British mobile giant Vodafone said today it was on course to launch a full commercial service using GPRS fast mobile telephony by the second quarter although it did not have enough handsets yet.
It said GPRS - general packet radio service - technology would be fully introduced this year, bringing data speeds as fast as today's desktop computers and an "always-on" Internet connection.
Vodaphone is awaiting shareholder approval for its buying of Eircell. Vodafone has GPRS systems already in operation in Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Portugal and Austria. By the second quarter this year a commercial service will be in operation in all Vodafone's other controlled subsidiaries, it added.
"The network is ready - we just need the handsets to be available," a spokeswoman said.