3G service delayed by standards body

Companies wanting to take advantage of high-speed third-generation (3G) mobile services may have to wait until late 2003, as a result of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standards process.

The introduction of 3G services in Europe had been touted to arrive as early as 2002 by operators who are eager to roll out services to help them claw back the billions spent on winning the licences.

But the ITU has just published the 3G standards schedule and 2002 is well before the expected commercial launch of corporate services. These will allow 'road warriors' to quickly download company data at speeds faster than the new general packet radio service (GPRS).

The top speeds promised by 3G technology are as high as 2Mbps, but European operators are still struggling to roll out the GPRS services which had originally been promised for the end of last year.

John Visser, chairman of the ITU 3G special study group, told Network News: "If you speak to marketing people you may get the impression that 3G is almost here. However, if you speak to engineers, it's years away."

He added that operators were still involved in promoting evolving second-generation services, which include combining GSM infrastructure with GPRS kit to offer improved services. 3G networks have to be built from scratch with substantial testing necessary thereafter.

Visser explained that 2003 would be the earliest that any range of 3G applications could be launched by operators, if they are to stick to international standards. These are particularly important where mobile roaming is concerned.

First published in Network News