The shunning of 3G

摘要

Everyone in the mobile-phone indus-X-itry is watching 3, a new operator owned by Hutchison Whampoa of Hong Kong, which is setting up third-generation (3G) mobile-phone networks in several countries around the world. 3G is faster than existing 2G technology, with the potential to offer whizzy new services such as sending and receiving live video. In March, 3 launched Europe's first commercial 3G service in Britain and Italy. Since then it has launched networks in Australia, Austria and Sweden, with Hong Kong and Denmark expected to follow soon. It is 3's operations in Britain and Italy, where it has nearly all of its customers, that are being followed the most closely. Having collectively paid over EUD100 billion ($112 billion) for their 3G licences, Europe's other operators are hoping to learn from 3's experience as they prepare for their own 3G launches. For 3 is pioneering a 3G technology, known as W-CDMA or UMTS, to which European operators, and some of their counterparts in Asia and America, have also committed themselves.