Vodafone announces interactive Mobile TV service and makes Web 2.0 mobile

Düsseldorf, 24. January 2007. Vodafone is the first mobile communications provider to showcase interactive TV programmes for Mobile TV at CeBIT 2007. The new version of the TV player lets Vodafone live! customers use their handsets to vote and take part in competitions during some of the programmes. Another Vodafone highlight is the video community that has recently been set up on the Vodafone live! portal where customers can upload and rate videoclips that they have made themselves. Vodafone Sitebuilder is the easy way to create your own website on your mobile phone and put it on the internet.

Mobile video community

Vodafone is entering the mobile Web 2.0 era in a big way. Amateur video producers can capture exciting events on mobile video, upload them onto the Vodafone live! portal, share them with friends and get them rated. Vodafone is planning a rewards scheme for viewers who put their own videos on the portal. The amount of the reward depends on the number of times the video is downloaded. It's a fantastic idea that's not only fun, but also puts money in your wallet. Videos are uploaded onto the portal either via MMS message or WAP upload.A search function simplifies the process of finding videoclips. When your friends and other community members have watched your videoclip, they can give you feedback and rate it. The new video community can be accessed from both home PCs and mobile Vodafone live! phones.

Interactive Mobile TV at Vodafone

Vodafone live! unleashed interactive Mobile TV when it launched the interactive mobile phone TV player. The TV player delivers added value to users that takes them into a new dimension of TV viewing. For example, viewers of the "TV Gusto" cooking programmes which are broadcast live on Vodafone Mobile TV can download a list of ingredients to their mobile phone and try out the programme's recipes at home.

Vodafone will be teaming up with selected Mobile TV partners to launch interactive services that enable viewers with mobile phones to participate in the programme. For example, there will be text message voting and competitions where viewers have to send in their answers via mobile phone during the programme. New advertising concepts are also in the pipeline. For example, Vodafone live! customers will be able to use their mobiles to book a test drive in models that are presented on Mobile TV. Another new feature is the opportunity to buy videos via the popular TV player.

Mobile website design made easy

Vodafone has introduced an innovative service called "Mobile Sitebuilder". Customers simply go to www.vodafonelive.de, where it only takes them a few mouse clicks to create their own Flash website and a mobile website for mobile phone access at the same time. They only have to create the site once because it is automatically optimised for PC access plus access from many different phone models.

Vodafone Mobile TV and the Vodafone live! services can only be used in conjunction with suitable handhelds and terminals, and if UMTS network coverage is available. UMTS network coverage is already available in 2000 German towns and cities.

Source: Vodafone Germany