Operators move closer to 3G services

T-Mobile, which yesterday went live with its 3G wireless network, is one of several UK mobile operators planning to flesh out their 3G strategy at the 3GSM conference in Cannes next week.

At the week-long event, the operator will reveal its 3G handset plans and discuss a timetable for the availability of mobile services, with video games and CD-quality audio streams in the vanguard.

T-Mobile, which operates networks in Europe and the US, already runs 3G networks in Germany and Austria. But the high-speed technology can only be used via a card in a laptop, the route chosen by Vodafone in the UK when it went live with its 3G service last week.

"Making our 3G networks live is a major milestone in the evolution of the UK mobile industry," said Brian McBride, managing director of T-Mobile UK, in a statement.

"Our network quality and reliability already exceeds our commercial launch expectations and they give surprisingly good performance."

Until Vodafone's launch last week, new entrant 3 had been the only UK 3G network provider.

While there may only be a small range of handsets currently available, several leading manufacturers, such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson, are close to launching 3G-capable devices.

But some operators, such as O2 and Orange, are content to bide their time.

"A commercial service is due for the second half of this year," said a spokesman for O2.

Orange is also set to reveal more about its plans at 3GSM and has said that launch will be mid-2004, when handsets will be readily available. But it will not launch the service until it has achieved wide enough coverage.