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Technology Stocks : Qualcomm Moderated Thread - please read rules before posting -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: foundation who wrote (25130)	8/1/2002 7:59:55 AM
From: foundation	Respond to of 196654

Optus hangs up on its 3G plans THURSDAY AUGUST 1 12:00AM THE AUSTRALIAN COPYRIGHT 2002 NATIONWIDE NEWS PTY LIMITED * Mobile phones OPTUS has mothballed its $ 900 million contract with Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia over the provision of high-speed internet services, shelving any big spending for at least two years. The news is the final nail in the coffin for any fast ramp-up of third generation (3G) mobile phone services in Australia, in line with the delays overseas. Instead, like Australia's biggest telco, Telstra, Optus is improving applications on its existing network infrastructure, launching yesterday a new service where customers can send a photo using a mobile with an inbuilt camera. The new tack by Australia's two big mobile phone companies increases the pressure on Hutchison Telecommunications, which is committed to a $ 3 billion stand-alone 3G network. 3G services are mobile phone applications that will carry things like video clips and gaming technology to mobile phone screens at speeds usually only available on a fast internet connection to a desktop computer. But analysts remain sceptical about Hutchison's plans since the company has a small customer base in an industry where history has shown stealing significant market share from the incumbents is impossible. Last year, Optus's then mobile phone boss and now chief operating officer, Paul O'Sullivan, trumpeted Optus's deal with Nokia as the final step before a full commercial launch of 3G services by the end of 2002 or early 2003. But new mobile phone boss Allen Lew yesterday called it all off, in line with the malaise in an industry where the high cost of 3G licences has ensured any big returns are at least a decade away. His comments are in line with a stance taken by Optus's parent company Singapore Telecommunications in the past two months, delaying the rollout of 3G services in Singapore. wirelessweek.com