Customers of Citibank in Thailand have joined Germany and Russia to be able to receive SMS alerts when transactions occur in their bank or credit card accounts.

The new Citibank Alert Service in Thailand sends an alert via email or SMS whenever a card statement is ready or account payment is due.

This follows a similar service by Citibank in Germany and in May 2006, Citibank launched a similar Alerting Service in Russia. Citi Alerts offers a free alerts service for both checking accounts and credit cards via SMS or e-mail.

With this service customers know within a few minutes after the transaction that their salary has arrived in their account, or there has been a direct debit – a plus in transparency, safety and control.

“Bank customers want to know which movements take place on their account”, says Claudia Thiele, head of credit cards at Citibank Germany. “Customer can react immediately in case of suspicious transactions” she said.

Customers can choose from more than 20 different kinds of notifications for the three service areas: checking/savings account, custody account and credit card. Alerts are also sent about suspicious credit card transactions.

Companies to engage in DVB-H enabled handset and network compatibility testing to accelerate time to market for broadcast mobile TV services

In an effort to encourage greater adoption of broadcast mobile TV services and accelerate service deployment, Motorola and Nokia today announced that they will work to achieve interoperability among their DVB-H (digital video broadcast – handheld) enabled mobile devices and network services. The handset manufacturers will work together to support solutions based on open DVB-IPDC standards available for operator partners interested in deploying multi-vendor mobile TV services and trials in 2006 and onward.

According to Informa, the mobile TV market is poised to grow exponentially – by 2010, there are anticipated to be over 50 million DVB-H enabled mobile devices sold globally. The deployment of mobile TV services will offer new business opportunities for companies across the value chain – including content and broadcast companies, mobile service providers, infrastructure and handset manufacturers and technology providers — and the availability of interoperable DVB-H enabled devices and services is a key factor in further opening up the market.

Among the many digital technologies available to deliver mobile TV services, Motorola and Nokia both view DVB-H as an effective technology for deploying broadcast mobile TV. DVB-H technology offers high service level quality, low battery consumption and offers the end-user the ability to simultaneously receive broadcasts while using other mobile services such as telephony and internet access on their device.

“Operators around the world are evaluating broadcast mobile TV as a compelling new service to offer their subscribers – and interoperability will play a key role in bringing these services to market faster,” said Rob Bero, Director of Broadcast Technologies, Motorola. “As a vocal leader in open standards, including DVB-H, we’re pleased to be working with Nokia to deliver interoperable handset and network solutions that will help enable operators to offer the ultimate mobile TV experience for consumers.”

“Commercial mobile TV services are on the verge of launching in several markets across the world. In order for mobile TV to be a true success, we need interoperable mobile devices and systems which deliver the best experience for consumers and enable enjoyable, live broadcast TV when and where it suits them, redefining prime times and television program content. Nokia is happy to see that open DVB-H technology has and will have widespread support across the industry players, including Motorola and Nokia, in bringing mobile TV to market,” says Harri MГ¤nnistГ¶, Director, Multimedia Experiences, Nokia.

In parallel to supporting mobile operators launching mobile TV services based on existing technologies in their networks, Motorola and Nokia are both active in ongoing standardization and technology development to optimize the broadcast mobile TV experience. The companies will work on interoperability efforts using the open DVB-IPDC standard while continuing to participate in industry-wide interoperability efforts within the related standardization bodies.

Even though the UEFA Champions League hasn’t kicked off yet and the football Bundesliga 2006/07 has only just warmed up, there’s evidently a winning player on the field: Vodafone’s football service. The DГјsseldorf-based mobile communications provider is delivering live and full-length broadcasts of all first and second Bundesliga matches to UMTS mobile phone users. The ‘Vodafone live Football Flatrate’ only costs an extra EUR 7.50 a month and enables users to watch their favourite team play. If two matches have the same kick-off time, they can watch both of them using a conference function. The package also includes the ‘Vodafone FreistoГџ’ (Vodafone Freekick) programme, showing Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League highlights. Even football fans without a UMTS phone don’t have to miss out on the fun, because they can book the ‘Football Package’ for an additional EUR 5 a month. It includes a live ticker with images and many other football services. In short, both packages are full to the brim with football goodies and Vodafone live! customers have the opportunity to test them out free of charge and without obligation until 9 October 2006.

Thanks to UMTS, Vodafone has entered a new dimension of football TV broadcasting. Football fans with a UMTS phone and the ‘Vodafone live Football Flatrate’ can simply switch on their handset and watch the Bundesliga matches from the kick-off to the final whistle. “Being able to watch the whole 90 minutes live on a UMTS phone was something of a sensation at the start of the season,” said Erik Friemuth, the man in charge of Vodafone live!. “This innovative service is winning over new fans on a daily basis.”

The ‘Vodafone live Football Flatrate’ means 90 minutes of live football enjoyment
All UMTS phone users can book the ‘Vodafone live Football Flatrate’ for only EUR 7.50 extra a month. The first four weeks are entirely free of charge so that users can test out the service. All Bundesliga matches are broadcast live and in full length at the weekend. Users can either watch one Bundesliga match or use the conference function to switch between two different matches. There’s also a live ticker with images so that customers can keep up to date on match progress or check the latest league table status. And the ‘Vodafone live Football Flatrate’ also includes the ‘Vodafone FreistoГџ’ TV programme every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. This compact-format, 25-minute TV show provides detailed reports with images of all matches, match summaries, player portraits and many other things. The content provider is Vodafone’s partner Arena TV. UEFA Champions League matches are also on the programme in conjunction with Premiere. On UEFA Champions League match days, customers get a preview of the matches, a summary at half-time and match highlights after the final whistle.

The alternative for customers without a UMTS phone is the ‘Football Package’ with live ticker
Even football fans without an UMTS phone don’t have to sit in front of their TV set. Vodafone offers them the ‘Football Package’ as an alternative to the UMTS version for EUR 5 a month. They simply book it in addition to their term contract. It includes a live ticker with images of all first and second Bundesliga matches, plus the UEFA Champions League matches, for information about the progress of every game. Customers also get to use the popular MMS information services. MMS messages are sent to their phones at half-time and after the final whistle providing information about goals, ball possession, corners, yellow and red cards and send-offs. As usual, the ‘My Club live!’, ‘Bundesliga Compact’ and ‘UEFA CL Compact’ options are also available. Another interesting feature is the Video Clips on Demand service, which delivers video clips of the day’s matches.

Test the football services out for free until 9 October
Both offers – ‘Vodafone live Football Flatrate’ and ‘Football Package’ – can be tested free of charge until 9 October 2006. All Vodafone live! customers will receive an MMS in the next few days containing information about the offers and an invitation to try out the ‘football experience’ on their mobile phones. The test phase is non-binding and customers don’t have to provide notice if they don’t want to continue using the service.

If they do decide not to miss one more minute of football, they can subscribe to the football services at the Vodafone shop or on the Vodafone live! portal. Another, even simpler subscription option is to send a text message with the text ‘Ball’ to 55555. A response text message will be sent with a link to the portal where the football package can be booked. The ‘Vodafone live Football Flatrate’ has a minimum term of twelve months, and there is no charge during the summer and winter breaks.