Ericsson Chosen As 3G supplier toTDC Mobile

3rd Month, 2003 For 3's 3G Launch in UK

1st January 2003 by Kevin Thomas of 3G

The UK press has reported that Hutchison 3G will not be launching 3G in the UK until March 2003. If this is correct, 3G.co.uk feels this is another kick in the teeth for 3G in Europe, which was hanging on for Hutchison to launch 3G and cheer up the industry.

The UK public will wait till at least March 2003 to have the NEC e606 3G Mobile ( with Video calling, Video messaging, Video download, Built-in camera and
Media player ) in their pockets.

I know , the bulk of the UK public were not aware of the imminent launch of 3G and what it could do, but the majority of potential early adopters know and quite frankly would have expected the launch in 2002. Fair enough, a trial is underway in London to prove and iron-out hiccups within the network and handsets, yet Manx Telecom did this over 12 months ago on the Isle Of Man. For at least the last 12 months, Hutchison assured us that they would launch in 2002. Missing that launch, and delaying till 2003 makes me shudder and all I feel is bad WAP type vibes.

The fact that there are now some awesome GPRS phones - the Sharp GX1 and GX10 spring to mind - means that GPRS is the only decent wireless phone choice for the UK public well into 2003. I wonder what aftershocks may present themselves ?

I have been reporting on 3G for nearly 3 years and personally I feel sad to hear this. In many respects this would not have come as such a shock had Hutchison 3G provided regular progress updates. It would be nice to think that Hutchison will issue a press release and confirm the actual position, the trial objectives, progress and hiccups, and the actual launch details e.g 3G coverage areas etc.

I had always wanted a 3G phone for Xmas 2002 but I ain't got one.

TODAY'S PRESS RELEASES

The NEC V-N701 3G Mobile is the first VGS 3G Mobile Phone to be made available by J-Phone in Japan. An explanation of the VGS service and the specification of the new 3G mobile follow.

The Sanyo V-SA701 will be the second VGS 3G Mobile Phone to be made available by J-Phone in Japan. An explanation of the VGS service and the specification of the new 3G mobile follow.

3G phone users in Japan can now send videos to each other, across networks, as the result of a recent agreement between J-Phone and NTT DoCoMo who use the same W-CDMA specifications.

Ericsson has been selected by Danish operator TDC Mobil as the primary supplier for a WCDMA 3G network in Denmark. TDC Mobil is the first operator in Denmark to announce their choice of vendor for 3G. Deliveries will begin in January 2003.

Anite announced availability of the U-RAMS UMTS radio measurement platform, an extension of the company's RAMS solution that is tailored to meet the RF testing requirements of 3G mobile phones and wireless devices.

Samsung officials have announced the details of a CDMA2000 1X hardware supply agreement concluded with PT Telkom, a state-run telecommunications operator in Indonesia.

Wireless industry innovators Sprint and Samsung announced nationwide availability of the PCS Phone by Samsung SPH-i330. This fully integrated Vision Capable Device combines a PCS Full Color screen,

Nokia and Taiwan Cellular signed an agreement for Nokia to
be supplier of TCC's 3G network in Taiwan. The agreement represents another major milestone in Nokia's goal to expand its share of the WCDMA market to 35%.

NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today that the company will begin marketing a new i-shot™ compatible handset, the mova F504iS with dual cameras

Compal Communications of Taiwan released their first smartphone ( MS 2002 OS ) with the TI OMAP710 processor.

The UK press has reported that Hutchison 3G will not be launching 3G in the UK until March 2003. If this is correct, 3G.co.uk feels this is another kick in the teeth for 3G in Europe

Delta Telecom, a cellular operator in the northwest region of Russia, announced the commercial launch of an advanced third-generation (3G) CDMA2000 1X network

NTT DoCoMo and AT&T Wireless announced the four major U.S. markets in which AT&T Wireless commits to first deploy and launch W-CDMA.

Hutchison 3G UK tbegan the first phase of its marketing campaign to build consumer awareness of its forthcoming third-generation mobile multimedia and communications services