Which? too harsh on 3G

December 19, 2004

The report in early December published by UK consumer group Which? recommended that people do not buy 3G mobiles this Christmas, but some of the reasons given by Which? does not seem justified.

Which? says that UK network coverage for 3G is too limited to make the cost of the phones worthwhile and also suggested phone users should stick to existing handsets until 3G coverage improves outside big cities.

The report was written before Vodafone and Orange had released their 3G offerings but the concern over coverage is justified and is probably the main reason stopping people buying a 3G handset. This was reflected by users on BBC's website. Drop calls are a problem and people who use their phones outside of urban areas need to think carefully about getting 3G phones.

Coming to the defence of the operators, the three that have launch 3G services so far have coverage for over half of the population. Vodafone and Orange claimed to have 60% coverage while 3 has 80% coverage so the many would have access to the new services.

But it is unfitting for the report to say that is it not worth getting a 3G phones as some of the packages out there contain good offers. Some online retailers offer free handsets and half price line rental for the whole year. For example, customers joining 3 can get a free LG U8120 handset and half price line rental on the VideoTalk 500 tariffs. That's £12.50 a month with 500 voice minutes. It's much better than what other operators are offering and the handset has more functions than the average 2G handset.

Which? also described 3G handsets as "bulky". Vodafone's SonyEricsson V800 handset weighs 127g while 3's LG U8120 is 126g and Orange's Sanyo S750 weighs only 122g. None of these can be considered bulky when Which? has identified the Sony Ericsson P900 (158g) as one of the camera phones to get for Christmas.

Click here for Which? puts curse on 3G phones