UK-based Vodafone has signed an agreement with Microsoft to develop software to enable the speedy and cost-effective roll-out of new services on mobile phones.
In a statement released yesterday, the UK cellular provider said the agreement would see the companies working closely together to ensure "applications and services are tightly integrated with a Windows Mobile experience, resulting in improved mobile phone functionality, as well as an enhanced mobile experience for customers".
The Microsoft platform will complement Vodafone's existing terminal platform portfolio. Vodafone added that it anticipates an increase in the amount of applications and content available for mobile phones as a result of the platform embracing the wider Microsoft developer community.
"We believe the collaboration between Microsoft Windows Mobile and Vodafone live! will deliver a compelling and unique new alternative in the consumer mobile market," said Jens Schulte-Bockum, Vodafone's global director of terminals.
Suzan DelBene, corporate VP of the Marketing, Mobile and Embedded Devices Division at Microsoft, said: "Together we will deliver services which we expect will help Vodafone achieve cost-efficiencies, while delivering new propositions to its customers, thus making Windows Mobile an even more compelling platform."
The deal forms part of Vodafone's wider strategy of streamlining its platform portfolio to deliver greater cost-efficiencies across the group. Over the next five years, Vodafone expects to focus on supporting three standard terminal platforms across its portfolio of mobile phones: Microsoft Windows Mobile, Symbian/S60 and Linux.
Samsung will be the first device to use the software produced under the agreement and is expected to debut in the first half of 2007.
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