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3G – History
Hutchison
3G UK Limited, deliver third-generation mobile multimedia
and communications services under the 3 brand in the UK; offering
a convergence of media, information and telephony, to enable
live video calls, multimedia content and entertainment while
on the move.
3
services are available from sister companies in Australia,
Austria, Italy and Sweden. 3 also hold UMTS licences in Denmark,
Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel and Norway.
In
May 2000 the UK government awarded five licences to run third
generation wireless services.
Hutchison
3G (now 3) acquired the largest of these licences at the lowest
cost. This was set aside for a new entrant in order to increase
competition in the market and included a guaranteed roaming
agreement.
With
the largest amount of spectrum they have a significant advantage
in being able to deliver the most compelling range of multimedia
services.
They
are a young business with strong backers and an experienced
management team and now employ over 1,700 people in offices
throughout the UK.
They
are creating a new type of multimedia communications company.
Bringing together the best of mobile telephony, internet and
media to create a new communications experience. This convergence
allows them to offer you a combination of communication, information
and entertainment.
This
change in lifestyle is reflected in the growth of text messaging,
the mass adoption of the internet and a shift in use from
fixed to mobile communications.
Theirs
is a pure 3G approach, everything from the organisation, services
and network, has been designed and purpose built to deliver
3G.
With
no legacy to distract them, their goal is to deliver the purest
3G.
Network Roll-out
3
UK, in December 2003, has successfully completed the build
and integration of its 5,000th radio base station. These sites
mean that 3 now has over 70% population coverage for it’s
video mobile services in the UK, as well as over 98% voice
coverage through it’s national roaming agreement.
The
3 network is fully operational. The quality of voice and messaging
services is comparable to other networks and the network leads
the industry in speed and quality of data transmission.
In
conjunction with it’s partners, 3 has undertaken one
of the fastest network rollouts in European telecoms history.
The
speed and scale of the deployment of the radio network is
unprecedented in the mobile industry, with up to 200 base
stations being installed per week.
Facts
about 3
- 3
is a video mobile network - the first and only 'third generation'
network to launch in the UK
- 3
is the only network currently able to offer mobile technology's
most unique application - person to person video calling
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Using 3G technology, 3 has built a new network that offers
customers a combination of access to cutting edge video
mobile services and great value voice calls
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The world’s first live 3G service was launched in
Tokyo by NTT Docomo in 2001 – it’s 20% shareholder
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