Vodafone

Vodafone has committed to using C3’s call-handling system to operate its value-added mobile phone services for the next three years. C3 is well-known to Vodafone as the two companies first worked together on voice short code and SMS services in 2004.

The C3 system will be used to run a variety of applications provided by Vodafone’s partners. These include competitions, quizzes and games and reality TV.

C3’s system supports a number of billing methods including PayForIt, the credit card gateway for mobile transactions. This means that, as well as paying for ringtones and wallpapers by premium rate text messages, consumers will be able to make use of much broader ecommerce services with full electronic payments.

C3’s infrastructure is able to manage the activity from a number of individual content providers and developers and it will give Vodafone full reporting on the traffic for each value-added application.

Says Marcus James at Vodafone: “C3 gives us a path to move towards 3G mobile video in future. Right now, it enables us work with a wider range of content providers and developers. The infrastructure is in place so it is a simple matter to get a new service up and running with a new partner.”