OXFORD, United Kingdom-Having deployed several thousand Panasonic GD87 cell phones, Vodafone Germany has confirmed the handsets can make billable calls without users being aware. The company said the software bug within the device could lead to fraud or unwanted charges.
According to Vodafone, which has been marketing the Panasonic GD87 under its own brand, new software makes it possible for outsiders to push messages to the handset, which then cause the GD87 to access Internet pages using the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) without user intervention.
While Vodafone claims the bug makes it only theoretically possible for this unplanned activity to take place, commentators in Germany have elevated the issue to a higher status and have called on the company to fix the problem. Rival operator T-Mobile said it delayed any distribution plans for the GD87, noting it uncovered up to 60 problems, including the issue identified by Vodafone, that it wanted Panasonic to address before proceeding any further.
