Sony Partners With Vodafone for EU Vita 3G Support, Will Allow Other Network Providers

Sony has announced that Vodafone will be the “preferred partner” for the PlayStation Vita’s 3G network in Europe.

The countries initially supported by Vodafone will be the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and The Netherlands, with France supported by telecommunications company SFR. Luckily, if you have poor Vodafone coverage in your area, or can find a better deal, 3G connectivity isn’t locked to Vodafone and you can use other networks if you wish.

3G Vitas will be sold both in Vodafone and non-Vodafone stores, but will come with a Vodafone sim card that will enable its 3G features. To try and sway you to sign up to the world’s second largest global telecommunications company based on subscribers, you will get a free download code for Wipeout 2048 if you choose Vodafone.

SCEE CEO, Jim Ryan, said:

With social gaming and connectivity at the heart of PlayStation Vita it is important that we partner with a market leading network provider, to ensure users have a high quality 3G experience. Partnering with Vodafone will enable PS Vita users in the selected countries to always be connected with their PlayStation life, friends and games, wherever they are.

Vodafone’s group terminals director, Patrick Chomet, added:

We know from our application downloads that games are hugely popular with our customers, so we’re delighted to be SCEE’s preferred connectivity partner for 3G Vita devices sold across Europe and other selected regional markets.

Using the device over Vodafone’s high-performance network with extensive 3G reach and market leading download speeds brings a reliable ‘anywhere anytime’ dimension to gaming, which customers in our initial ten launch markets will be the first to experience.

The PlayStation Vita launches on February 22nd in Europe and the US, with AT&T providing coverage in North America.

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