Qualcomm and Teleepoch
Enter Into a 3G CDMA Subscriber Unit License Agreement, October
6, 2007
MTN chooses Cambridge Broadband
Networks for multi-service wireless network in Rwanda, October 6,
2007
Brazilian government to
publish 3G bidding rules soon, October 6, 2007
KTF 3G service suffers
from technical problems, October 6, 2007
Argentina’s Personal
lunches 3G service in Rosario, October 6, 2007
Russia has it's first 3G
network, October 6, 2007
AT&T could drop Alcatel-Lucent
as 3G mobile network supplier, October 6, 2007
Enea Extends License Agreement
with ZTE for 3G Handsets, October 2, 2007
LG to unveil premium handsets
in Brazil, October 2, 2007
KTF 3G subscribers doubled
in less than 3 months, October 2, 2007
3G policy in India will
be non-uniform, October 2, 2007
- previous news
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3 Italy leads the way in 3G
June 17, 2003
Operator 3's stores in Rome are evidence that 3G is now a reality. The
company has 131 group-owned stores in Italy, three of which are in Rome,
and about 2000 partner retailers.
64,000 people have already subscribed and the most popular applications
so far are video calls, news and sport.
Giuliano Fiata, who is responsible for 3's consumer sales, says that
marketing began in November 2002, with newspaper advertisements, TV commercials
and billboards around the city. On March 15, the network was launched
commercially.
"Our aim was to be first on the market and, by cooperating with
Ericsson, we have achieved our goal," Fiata says. "Although
there can be some teething trouble in the beginning, we have an excellent
platform on which to base our work."
The extensive interest in 3 was confirmed by Riccardo Bacchiddu, who
manages the largest of 3's stores in Rome. It is located in Termini, Rome's
railway station, which is one of the most important hubs in the city.
Bacchiddu says that most customers to date (about 70%) are businessmen,
while the remainder are young men interested in technology. In addition
to video calls, it is primarily financial information in real time that
is the drawcard for businessmen. "The other group is very interested
in sports, especially soccer," Bacchiddu says.
There are two ways to become a 3G user. You can purchase a telephone
that is ready for immediate use, or you can lease a phone, which is then
configured within one or two days.
Intensive
The Termini store opened in January and attracted many curious visitors.
Bacchiddu says: "After an intensive marketing campaign, it appears
that people now know what 3 stands for. The most common questions we now
receive are how much a subscription costs and what kind of services we
are offering."
Giancarlo Sirolesi is a photographer on the Italian daily Il Tempo. He
was quick to acquire a subscription and a phone from 3 and he is highly
satisfied. "As a photographer, the image service is the one I use
most," he says.
Vincenzo Novari, CEO of 3 in Italy, predicts that news and sport will
be the most popular services initially. The operator has already signed
a cooperation agreement with a TV channel.
"Italians love technical innovations and want to have them as early
as possible," Novari says. "In Italy, a lot of people want to
show that they are up to date with the latest trends."
Novari does not consider 3 to be a mobile operator in the normal sense
of the term. "We are an operator for multi-video services,"
he says.
3 has invested heavily in marketing, so it is important to start quickly
and acquire new customers. "Although much remains to be done, we
have achieved our goal of being first in the world to have a 3G system,
and we have accomplished this in cooperation with Ericsson," Novari
says.
Ericsson is one of the major suppliers to 3 worldwide, delivering systems
in Australia, Denmark, Italy and Sweden.
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3G Motorola A920
