By Jo Best, 29 September 2004 15:50
NEWS While O2 announced the launch of its 3G business service this week and while it may be able to differentiate itself with Wi-Fi, its 3G data services notch up precisely the same speed as all its rivals.
Is there a high speed future on the cards when 3G just isnt fast enough any more?
Its possible. Grahame Riddell, O2s head of mobile data marketing, said that if there wasnt sufficient demand, 3G may never spread that far but the company is examinign some new technologies to put high speeds in the hands of the masses.
Both HSDPA and WiMax are being put under the spotlight but neither has the official green light for the future. "Whether WiMax comes into play, well have to wait and see," Ridell said. "Theyre still in their infancy, we cant say if these technologies will be successful."
Although WiMax would be a nice addition for the businesspeople on the move, consumers are still yet to see any 3G offerings from O2 for them, while rival Vodafone has already announced it hopes to snap up the Christmas trade with a plethora of third generation handsets.
02 wont divulge when it intends to launch its 3G consumer service it has an internal target but isnt sharing the information with a range of handsets being the key to weaning the average consumer onto 3G, according to Ridell.
"For consumer to walk into a shop and be genuinely interested, [they] need at least that range [10 or more] of devices. Moving forward, range is important the device is still king," he said, adding he expected 3G to really take off around Christmas 2005.
With the UKs first third generation consumer service having clocked up around 18 months in existence, the 3G data services and video calling boom is yet to become a reality and Hutchison Whampoa-parented 3 is still selling itself as a cheap voice provider.
Is there a killer app for 3G? Video calling has issues to overcome before it can edge into the mainstream, Ridell said: "Video calling wont take off until the interoperability is [guaranteed]. It might be a killer app."
Comments
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1. Knut H. Flottorp
There will be applications where 3G is not fast enough.
It will not be Internet.
We already have "Push/Pull Services" that indicates the demand.
What you are unaware of is that thanks to Europe NOT listening to the British - we now have a ISDN switching and transmission backbone that supports this - and more; - that makes 3G capable of migrating to 4G - and use whatever technology is made.
2. Knut H. Flottorp
To anyone with basic statistical knowledge, the future of WiMax seems impossible. Like getting water to flow upwards. The technology will not supportt the number of users it claims to.
However, GSM can integrate WiMax in a service offer, maybe as part of 3G or replacement to 3G.