South Korea claims first 3G roll out

South Korea may have beaten the rest of the world to the punch by announcing the roll out of a live third-generation (3G) mobile network.

The news will come as a blow to UK telcos, which have been forced to postpone sending 3G networks live. Earlier this month, BT had to delay a test on the Isle of Man after problems were discovered in the 3G handsets it used.

Between them, South Korea's three mobile carriers have a user base of over 30 million people. The entire population of the country is 46 million, and mobile firms plan to expand their user bases with the nationwide launch of 3G services.

South Korea's 3G network is a bastardised version of Code Division Multiple Access known as IS95. Users can expect connection speeds of around 40Kbps out of a potential 100Kbps. But these figures are still a far cry from the 2Mbps connections promised by future developments of 3G.

A 3G roll out in Tokyo, backed by Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo, is limited to 3300 subscribers, following a software glitch on its chosen handsets.

While NTT DoCoMo is remaining tight-lipped about its plans, it expects to roll out the network on a Tokyo-wide scale by October and at a national level next year.

Initial subscribers to the service will have to use their existing i-mode handsets, enhanced by the addition of a 3G connection card to access the company's Freedom of Mobile Multimedia Access service.

"Its biggest advantage is that it is possible to relay large amounts of data speedily wherever you are," the company said at the launch.