Actual Die Welt interview with Vodafone Germany's Juergen von Kuczkowski
(Babelfish translation)
Thursday, 08 August 2002
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"For The UMTS Start Still The Terminals" Are Missing
Vodafone shifts the beginning of the Multimedia portable radio a half year. Interview with Germany boss of Kuczkowski
Vodafone will shift its UMTS start of autumn in Germany 2002 on spring 2003. This announced Juergen of Kuczkowski, chairman of the management, in the world interview. Its reason: The terminal manufacturers can supply still no commercially applicable UMTS Handys. From Kuczkowski it counts on the fact that by that six around UCB drivers only three will remain remaining at present. Lutz Fruehbrodt spoke with the Germany boss of Vodafone.
THE WORLD: All network carriers had to shift so far their UMTS start - except Vodafone. Do you become, how announced, in the autumn their net in enterprise to take?
Juergen of Kuczkowski: Yes, the net is taken in the autumn in enterprise, but for a commercial start are missing still terminals, which become fair our qualitative requirements. Therefore we will continue to concentrate on the structure of net, so that our net is better developed in the surface, as soon as the terminals are there.
THE WORLD:: Why are the terminals not yet ripe for the commercial employment? Motorola had nevertheless announced on the Cebit in March to be able to supply a sufficient quantity of the UMTS Handys "A 820".
of Kuczkowski: It is less a question of the quantity than rather the quality standards. We are simply not yet content with some technical capability characteristics. This applies in particular to the Handover problem, thus the automatic and thus no-break passing on of connections between different radio cells. Our suppliers, Motorola like also Nokia, can keep and not shift the firmly agreed upon dates frequently again and again announced equipment characteristics of the terminals.
THE WORLD: If not in the autumn, when then Vodafone starts its commercial around UCB impulse in Germany?
of Kuczkowski: We accomplish already intensive tests with praekommerziellen devices. In the spring next yearly we will take UMTS for a part of our coworkers and for selected big customers in enterprise, in order to gain first experiences. Relatively fast after it we want to then go into the commercial width.
THE WORLD: Does the shift of the UMTS start mean not only a psychological, but also economic setback for Vodafone in Germany? Finally you must bring the eight in billion euro, which had to apply you for the license, as fast as possible again.
of Kuczkowski: The shift is absolutely insignificant for our business planning. Because one may not forget one: UMTS is not 100-Meter-Lauf. On a few months sooner or later it does not depend thus. That is nevertheless accurate like at the beginning of the nineties, when the D2-Netz was ready for use, but still no terminals were delivered. This did not prevent the large Handy boom by any means.
Crucially nevertheless in the long run noticeable customer use, UMTS is is only one technology - a turbo for the Handy. Many Multimedia applications of the third generation in such a way specified are already possible for the "generation 2,5" on the GPRS standard, thus, - for example the "Multimedia Messaging" MMS, with which one can send away not only text as with SMS, but additionally also pictures and short audio sequences. Which we experience at present, a flowing transition of the conventional GSM standard over GPRS is to UMTS.
THE WORLD: They say, the shift of the UMTS start lead to no economic impairment with Vodafone. Does this mean that you down-screwed their expectations altogether?
of Kuczkowski: No, we never stated that UMTS with a large bang would start. We become first some ten thousand terminals orders, because we count on the fact that in the initial phase only once the technology Freaks and those, which want to always have the newest access. Beyond that business customers, who want to transfer large data sets, would be allowed to do to whom first buyers belong.
In numbers spoken: In the years 2003 and 2004 UMTS will make only one contribution within the one-digit per cent range at the gross income. Starting from 2005 it will give two digit turnover contributions with high growth rates. How it looks 2010 will be dependent, on whether still another majority of the Sprachtelefonie is then led over GSM.
THE WORLD: Also to a market shakeout?
of Kuczkowski: Probably it will give only three adequate UMTS nets at the end of the daily. A Vodafone and a t-mobile-net as well as one, which remaining the competitors remained to operate together. That is economicalally seen still the most favorable of a multiplicity of bad alternatives. Some competitors will not come around to deliver their license again.
THE WORLD: You doesn't the shifted UMTS start fit actually also completely well? Finally you must accustom your customers only once to the GPRS products as for example MMS. There a new marketing campaign for UMTS would provide nevertheless only for confusion at the customers. Or not?
of Kuczkowski: I see that differently, because many applications run both on the GPRS standard and later on UMTS - only in different speeds and to different prices. I would want to differentiate here therefore as with the automobile industry between central and luxury class. One excludes the other one not at all, but supplements it rather.
THE WORLD: How does it run with the "middle class"? Those is already somewhat longer on the market.
of Kuczkowski: We have so far approximately 200,000 active GPRS users. In addition we sold about 15,000 MMS Handys. First something approach needed the "photo ms", which we brought in April on the market, because the terminals are not completely cheap. We will offer however three equipment variants shortly, so that we can open the mass-market. In the Christmas business we want to win at least 100,000 customers for the photo Handy. The condition for the fact is however that the operators of the different nets agree before on the fact that MMS can be sent by a net into the other one.
THE WORLD: Vodafone concentrates much on the "Multimedia Messaging". Industry experts generally criticize that the network carriers offer not sufficiently localreferred services as for instance to "Kinofinder".
of Kuczkowski: Our market study promoted a clear result to day: Contents expect only approximately 30 per cent of the customers like evenly localreferred services from the new mobile multimedia world. Over two thirds against it pictures want to transfer. By the way already the experiences of Vodafone showed this in Japan. Therefore the much sworn to killer application is completely clear from our view SMS.
babelfish.altavista.com
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Nasty asynchronous handover problems? Solved by when? Do like DoCoMo and double up on base stations. <ggg> |
