Vodafone UK today announces three new additions to its mobile email portfolio; Managed Support from Vodafone, Vodafone Business Email 5.5 and 'Push' Email for Windows Mobile Email. The new offerings are designed to improve access and cost management as well as the reach of mobile email to UK businesses of all sizes.

Elaine Roberts, head of enterprise marketing, Vodafone UK commented:  "Because of the cost and efficiency benefits mobile data delivers, the market has grown exponentially in recent years and over 50% of large organisations now use mobile applications.  By offering our customers a range of mobile email options, fully supported by our Managed Support offering, companies can now be more responsive to their customers' needs and hence more competitive."

Managed Support from Vodafone offers companies a managed email solution with technical help desk and expert end-user support combined with security, performance monitoring (service and network) and service maintenance. This reduces companies' internal management time and, according to Vodafone trial results, can reduce overall management costs by an average of 10%.  The service is backed by the provision of comprehensive management information such as Key Performance Indicator data and pre-agreed service level agreements.

The service allows IT staff to be freed up to focus on the central IT function, with the peace of mind that they have dedicated 24 hours a day, 365 days per year proactive support.  Managed Support from Vodafone offers customers 10 days on-site support and a dedicated point of contact. Furthermore, IT managers can see the status of their account at a glance, using the online support interface, that also offers updates by SMS and email.

Lars Vestergaard, research director for IDC commented: "Mobile email is becoming a prerequisite for businesses of all sizes, but not all of them are in a position to handle and maintain such solutions. For many businesses, misplaced uncertainties prevent them from taking advantage of mobile email, so a managed service that takes away responsibility from business owners and IT managers will be an ideal catalyst to increase adoption. Such a simple mobile managed service will also give rise to additional line-of-business applications in the future."

Vodafone Business Email 5.5 (VBE) offers UK business people the first opportunity to have multiple email inbox support. With both enterprise and personal versions available from GBP 5 (ex VAT) per month, customers can now support up to five separate email accounts on a single device.  For enterprise users, all 'task' information and recurring calendar appointments are now automatically synchronised with Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 and also allow access to corporate address books, meaning users can search for contacts from their corporate directory. For personal users, VBE 5.5 gives customers a virtual 'push' experience through their POP3 email account with its intelligent polling system that refreshes the inbox more frequently at busy times of the day ensuring the email is always up to date.

'Push' Email for Windows Mobile Email offers customers, who have invested in Windows Exchange Server 2003, a consistent interface for both their mobile and desktop environments. They can now benefit from true 'push' email functionality to their Windows Mobile device.  The service offers real time access to calendar, task and contact information, as well as full attachment support for Microsoft Word, Excel and other Microsoft document formats. Devices can be remotely provisioned and managed as well as offer support for over 16,000 mobile applications including workforce management, job scheduling and sales tools.

Companies that would like to purchase Vodafone Business Email 5.5 enterprise version, Windows Mobile Email or Managed Services from Blackberry should contact their Vodafone account manager, visit www.vodafone.co.uk/business or call 08080 741741. Vodafone Business Email 5.5 for personal users is available from GBP 5 per month (ex. VAT) in additional to their standard tariff.

About Vodafone UK
Vodafone UK has 16.3 million customers and is part of the world's largest mobile community offering a wide range of voice and data communications. The company is committed to providing mobile solutions that allow both consumer and business customers to make the most of now. In addition, Vodafone connects customers across the globe with roaming agreements worldwide. It provides 3G roaming in over 20 countries, GPRS roaming in over 100 countries and offers great value to customers when abroad with Vodafone Passport. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.co.uk.

For further information please contact:
Bryony Clow
Vodafone UK Public Relations
Tel: 08454 44 44 66
email: press.office@vodafone.com