WILL ‘FOOT IN MOUTH’ MEAN ‘HUMBLE PIE’ ALL ROUND IN THE 3G RACE?
by Nicki Hayes, April 26, 2001
Nicki Hayes commentates as the Isle of Man overtakes Japan in the worldwide 3G
race.
Earlier this week we commented on the readiness of the Isle of Man’s Manx Telecom to
follow NTT DoCoMo, Japan's leading mobile phone operator, with the launch of its 3G
service. Stop press! Having been forced to eat Humble Pie and delay the full-scale
commercial launch of its 3G mobile phone services until October 2001, it looks like
DoCoMo is about to be pipped at the post. Nicki Hayes, WDN’s European correspondent
reports:
Just when we thought it was all over, the race is on again for the launch of the first
commercial third generation (3G) mobile phone network. NTT DoCoMO, Japan’s
leading mobile operator, was the clear favorite. Indeed, it looked like a one horse race.
Then came Tuesday’s shock revelation that next month’s planned launch was not to be.
In fact the rollout of NTT DoCoMo’s 3G services would be delayed by at least four
months to allow “continued testing to iron out technical problems”.
Meanwhile, Manx Telecom - the little known sole mobile operator in the Isle of Man -
has come from nowhere claiming to be ready to launch in May. And this is in spite of
unforeseen delays on the erection of masts blamed on the effect of restrictions to
countryside access enforced by the UK’s current foot and mouth epidemic!
Could NTT DoCoMo’s executives have a similar problem? Having boasted of their first
to market 3G capacity at any given opportunity over the last year, could they have gone
down with a dose of ‘foot in mouth’ disease? Let’s examine the facts:
First of all, what are the problems leading to DoCoMo’s delay?
Well, they’re understood to include "handover" difficulties maintaining connections
when customers move between neighboring radio base stations. This problem is also
thought to be a major barrier in producing reliable handsets for so-called 2½ generation
phones in Europe.
Another worrying issue identified by DoCoMo is the failure to agree on a common set of
3G technical standards among operators in Europe and Japan. These have not yet been
finalized. It has been reported that this is because each revised standard has produced
more software bugs.
Add to this the well-publicized shortage of manufacturers able to produce 3G handsets
which has hampered the large scale trials needed to ensure mass market reliability, and,
well let’s just say that no further excuses are needed.
Shouldn’t DoCoMo have foreseen the effects of these problems earlier though? Well,
rival operators certainly did and were quick to voice concern about the ability to launch
3G services in the near future. J-Phone, Japan's third-largest mobile phone operator partly
owned by Vodafone and British Telecommunications, said this year it would delay its
launch of W-CDMA, or IMT 2000, services. SK Telecom, the Korean operator, has also
indicated a postponement to the launch of its 3G service.
Indeed, even DoCoMo's Japanese handset suppliers admitted they were struggling to
supply 3G handsets for the May launch and only two out of 11 were expected to have
handsets ready next month. Although these problems had raised questions about
DoCoMo's ability to deliver on time, the company, known for its first to market heritage
and technical prowess, continued to deny the possibility of a delay.
Meanwhile in the Isle of Man, that tiny island off the north west coast of the UK most
famous for its TT motorbike races, tail free cats and offshore investment credentials, the
3G team has been quietly gaining ground. Although part of the British Isles, the Isle of
Man has its own government and its own telecoms company, Manx Telecom.
With the help of this government, Manx Telecom’s 3G team has been racing to get its
network ready in time for the TT races this May. Sadly these races have been cancelled,
yet the hard work put in for the event means that Manx Telecom is set to win the
worldwide 3G race. Mind you, the company doesn't have as many handicaps as other
mobile operators do elsewhere in the world. It has no competition. It didn't have to fork
out monopoly money for a licence. And it only has to cover an area of 31 miles by 14
miles!
In fact, British Telecom (BT) - which owns Manx Telecom - is using the island as a test-
bed. In conjunction with WAP gateway company Infinite, their partner on this project,
they already have a UMTS network up over which they have made both voice and data
calls (speeds unknown). They also claim they’ll have 10 base stations by May, giving 70
per cent coverage of the island, foot and mouth restrictions, apparently, preventing a100
per cent coverage. It is unsurprising then that they plan a big press event to advertise the
network launch next month.
Well, let’s hope that BT, the machine behind Manx Telecom, has done its research well
and that DoCoMo’s ‘foot in mouth’ disease isn’t contagious. After all, Manx Telecom is
working really hard on the network, and, as pointed out earlier in the week, any news is
good news in the world of 3G. Even if the Isle of Man’s system doesn’t work very well,
anything that helps other mobile companies get their act together is to be applauded. And
after all, there’s going to be a large enough portion of Humble Pie going around for Manx
Telecom to share, perhaps without ever even being noticed.
Previous NewsByte...
TRYING TIMES IN THE WORLD OF 3G
About the author:
Nicki Hayes is a freelance writer and corporate communications consultant specialising in business to business internet issues. She has contributed editorial to a number of publications including Unstrung.com, Guardian Online, Financial Times, Banking & Financial Training, eAI Journal and Secure Computing. Nicki is also the European correspondent for The Wireless Developer Network. Nicki is based in Dublin, Ireland and also has a base in Cambridge, UK. Through her consultancy, Hayes-Singh Associates, she has access to a number of technical writers and PR consultants throughout Ireland and the UK.
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