Vodafone links up with Microsoft to develop mobile services

Vodafone has signed a deal with Microsoft which it claims will speed up the development of new mobile services.

The two companies will work closely together to ensure that Vodafone services are tightly integrated with a Windows Mobile platform.

Vodafone has outlined a number of advantages that the deal should mean for it. These include helping to speed up convergence between mobile devices and computers, and a reduced time to market for new products.

It could also mean that Vodafone customers will have access to a wider range of mobile applications and content as the company will now be able to link in with the whole Microsoft developer community.

The first phones to emerge from the deal are expected to be Samsung handsets which should appear in the first half of next year. Chulhwan Lee, senior vice president of Samsung’s Mobile Research and Development Team said it would develop devices with strong PC connectivity and rich multimedia features.