mmO2 to launch speedy 3G

NEWS mmO2 said today its 3G service will be faster than everybody else's - when it is up and running.

The mobile operator explained it will be the first in Europe to offer HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) and IMS (Internet Protocol Multimedia Services) with download speeds of 3.6Mbps when it launches the service in the Isle of Man next summer. The service will only initially be available to customers with laptops using special plug-in data cards.

It also promised its main 3G offering, scheduled to go live in February in the UK, Ireland and Germany, will be upgraded to the higher speed sometime next year.

The announcement came just hours before Orange was expected to unveil its 3G offering.

Chris Hall, MD of mmO2 subsidiary Manx Telecom, said in a statement: "This network will serve as a showcase of the tremendous benefits fixed-mobile multimedia networks have to offer."

mmO2's network, built by Lucent, will ultimately support data speeds of up to 14.4Mbps and will therefore offer speeds equivalent to fixed-line access, according to the mobile company. Customers should eventually be able to download large email attachments, DVD-quality film and audio as well as interactive multiplayer games and push-to-watch services.

The initial limitation of the service is largely determined by the capacity of current handsets. Product announcements for the high-speed service are expected before or around the end of 2005.

Though not a pioneer in countrywide 3G service, mmO2 claims it established the first fully-operational 3G network in Europe in the Isle of Man in 2001 and was the first to launch GPRS.