Vodafone Group Plc, the world's biggest mobile-phone company, said it has formed a group with competitors including China Mobile Ltd and Sprint Nextel Corp to develop a standard for the next-generation of mobile networks that can carry more data.

The Next Generation Mobile Networks group, or NGMN, will work alongside existing standards bodies and will aim to "shape the development and standardization of the next generation of mobile technology," Newbury, England-based Vodafone said.

The new mobile technology is expected to focus on using existing infrastructure and spectrum allocation, the company said.