By Will Sturgeon, 9 August 2002 15:00
NEWS Vodafone has announced it will not be launching any 3G phones in the UK, or any territory outside Japan, this year. The operator has blamed the postponement on a lack of handsets, though cynics will claim it is just the latest embarrassment in the ongoing 3G saga. Since the hype which surrounded the 3G licence auctions two years ago consumers have witnessed a series of setbacks and postponements - forcing most to question the sense in the vast sums shelled out. Vodafone had previously proposed a date in the second half of 2002 for the launch of its UK 3G services but there remain doubts over the infrastructure and operators' ability to launch a service which can offer reliability to customers. Hutchison 3G, the newcomer to the UK market, has admitted to technical problems and said users may experience "dropped calls" according to a report in the FT. It is thought Vodafone is experiencing similar problems in readying a service that will not provoke a user backlash on grounds of poor service. It now seems likely that UK consumers - still prepared to give 3G their backing - will have to wait until at least the first half of next year to start using the services.
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