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3G three live in Jan - too late for P800 |
T68iFan
Joined: Oct 18, 2002
Posts: 214
From: Los Angeles
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Interesting looking handsets on the three site. Those phones are still only concept drawings, right? The one with 2 cameras onboard - wow. Video calling will be sweet!
If it's going to take another year to build out 3G nets in Europe, it'll prob take 2 years here in U.S. 
lingart, thanks for the heads up.
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FuricTrax
Joined: Jan 31, 2002
Posts: 261
From: West Midlands, UK
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The phones you see on the 3 site are not concepts but wil actually be available in the UK in January or February. Cool huh! |
Caveman
Joined: Jan 15, 2003
Posts: 168
From: Cambridge, UK
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I'd heard that '3' is likely to be delayed for a few more weeks, so that they can launch on 3-3-03.  So far, I've only seen 'orders being taken' on the phones4u website. I can't see 3G making much of an impact amongst non-business users for a good couple of years, due to the price. Hopefully by then, the battery life will improve to levels that we expect and have now. Wasn't Hutchison behind the Rabbit mobile phone venture of the late 1980s/ early 1990s ? |
jplacson
Joined: Apr 21, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Philippines
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Just wondering, are 3G networks backwards compatible with current GSM handsets? (Can I use a regular dual-band GSM phone on a 3G network?) Because I feel it's very foolish of telcos to assume that all GSM subscribers will upgrade to 3G just for the data services????
Right now, GPRS is still free in the Philippines, and not everyone with a GPRS enabled phone surfs. Most people have never even tried WAP. (I know of a few T68i owners who haven't... not cuz they don't know how...but cuz they never needed it)
3G services are great... but I think they're making the same mistake that D-AMPS, TDMA, and CDMA networks made... way too expensive for services people don't really need or want.
It's FUN to have a video phone...but that's all it is...FUN. If a video call would cost as much as a regular phone call... people would migrate... but not at current projected 3G rates.
Remember what happened to Iridium?? It was THE END ALL mobile phone... GSM where available, and satellite anywhere else...one number, one email, one fax... ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! And for a satellite phone, they were very affordable... what happened? They entered the market too soon!
Yes folks, in the tech world...it is possible to be 'ahead of your time'. If the market isn't ready for it...you'll flop. GSM came in at the right time and offered subscribers the ONE thing that CDMA couldn't... the ability to upgrade your handset whenever you wanted...without informing your provider.... the SIM card spelled the difference between GSM and CDMA... not the services or data security...CDMA was the clear winner in terms of technology. GSM gave subscribers convenience.
If they can drop the prices of 3G subscriptions and handsets to GSM prices... people will migrate... if not... people won't see a need to.
With regards to the incredible data speeds of 3G... yes, very impressive... but why??? Just so I can play counterstrike on my phone? Or have my boss see where I REALLY am??? WiFi networks are much cheaper and offer greater speeds at lower prices. And who would be willing to pay per KB for streaming news in their car??? Current GPRS can give me great news updates via WAP at very affordable rates..I don't need to watch CNN streamed into my mobile phone while paying per KB.
Seems to me that 3G networks are geared for services that will make subscribers pay more, rather than GSM where services geared towards what subscribers want. |
Caveman
Joined: Jan 15, 2003
Posts: 168
From: Cambridge, UK
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It won't be possible to use a GSM-only phone to get 3G services, in the same way that you need a suitably-equipped phone for GPRS services. However, I would suspect that the 3 phones can be used on GSM, as they will be able to roam on O2 when out of the initial 3G coverage area. There didn't appear to be a coverage map on 3's website - I wonder why ? Could it be that the services are not going to live up to the hype ? |
ogie_gall
Joined: Oct 04, 2002
Posts: 58
From: Philippines
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yeah.
