Companies wanting to take advantage of high-speed third-generation (3G) mobile services may have to wait until late 2003, as a result of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standards process.

The introduction of 3G services in Europe had been touted to arrive as early as 2002 by operators who are eager to roll out services to help them claw back the billions spent on winning the licences.

But the ITU has just published the 3G standards schedule and 2002 is well before the expected commercial launch of corporate services. These will allow 'road warriors' to quickly download company data at speeds faster than the new general packet radio service (GPRS).

The top speeds promised by 3G technology are as high as 2Mbps, but European operators are still struggling to roll out the GPRS services which had originally been promised for the end of last year.

John Visser, chairman of the ITU 3G special study group, told Network News: "If you speak to marketing people you may get the impression that 3G is almost here. However, if you speak to engineers, it's years away."

He added that operators were still involved in promoting evolving second-generation services, which include combining GSM infrastructure with GPRS kit to offer improved services. 3G networks have to be built from scratch with substantial testing necessary thereafter.

Visser explained that 2003 would be the earliest that any range of 3G applications could be launched by operators, if they are to stick to international standards. These are particularly important where mobile roaming is concerned.

First published in Network News

See also:

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Technical hitches slow down GPRS

The UK's general packet radio service will suffer technical problems until at least the end of the year, analysts have warned.  08 Mar 2001

Mobile market in turmoil over 3G delays

The mobile handset market is approaching saturation, and fierce competition among European operators means that only five will still be in business by 2008. And the situation is not being helped by delays to the roll-out of third-generation services.  17 Feb 2001

Germany beats UK to GPRS networks

The UK has been beaten by Germany in the race to launch the first commercial high-speed General Packet Radio Service mobile networks.  31 Jan 2001

Isle of Man to be the first 3G test site

The world's attention will focus on the Isle of Man in May, if BT beats Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo to be the first to set up a third-generation mobile test network.  26 Jan 2001

UMTS will cover all of Europe by 2010

The growth of European high-bandwidth universal mobile telephony services will significantly outstrip services planned for the US, says a report from telecoms consultancy Analysys.  15 Dec 2000

3G licences 'a waste of money'

Mobile operators that paid huge sums for third-generation licences have wasted their money, according to Finnish professor Hannu Kari.  13 Dec 2000

3G mobile phone ads could be illegal

Companies that sell advertising space on their third-generation mobile telephone networks could find themselves in breach of European law.  07 Dec 2000

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