Vodafone Netherlands: All 64 FIFA World Cup(TM) matches on Vodafone mobile

Vodafone takes the next step in mobile TV with the FIFA World Cup(TM)

Maastricht, 10 April 2006 - Vodafone is passing a new milestone in viewing television on the mobile phone, by offering television broadcasts of all 64 matches in the FIFA World Cup(TM). Vodafone is the only operator in the Netherlands to offer its customers exclusive pictures on the mobile phone of the football world championship with goals, highlights, match round-ups, a daily World Cup news programme, archive pictures of the World Cup 2002 and statistics. After calling and texting, watching television on mobile is the most popular service at the moment. Vodafone offers customers a unique and very extensive package of football and football related content, such as mobile pictures of the football championship, breaking news, Facts and Figures, MusicDownloads, Ringtones and Welcome Tunes, Games and Wallpapers. In the build-up to the World Cup, Dutch fans can also watch all the practice matches of the national team on their mobile phone. These matches will be broadcast live and in full on the Vodafone mobile.

Edited for mobile
The video images of all the matches in the FIFA World Cup(TM) will be digitally recorded and specially edited for the mobile phone, so that the pictures can be viewed optimally on a mobile phone screen. It's the first time that a mobile operator is offering pictures of football matches in this high-quality way.

Football on the mobile phone also for non-Vodafone customers
For non-Vodafone customers who don't have access to the Vodafone live! portal, Vodafone has come up with an alternative. After texting the word VOETBAL to the number 2006, non-Vodafone customers will receive a text message back with a link to a mobile internet page that is specially made for them. On this page, Vodafone provides a free selection of football news, including up-to-date information from Sports Plaza. In this way, Vodafone helps non-Vodafone customers, no matter who their operator is, to keep up-to-date with the news about the FIFA World Cup(TM).

One-off payment of five euros for months of unlimited football
Specially for the FIFA World Cup(TM), Vodafone is offering all football content as a FIFA WK 2006 package. For a one-off payment of five euros, from today until a week after the World Cup final on 9 July, Vodafone customers have unlimited access to all unique football related content on their mobile phone, wherever and whenever they want. In addition, they get the Vodafone Mobihose, a mobile phone carrier in the shape of German Lederhose, for free. Customers can subscribe to the FIFA WK 2006 package by texting the word VOETBAL to the number 2006 or through the Vodafone live! portal. Customers can also watch or download all the football content per summary, goal, newsflash, clip or text.

Definite breakthrough in watching TV on a mobile
In November 2004 Vodafone started the mass introduction of consumer services that make use of its UMTS network, such as Mobile TV, VideoCalling and MusicDownloads. Now, one and a half years later, Vodafone customers can choose from the widest range of high-quality telephones in combination with the largest mobile television and music service currently available on the market.

With the acquisition in February 2006 of the mobile broadcasting rights for the FIFA World Cup(TM), Vodafone is underlining its leading position in the Dutch market and is taking yet another unique and significant step forwards in offering television on the mobile phone. A step that satisfies the ever-increasing need of customers for relevant and affordable new value-adding mobile services and the increasing requests from the entertainment industry to be able to provide television and music via the mobile phone. Vodafone has the unique mobile rights to and contracts with 35 TV producers and stations worldwide, including Discovery Channel, CNN, MTV, Fashion TV and HBO with "Sex and the City" for example and Dutch producers such as Talpa and RTL. The continuously increasing demand for and availability of TV programmes and content, contracts with major producers in the Netherlands and internationally, and the rich offering of football that Vodafone is bringing to the market, means that watching television on the mobile phone is definitely making a breakthrough.

Vodafone Libertel N.V.
Vodafone is one of the Netherlands' largest mobile telecommunication companies and is a member of the worldwide Vodafone Group, the world's largest mobile community with nearly 180 million proportionate customers in five continents, equity interests in 27 countries and Partner Networks in a further 32 countries.

Source: Vodafone