Which? puts curse on 3G phones

December 2, 2004 - source: BWCS

UK consumer advisory magazine Which? is counseling customers not to buy 3G phones until network coverage and handset designs improve. The influential publication seems determined to pour cold water on the growing marketing hype from 3 and Vodafone who are intent on persuading consumers to buy next generation mobile phones.

Which? recommends that consumers should stick with conventional mobile phone services for the time being. The report concludes "We"re not sold on 3G yet. The handsets are still fairly bulky and the network coverage is limited which means that, for some time still to come, there are likely to be problems accessing 3G services successfully and consistently."

The editor of Which?, Malcolm Coles, is quoted in this morning's Guardian newspaper as saying that: "There are teething problems with 3G phones and coverage so we recommend sticking with a 2G phone for the time being." His magazine singled out Hutchison's 3 for particular criticism. The operator launched its services in the UK earlier this year and has since garnered more than 1.2 million customers. However, Which? claims that the service has been "dogged by coverage problems and fairly poor handsets." The magazine also claimed that the majority of 3 customers had been attracted by the cheap phone rates on offer rather than the exciting array of new services.

Fighting back against the report's barbed comments, 3 pointed out that its network provides coverage for 80% of the UK population and that its latest range of handsets are among the slimmest available. A spokesman for 3 concluded that Which? Was providing out-of-date information and making ill-informed comment. Nevertheless, the report may weigh heavily in the minds of many consumers in the UK as they reach for their wallets to buy a new mobile handset this Christmas.