Vodafone sees bump in data revenues, even pre-iPhone

Vodafone has seen a healthy bump in its mobile data revenues as a result of smart-phone use - even prior to the launch of the iPhone on its network last month.

The company's mobile broadband income went over the £1 billion mark in the last quarter of last year, meaning that even without stocking the iPhone during the lucrative pre-Christmas silly season, things were going well. Since the iPhone launch it is also rumoured that Voda is poaching users from O2, presumably hoping for a more stable 3G network following news that improvements had been made with the extra strain placed on networks by iPhone users in mind.

Other iPhone carriers, including O2 in the UK and AT&T in the States, have seen their networks groan under the strain of iPhone 3G usage, causing performance issues across the board. If Vodafone can carry the iPhone without such issues it's likely to see it's mobile data revenues continue to rise.

Vodafone has also re-released its Femtocell product, previously the Access Gateway and now dubbed 'Sure Signal', to boost 3G coverage over a small area and so that customers in not-spots may be able to get a better signal at home.