Vodafone Australia - Cell Phones Australia

Vodafone Group Plc

Developments in mobile voice and data communications are changing forever the way we communicate and access and receive information. And many of the changes that will occur are beyond our imagination today.

Worldwide, Vodafone is focused solely on mobile technology. Our aim is to develop and deliver new wireless services for people who want the freedom and flexibility to communicate and access information anywhere, anytime.

Vodafone Group was established in the UK in 1983, and has equity interests in 26 countries and partner networks in a further 13 countries - leaving an unmatched network footprint that has access to a total customer base of almost 155 million proportionate customers. Vodafone Group Plc has played a significant role in Vodafone Australia's business since its inception as well as in the management and development of Vodafone New Zealand and Vodafone Fiji.

Vodafone Australia

The mobile telecommunications industry in Australia has grown rapidly. As at June 2005, there were almost 18.2 million mobile customers in Australia. This represents a mobile penetration rate of approximately 90.1 per cent.

Vodafone was awarded the third Australian mobile telecommunications carrier licence in December 1992. In September 1993 the company began providing GSM mobile telecommunications services with network coverage in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. By March 1994, the mobile network was extended to the cities of Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Vodafone Australia operates a GSM digital mobile network that covers 93 per cent of the Australian population.

The company offers GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) on the network to its customers and continues to upgrade its network to allow the company to deliver mobile Internet services at data transmission speeds which are significantly faster than the existing GSM networks can deliver.

In March 2001, the company bid $253.5 million to secure a national licence of 2 GHz spectrum for the delivery of third generation (3G) mobile telephony services. More than 3 million customers are connected to Vodafone, which is almost a 17 per cent share of the Australian mobile market.