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To: Ruffian who wrote (12383)	6/9/2001 8:03:52 AM
From: 49thMIMOMander	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 34857

newsvote.bbc.co.uk Here is a good one Echoing the rather arcane language of the legislation, "idiots" may not vote and "lunatics" only during their lucid periods.

To: Ruffian who wrote (12383)	6/9/2001 11:02:26 AM
From: Eric L	Respond to of 34857

re: DoCoMo 3G - Week One >> A Week On, DoCoMo's 3G Users Report Minor Glitches 06/06/2001 Reuters One week after its launch, the world's first ever third-generation mobile phone service has seen some glitches, but NTT DoCoMo Inc is happy to take notes, confident that its lead in wireless technology is secure. An official at DoCoMo, Japan's biggest wireless operator, said on Wednesday that there were no major mishaps and that any glitches had little to do with the core 3G technology, which makes video and music downloads possible because of its fast transmission speed. Users reported that the battery life for 3G phones was more limited than they had expected, although Japanese subscribers are accustomed to highly advanced cell phones that can remain on standby for as long as 20 days. Some said that the 3G phone's battery ran out within a day and others reported that it would go out of range even within the designated trial service area of Tokyo's 23 wards. E-mail services were disrupted after a day of service but DoCoMo explained that this had nothing to do with the 3G technology and blamed it on the computer servers handling mail. A select group of 3,300 corporate and individual users received their 3G phones a week ago, free of charge and without having to pay a basic monthly charge, as part of DoCoMo's introductory service. The 'soft launch' will give it a chance to iron out any bugs before a full commercial launch scheduled for October 1. "On the whole, I am impressed with the speed and the voice quality when it works. I'm impressed with the speed of the i-mode (Net access) service," said an employee of a technology firm who has a standard 3G model phone made by NEC Corp. "But it did freeze on me once and cut off a few of my calls." RIGHT CHOICE DoCoMo's President and Chief Executive Keiji Tachikawa said recently that its 3G service would be nationwide in a year, have six million users in three years and be profitable in four. The rest of the world has bet heavily on 3G, especially in Europe where operators staked more than $100 billion buying licences for the hyped service, and DoCoMo is being watched closely as the frontrunner in a race that many hope will justify massive investment in rights and infrastructure. Merrill Lynch telecoms analyst Yasumasa Goda said that the problems with the battery were most likely to do with the basic 3G transmission system and were typical of new technology standards. "Its inevitable that there are such limitations in the beginning, but efficiency will improve over time," he said. A further test of the 3G service will come at the end of this month when another 1,200 users receive the showcase video phone model built by Matsushita Communication Industrial Co Ltd, which had been delayed because of glitches. That came on top of the tough decision that DoCoMo made to delay the full commercial launch by four months and limit initial services to a trial service. Analysts agree that DoCoMo made the right decision to limit its launch and play down the hype, although others point out that it had promised commercial services to investors and the public in full-page advertisements. "There's no way that they could have done a full-blown launch and charged customers," said one industry player. Another user agreed, saying: "On balance, I don't think that the added functionality is good enough to pay more for." Still, DoCoMo is at little risk of being hurt by the glitches and delays. I-mode has grown rapidly to 24.14 million users browsing the Web on its credit-card sized screens after less than two and a half years of service, and has helped boost DoCoMo's net profit to three billion dollars. << >> DoCoMo Says 3G is Problem-Free 07/06/2001 BWCS The first week of NTT DoCoMo’s trial of 3G services has passed without any major technical problems. The company stated that several minor glitches were quickly resolved although it has been reported in the Japanese press that some of the trial users have experienced problems with the relatively short life of their handset batteries. Other customers have praised the improved speed of the 3G mobile internet i-mode service but some were quoted as saying it wasn’t worth paying higher subscriptions and usage fees for. The smooth start to DoCoMo’s 3G trial will also come as a relief to other mobile operators around the world which are due to roll out their UMTS services next year. Following a torrid start to 2001 for the 3G industry, which has come under a barrage of criticism concerning over-inflated licence fees, over-hyped services and handset shortages, mobile operators will be hoping that the second half of the year will see the return of investor confidence. With some European governments already addressing the licence fee issue by allowing joint network rollouts, a steady increase in the shipment of 3G handsets and operators erring on the side of caution with service descriptions and launch dates, it seems that 3G maybe emerging from the trough of disillusionment and beginning the steady climb up the slope of enlightenment. << - Eric - - Eric -