Vodafone has launched the first of its own-brand consumer 3G handset last week, in a bid to accelerate consumer uptake of 3G services.
The new Vodafone 710 clamshell handset will be supplied by Huawei Technologies under a strategic handset agreement the two companies signed in February this year.
Jens Schulte-Bockhum, global director of terminals at Vodafone, said the company expected the launch of the new low-cost handset will help accelerate the uptake of 3G services, especially from prepaid segment.
He said the handset will cost 30% less than that supplied by tier-one handset makers, which usually sell between $200-$300.
The new handset, which includes an MP3 player, a 1.3-mega pixel camera and Bluetooth connectivity, enable customers easier access to Vodafone's core 3G services such as Vodafone Radio DJ, mobile TV, music downloads and video telephony.
Schulte-Bockhum said Vodafone will launch the handsets in all its major units in Europe, including the UK, Germany, Spain and Portugal, from early next month. The company plans to deliver a minimum of 200,000 units initially over the coming six months.
According to Schulte-Bockhum, Huawei is the second handset vendor supplying customized, white-label mobile phones to Vodafone, after Taiwan's HTC, which has provided Vodafone-branded smartphones for the group's high-end business customers.
As part of its strategy to introduce further Vodafone-branded handsets and devices to the market, the company has relocated part of its terminals division from Japan to Hong Kong.