Dual-mode 3G phones on their way

NEWS Mobile phone users in Europe should be able to get their hands on dual-mode 3G handsets early next year. Japanese giant NEC says it is currently trailing the phones - which can be used on the existing mobile infrastructure as well as the next generation of networks - and will ship them to the Hutchison group from early next year, according to the FT. The dual-mode phone came out of NEC's alliance with Matsushita.