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European mobile phone companies spent $129 billion six years ago to buy licenses for "third-generation" networks that were supposed to give people the freedom to virtually live from their phones, reading e-mail, browsing the Internet, placing video calls, enjoying music and movies, buying products and services, making reservations,monitoring health, all from the beach, the bus, the dentist's waiting room, wherever they were.
But today, most people use their phones just as they did in 2000 to make calls and the modest gains 3G has made do not begin to justify the massive costs of the technology, which has strapped some mobile operators financially, bankrupted entrepreneurs, spurred multibillion-euro lawsuits against governments and phone companies, and sapped research spending.
Over the long term, 3G runs the risk of becoming an expensive,unwanted albatross rejected by consumers and bypassed by other less costly technologies.
Herald Tribune Article
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Posted: 2006-07-31 02:58:10
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It will pick-up I'm sure, it has just started at my end . . . maybe by lowering it's charging price, more people will use it very often !
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Posted: 2006-07-31 03:04:03
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3G has been the biggest flop in recent human history what business is concerned. Europe is still suffering because of money shortages what wireless telecoms is concerned. They are still using mostly gprs ! Even African countries have faster and cheaper internet cellphone access then Europe. Is a pity but this is how things are. 3.5G is getting implemented already with 4G and WIMAX (my prefered technology) looming on the horizont.
This message was posted from a Nokia
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Posted: 2006-07-31 03:37:21
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I saw this 3G (video call) thing way back in the 90's when it was featured in a Japanese TV . . . . looks like it 'was' a big hit in Japan though
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Posted: 2006-07-31 03:41:02
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Yeah, most people only know that 3G has video calls. One of my friends got a 6280 and didn't even realise that there was a 3G capability and didn't notice the secondary cam in the corner. Teenagers here in Melbourne are only on 3 because of 'video calls' (that frankly no-one uses) and very good features to price ratio. Only us gadget guys really care about WAP etc. and 3G isn't very enticing otherwise.
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Posted: 2006-07-31 09:39:15
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When people have lots to spend and the ARPU is quite high, then 3G wil pay for itself. In Japan, more music is downloaded to mobiles now than was does to PCs. Mobile email is also big in Japan for swapping files and content with each other.
I don't think 3G has quite hit home although I am sure things will turn around eventually. Its just raising the standards and speed at which we do things with out phones.
Applications like mobile blogging and and mobile TV will do a lot towards increasing its popularity but also peoples perception of 3G in general needs to be altered.
I am sure most people think that 3G automatically means extra cost, but when you think about it your just using quicker GPRS.
Also, operators like O2 don't seem to have been passing out the 3G sims with the launch of the K800i. Why? 3G phones should have 3G sims.
If 3G was put in customers hands without any fuss and bother then this would go a long way to changing its image as just 'being one more thing to worry about'.
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Posted: 2006-07-31 09:49:05
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The reasons I havne't 'upgraded' to 3G are the high data charges, the fact that some 3G operators like 3 are still ringfencing their content (though they're improving there!), and it's only 3 and I think Vodafone that I could get a 3G signal where I live.
I'll probably stay with 2.5G probably until 4G comes out and skip a generation, and that's only if the data charges aren't too prohibitively expensive.
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Posted: 2006-07-31 10:35:28
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I think t-mobiles Web & Walk should have some competition soon - hopefully. Data tariffs like that from each operator would do wonders for 3G handset sales.
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Posted: 2006-07-31 10:41:19
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Well, I guess it's also down to public awareness and education about 3G and what it can offer.
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Posted: 2006-07-31 11:51:52
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not a fan of 3G myself but who knows what will happen
probably get bought up in the future or something
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Posted: 2006-07-31 14:00:27
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