"Our announcement of the first 3G voice call marks yet another significant milestone in the development of our multimedia services and forms part of our rollout plans for 3G mobile," Vodafone UK's chief operating officer Gavin Darby said in a statement.
Japan's NTT DoCoMo plans to launch the world's first 3G service at the end of May.
