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- Mobile communications is growing in three sectors: standard telecommunications, information technology and infotainment

- Vodafone's UMTS launch holds the key to future success

Mobile communications will continue to grow in the future. At Vodafone's CeBIT press conference, Jurgen von Kuczkowski, Chairman of the Managing Board of Vodafone D2 GmbH, outlines his company's strategy for growth: there is potential for expansion in three sectors - "traditional" telecommunications, information technology and infotainment. The prerequisite for this growth is the successful introduction of UMTS.

Von Kuczkowski points out that "with the marketing launch of UMTS in February of this year we have laid the foundation for further success. And with the Mobile Connect Card UMTS we have successfully introduced a product which brings notebooks up to mobile speed. This means we're the first company to offer a UMTS product for mobile information technology - a key area of growth."

There are also excellent opportunities for expansion in the more traditional forms of telecommunications. More and more calls are being made from mobile handsets instead of the fixed network. With innovative offerings and tariffs, such as Happy Hour, Happy Weekend and per-minute packages, Vodafone has been making the way clear for continued success in this sector.

With its pacesetting Vodafone live! portal, Vodafone has been developing another major growth area: mobile infotainment. Von Kuczkowski explains that "the mobile telephone is turned into a megapixel camera, a camcorder and a music player. Digital cameras, video cameras and portable CD players are now a thing of the past. The new handset is the all-purpose mobile for every occasion. And to make this vision reality, we need UMTS."