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60,000 subscribers signed up to 3
March 20, 2003
Hutchison Whampoa Managing Director Canning Fok told investors
at the annual report conference that 3, brand name for Hutchison's
3G venture, has now signed up over 60,000 subscribers for its WCDMA
3G mobile phone service in UK and Italy.
The Hong Kong conglomerate has said it aims to sign up 1 million
customers by the end of 2003 in Europe, an average of 100,000 new
subscribers a month which many believes is a far reached target.
By May, 3 will have 700,000 3G handsets ready for sale in UK and
Italy.
3 introduced 3G cellular services in the UK and Italy earlier this
month. Italian customers picked up their handsets last Tuesday.
Customers in the UK are expected to receive their handsets this
week, "the first customers getting their handsets this week", the
Metro reported, a London based newspaper.
The service is still overcoming technical glitches, the paper reported,
"It's fine when heading from a 2G area to a 3G area as the phone
just continues the call on 2G network. But, when going the other
way, the call gets terminated."
The company has invested £10 billion in 3G operations in Europe
and plans to pump a further £650million into the UK venture in a
bid to recoup the £4.4 billion it spent in 2000 on a 20-year permit
in the UK to offer 3G service.
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3G Motorola A920
