Everybody is reading the FT 3G Telecom special
specials.ft.com
For instance
FT Telecoms January 2001
Site costs are set to soar
by Joia Shillingford
Published: January 15 2001 11:28GMT | Last Updated: January 17 2001 11:04GMT
Building third-generation networks will cost a fortune - but mobile operators and network equipment suppliers are surprisingly shy about discussing the costs.
Finn Persson, head of McKinsey's Scandinavian telecoms practice, says: "The cost of a third-generation network depends on a number of factors, such as how densely populated the country is. But in general, the larger the country, the higher the cost."
In the UK, he expects each 3G network to cost between $1.5bn and $2bn, while German networks could cost double that. Mr Persson says: "Germany is not only bigger, its population is more dispersed, with more people living in small cities or villages than in the UK."
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specials.ft.com
and
3G: Bottlenecks may delay roll-out programmes
by Neil McCartney
Published: January 15 2001 11:05GMT | Last Updated: January 17 2001 12:58GMT
This year is scheduled to see the launch of the first third-generation (3G) services using wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA) technology, which has been developed on the basis of Europe's existing global system for mobile (GSM) second-generation system.
In Japan, the main operator NTT DoCoMo is due to launch W-CDMA services in Tokyo in May, and in Osaka and Nagoya in December, before reaching nationwide service in April 2002. Rival J-Phone is hoping to launch in the autumn.
In Europe, where 3G is also known as the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), the leader is the BT-owned Manx Telecom, operator for the tiny Isle of Man (which, as a British crown dependency, has its own licensing regime). This company is also planning a May launch.
In Spain, all four operators are aiming for August, in line with licence conditions requiring them to commence service in the 23 main cities by that date. Most other western European countries are hoping to start by the end of the year, in line with the timetable set down by the European Union.
Strictly speaking, none of these are the first to launch 3G services. That accolade goes to SK Telecom of Korea, which last October launched a service using 1xRTT technology (a higher-speed variant of the US-developed cdma2000 2G system), which is included in the International Telecommunications Union's globally-agreed family of 3G standards.
Other operators are also launching 1xRTT in Korea, the US and Japan. However, this offers data speeds of only up to 144 kilobits a second (Kbps), with higher-speed variants coming later.
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