Vodafone Group Plc today announces the introduction of international roaming for its prepay mobile phone customers on its networks across Europe, enabling them for the first time* to use their mobile phones whilst travelling abroad. Thisservice, already available to Vodafone Group's post payment mobile phone users, means approximately 55 million Vodafone prepay customers across Europe will be able to use their mobile phones Internationally.  Following the successful launch of Vodafone Eurocall and Vodafone Home Services, international prepay roaming is the third innovative Pan-European service introduced in the last six months for Vodafone Group customers.

Introduced recently for Vodafone UK customers, the new international prepay service will also be offered to D2 Vodafone (Germany) customers during June 2001. The service will be extended to customers of other Vodafone Group networks across Europe over the next few months with the ultimate aim of a having a seamless prepay service for customers abroad, offering them the same 'look and feel' service that they already receive in their home country. 

"The ability to use prepay mobile phones abroad is the latest innovative pan-European service that we are introducing for Vodafone Group customers. This marks another significant step towards bringing our customers the key benefitsof the Vodafone brand and the Group's presence throughoutEurope," explained Vodafone Group's Thomas Geitner, Chief Executive, Group Products and Services. "Cross border travel is becoming ever more frequent, so the introduction of seamless overseas service will make travelling abroad easier and more enjoyable for our 55 million prepay customers in Europe."

Vodafone UK's 7.9 million prepay customers will be among the first to benefit from being able to use their prepay phones internationally.  Vodafone UK's Pay as youTalk customers will not only be able to make and receive calls in the normal way whilst abroad but will also have the ability to send and receive text messages.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. *An International Prepay Roaming service is already available to customers of Vodafone Group networks, Airtel (Spain), Panafon Vodafone (Greece), Omnitel Vodafone (Italy) and Telecel Vodafone (Portugal), however the new International prepay roaming service will be rolled out to these networks over the next few months.

2. Europe is defined as: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Canary Islands, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

A tri-band phone will be needed for prepay customers roaming internationally in the USA and Canada

3. Vodafone UK Call Charges:
Calls to the UK from Europe will cost as little as 99p while to send a text message from mainland Europe will be charged at 49p. From outside Europe, calls will cost £1.99 and sending a text message 99p.

4. To register for the service, Vodafone Pay as you Talk customers in the UK need only contact their mobile phone service provider prior to departure to request that their International call bar is lifted. Then to place a call whilst abroad on the following networks; Panafon Vodafone (Greece), Airtel (Spain) and from 8 June, Telecel Vodafone (Portugal), Omnitel Vodafone (Italy), SFR and France Telecom (France) and D2 Vodafone (Germany), they simply need to place + before the country code and then dial the required phone number (minus the first 0 of the UK area code or mobile phone number).

5. Initially, with the first phase introduction of the service, if a Vodafone UK prepay customer wants to make a call on any other international network, a short code will need to be used in front of the number they are calling, e.g. *#123* (dependent on network). This needs to be followed by + and then the country code and phone number (minus the first 0 of the area code or mobile phone number).  The customer then needs to press # and send. A network message will state that an attempt is being made to connect the customer and the handset will then ring once the connection has been made. 

6. The service will later be upgraded, enabling Vodafone UK customers using their prepaid phone on any other Vodafone Group network to enjoy a seamless prepay service with the same functionality and ease of use that they receive on their home network in the UK.

For further information contact:
Vodafone Group Plc
Tim Brown, Group Corporate Affairs Director
Melissa Stimpson, Head of Group Investor Relations
Jon Earl, Investor Relations Manager
Darren Jones, Investor Relations Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 1635 673310

Tavistock Communications
Lulu Bridges/Sarah Landgrebe
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7600 2288