[3GScottishUser]

It's great to see the whole 3G discussion expanding and moving forward from the single network issue that has plagued the technology in terms of UK experience since 2003.

Now that people have four 3G networks to choose from (soon five), the agenda will move from the triade of negative comments about one poor 3G network (that has been reported and is the opinion of many users including myself) to a more balanced discusiion about the range of networks, services and customer experiences.

It has taken a while for 3G to become something more than a 'new entrant' issue but now that a broader church establishes it'self the hope is that discussion will reflect the wider range of issues that this interesting technology is delivering.

[Hands0n]

It is always the early pioneers that end up with the arrows in their backs :) It is also always the early adopters (me included) who sound off the loudest. We're just all too keen, that's the thing.

To be sure - the inevitable emergence of the remaining 3G licence buyers (that'll be all the networks then) can only spell "interesting times" ahead. I don't recall GSM generating quite as much consumer interest as 3G has.

[3GScottishUser]

I dont think people were bothered about the technology back when GSM arrived. It came along just as the whole mobile market took off with 2 existing providers and 2 new PCN (Personal Communications Netwoks) 1800Mhz vastly increased the capacity, so prices dropped and it became what we now have, an everyday use service.

3G is a very different proposition really and it's success will depend on whether customers want the extra services it can provide. Forgetting the confusing side issue of new entrants, customers will have to consume much more video, multi-media and broadcast products to provide all the companies with a return. The omens so far are not great as non-voice revenues are little better on 3G services than on GSM but that may change over the longer period. As ever it'll be the task of the networks to make content and services interesting, affordable and desireable or there will have been a lot of money spent handing out new technology that does not get used.

Indeed, interesting times ahead and we are really just at the very beginning of the serious business of promoting 3G for what it was intended for.