This message was posted from a Nokia |
jplacson
Joined: Apr 21, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Philippines
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I know...but don't you see the beauty of the GSM networks? Example:
Subscriber A-only wants plain voice & text service (basic tariff)
Subscriber B-wants text services and a few voice calls (basic tariff + excess SMS costs)
Subscriber C-wants text & occasional WAP (basic tariff + excess data charges)
Subscriber C-Cyber surfer (basic tariff + excess data charges)
Subscriber D-wants to send & receive photos & MMS (basic tariff + excess MMS charges)
All these needs are met by one network, all that changes are the handsets...and all costs are very cheap and affordable. Current GSM tariff schemes are reasonable and you don't pay for services you don't use. If I don't use GPRS, I don't pay for it. But someone else on the same network who does use GPRS pays for it.
3G is just GSM with better internet services. But unless they can bring down the cost of the services and handsets... 3G wont take off the way they hope it will. |
amagab
Joined: Oct 29, 2002
Posts: > 500
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3G has been hyped too much and it will take a long time before we can see true 3G that has as good coverage as todays GSM. That is why I bought my P800 and not the beta 3G phones available today.
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Dj Boyi
Joined: Oct 05, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Liberty City
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Here's a link to loads of 3g info:
Click on 'launches' to see where it's available,
http://www.3g.co.uk/
They are curreently testing on the Isle of Man.(uk) |
pachy
Joined: Nov 05, 2002
Posts: > 500
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I genuinely believe that 3g is NOT the next big thing in mobile communications. i don`t know what is the next big thing, but i have a gut feeling, & anyone who reads my posts will know that i`m often WRONG ! |
orange
Joined: Mar 13, 2002
Posts: 397
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Quote:
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On 2003-01-27 18:27, jplacson wrote:
Just wondering, are 3G networks backwards compatible with current GSM handsets? (Can I use a regular dual-band GSM phone on a 3G network?) Because I feel it's very foolish of telcos to assume that all GSM subscribers will upgrade to 3G just for the data services????
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That's why the 3G terminals are dualmode terminals at the first phase. |
ShibbyLicious
Joined: Jul 25, 2002
Posts: 290
From: UK
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@ruvjet
u shudnt sit so high n mighty mate wit 'were ready to go in uk' cos were not as 3 has already delayed its alunch till march as the 3g network still has bugs galore !!
as for 3g in general well i think its a load of over priced hype
its way too expensive as even 3 themselves have admitted for those living outside of major cities then you will spend 3/4 of your time on o2's 2g network - wud u pay £50/£100 a month to use o2 ?!?!
as for peeps saying oooh look get premier league clips on ya phone....all very nice...but whos providing this content !?! i havent seen any news or read anywnere of who has signed up as a content provider for this stuff !! eg o2 promised the same things for mms...still waiting..so how long will it be waiting for 3g content to fianlly realise !??!
ill wait till next year personally by which time no doubt well alreayd be movin 2wards 4g licensing 
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Dj Boyi
Joined: Oct 05, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Liberty City
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I think i'll just read about it 4 now and wait 4 the t68i successor.
@shibby,ur right,i was already planning on waiting till next yr but 3g still wont be in full swing even by then,something talk about tho,innit :-)
This message was posted from a T68i |
jplacson
Joined: Apr 21, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Philippines
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Just a question to anyone here who knows a lot about 3G:
Ok, so they say 3G will be online in a year or two... P800 won't last, blah blah blah... I want to know one thing:
Is there really a SOLID 3G standard already? GSM is used throughout the world.
AFAIK, 3G has 3 "standards" that are authorized. Are handsets from these 3 interoperable? The 3 standards I'm talking about are EGDE, UMTS, and WCDMA... I don't know if there are any more "standards" out there..but I'm getting a deja vu with the whole AMPS, D-AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, and E-TACS "standard" war.
Do all 3G handsets work across all 3G networks? Kinda stupid if they don't. |
bjarne1
Joined: Oct 07, 2002
Posts: 117
From: sweden
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No one 3G phone will not work on all 3g nets in the world (at least not n the beginning). And they are getting more and more nets as we go. China wants its own standard as well now.
And ive seen the live feed on video on a 3g handset, and im NOT impressed.
So MUCH is to be done before there are good phones and a completely satisfying net. To be honest, they must support gsm and 3g in one handset or it will not be usuable outside the cities for a long while.
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Posted: 2003-01-16 01:11
