Vodafone today said it would not commercially launch third generation mobile phones in the UK this year, but denied it was delaying the roll-out.
The group is planning to trial the majority of its 3G services - the next generation of mobiles which allow Internet access and other hi-tech services - this year with commercial launch in places including the UK starting next year. It added the only place it would commercially launch the hi-tech phones this year would be in Japan.
However Vodafone denied a report saying there had been a delay in launch.
The Financial Times said the group was postponing the launch of services due to a shortage of suitable handsets, adding Vodafone had previously said it would launch 3G services in the UK, Germany and Spain this year.
A spokeswoman for Vodafone today said: 'We always said we would be trialing the majority of 3G this year with commercial launch in 2003. Nothing has changed from that. In the UK we have always said trials would be this year and commercial launch in 2003. Nothing has changed in terms of timing'.
She added that in Japan trials had already started, with a commercial launch planned towards the end of the year.
* Vodafone also said today that it had paid €88m to increase its stakes in its Portuguese and Swedish subsidiaries by around 3% and 2% respectively.
Vodafone now holds just over 54% of Vodafone Portugal and 73% of Vodafone Sweden.
