Vodafone AirTouch signs up wireless portal consortium

Vodafone AirTouch has signed a raft of partnership agreements that will enable it to roll-out an Internet portal for mobile phone users.

The mobile network operator is working towards a single global platform with the help of IBM, Infospace, Sun Microsystems and the Sun-Netscape Alliance. Sun will provide hardware, software (including Java-based technology), and professional services, while IBM will be tapped for systems integration and hosting. Infospace "will deliver content and commerce services in a unified packages".

Content will come from Charles Schwab and Travelocity.com/Sabre among others, while handset manufacturers Ericsson, Nokia, Palm Computing and Psion have also been brought on board.

The portal will launch in basic form by the middle of this year, when the company will also reveal the brand name for the service.

Andrew Steven, Vodafone account manager at Sun-Netscape Alliance, said: "This has been put together globally. Although we work with other operators, I think you can say Vodafone is in the lead from the point of view of looking at it from a global perspective."

Besides trying to take the initiative in the race to provide mobile Internet access and a truly international service, the company's efforts could also influence the Mannesmann investors Vodafone is currently trying to woo.

Don Pearce, principal consultant at Netcom, said: "Vodafone's very clearly trying to bypass the Mannesmann board at the moment, not to say it wouldn't be making noises like this in any case."

Chris Gent , chief executive of Vodafone AirTouch, said: "[Our] objective is to become the world's leading mobile multimedia operator. We invite Mannesmann shareholders to join us in adding a fourth 'W' to the World Wide Web. From now on, it will be the World Wide Wireless Web."

Version 1.0 of the global portal will feature simple messaging, information services, as well as travel and financial ecommerce transactions. Version 2.0, promised for the end of the year, will offer unified messaging, access to virtual private networks, GPS location, higher bandwidth, and MP3 downloads.