Europe : Mobitel have become this week , one of the first mobile operators in the world and the only Slovene one to introduce the precommercial use of UMTS (Universal Mobitel Telecommunications system), the third generation of telecommunications.

Inset is one of the Mobitel 3G handsets - the Motorola A835.

Due to improved data transfer rate (up to 384 kb/s in phase one), UMTS will enable users to access enhanced audio and video services as well as to send and receive multimedia content many times faster than the GSM system. The new technology thus enables a better use of existent as well as development of new services. Mobitel is starting a new era of Slovene mobile telecommunications.

UMTS is one of the five systems developed according to ITU (International Telecommunication Union) guidelines. The third generation of mobile telecommunications was developed to give users a small, light and pocket-size communication device offering access to services anytime and anywhere.

Mobitel reports constant and steep increase of CSD, HSCSD and GPRS data transfer (since the introduction of Planet portal 15 February 2003, data transfer has increased by 300%), an increasing number of GPRS users (currently exceeding 115.000 – more than 18% of Mobitel subscribers), a sharp increase of visits on Mobitel’s multimedia portal Planet (more than 315.000 users – more than 23% of Mobitel’s users) and an increase in the number of applications using data transfer as means of communication among various devices. All this data clearly shows an increasing number of users with increasing needs for quick and efficient data transfer. UMTS certainly represents the correct response to this need, its most important advantage being the improved data transfer rate. GPRS system offers a rate of up to 53,6 kb/s, while UMTS currently offers 384 kb/s. All of the currently available services relying on data transfer will run faster, some of them will only show their advantages after the introduction of UMTS. Furthermore UMTS will result in some new services presently unavailable due to insufficient transfer rates, e.g. simultaneous transfer of text, picture and sound, video telephony, transfer of moving and still pictures, etc.

One of the new services is video telephony, allowing mobile phones to serve for a simultaneous audio and visual communication. There are no major differences between a video phone call and a normal one. The only requirement is that both users should have an appropriate UMTS mobile phone. During precommercial use period this service will be available free of charge.

Mobitel already adapted the content of multimedia portal Planet according to new UMTS system capabilities. The portal is now offering richer and technically more attractive content; some of it was only made possible by introduction of UMTS. Among these new services is radio station Planet radio, which is broadcast for mobile phones through Planet portal. Due to better data transfer rate, UMTS mobile phones offer better sound quality. In the future users will be able to actively participate in radio programming of Planet radio. Multimedia portal Planet is now offering a special area – Planet UMTS. The area contains content which is of special interest to UMTS users. Access to desired database/applications and content on the internet and intranet is of course faster as well.

It is very easy to become a UMTS user. All one needs is a UMTS mobile phone. Present SIM cards are used with it, which means user's phone number remains unchanged. Present subscription package is also retained and prices of all current services remain unchanged.

Mobitel's present packet-based data transfer offer will be upgraded with two new options, which are tailored especially for UMTS users – Mega and Mega Business package. Monthly subscription for these is 5.000 SIT and includes 500 MB of transferred data.

A whole new subscription package called »Mobitel UMTS« is also being introduced. Monthly subscription is 15.000 SIT and includes 200 minutes of talk time, 200 minutes of video telephony, 200 MB of packet-based data transfer, 200 MMS's – valid for services in Mobitel network. The price of this package is very user friendly as the price of individual services combined is much higher than the subscription fee. Users who sign up for this package will also be able to buy a UMTS mobile phone at a very reduced price.

During precommercial use period the coverage of UMTS network includes Ljubljana and Airport Ljubljana thus reaching 15% of Slovene population. Phase two of Mobitel UMTS network building is already in progress, aiming at national coverage of 62% of population – targeting especially urban areas. In areas with no UMTS coverage mobile phones automatically switch to GSM network. Video telephony will not be possible in this case, while other services will be carried out as they usually are in Mobitel GSM network.

Mobitel already signed agreements and established one-way UMTS roaming with operators of six countries, agreements with another two operators are currently being prepared. The use of UMTS in other networks will be available soon, as there is currently intensive technical testing made to establish UMTS roaming in certain foreign countries. In phase one UMTS users will have one mobile phone at their disposal (Motorola GSM/UMTS A835), while in the first half of 2004 users will be presented with a choice of other UMTS models.

There are many new services currently being planned in the fields of multimedia messaging (text, sound, picture and video), mobile teleconferencing, UMTS inbox (an area to gather e-mails, SMS's, MMS's, voice mail), audio and video storage (collections of audio and video clips), location specific services, further cameras on various locations of interest will be placed and new multimedia content added to various categories of Planet portal. The coverage of UMTS network will be expanded further – at first in urban areas and later on elsewhere. During next year the choice of UMTS mobile phones of various manufacturers will be added.