Page 16 - Sphere No.6 (Jun 2002)

SPHERE
14
T E C H N O L O G Y
system used by Amazon, the online
retailer.
“We don’t intend our devices to be
a mini-TV” says Gernon. “It’s all about
‘snacking’ on the information that you
as an individual are interested in. In five
years time I believe people won’t know
how they managed without 3G. It’s the
natural next step in the evolution of
communications.”
H3G Italy’s Bob Fuller predicts that
3G will open up thousands of new
opportunities. “Italians love TV, fashion,
soccer, and mobile communications,” he
observes, “in fact, Italy is the second
biggest mobile-phone market in Europe
with 87% of its 58 million population
using wireless phones. Mobile expendi-
ture accounts for 2% of the GDP.”
Ericsson and Siemens-NEC are
building the network for H3G Italy and
the company has a roaming agreement
with the main Italian mobile operator –
Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) – for
interconnection and site sharing. H3G
has also signed content agreements with
11 soccer teams, which include the win-
ners of the last 10 Italian championships.
H3G Italy is also in the process of
closing agreements with some of its
shareholders, who are major players in
publishing, Internet and new media.
These include CIR, which controls La
Repubblica, HDP, which holds Il Corriere
della Sera , and Tiscali, the leading
European Internet service provider.
3G services will be available in 50
major Italian cities from the last quarter
of this year. Expected coverage will be
45% by the end of 2002 and 80% by
2004. In the meantime, roaming agree-
ments will fill in the gaps.
“Our clear objective is to succeed
with an ‘explosive’ development of the
market,” says Fuller.“We have more fre-
quencies, the best technologies, the best
content and the best human resources to
satisfy our customers’ needs.”
Sweden and Denmark will follow
after the UK and Italy. This, says Hi3G
Access Managing Director Chris
P ERSONALISED MULTIMEDIA
communications are about to
become an everyday reality. Your
3G device will give you the power to
process massive amounts of data in the
blink of an eye – without cables.
Just think: here is a “phone” that will
provide video and audio streaming such
as live news and sports broadcasts, music-
on-demand, multimedia messaging, instant
access to area-specific information,
mobile e-commerce, interactive games
and even remote surveillance.
3G will add an invaluable dimension to
modern life. It will open up a world of
services tailored to suit you, as well as
help you explore the world. It will enable
new, more flexible working practices with
users enjoying access to vital data
whether they are in the office or not, and
it will greatly improve distribution sys-
tems for goods and services.
As 3G is put to work it will unleash a
tidal wave of possibilities. Imaginative new
applications will no doubt emerge, further
enhancing both business and leisure,
adding variety and colour to our experi-
ences and making life simpler and more
enjoyable.
Here’s a glimpse of possible things to
come.
Note: Names and activities depicted are fictitious,
serving only to illustrate possible 3G applications.
London art student Emily Jones finds her
3G useful for almost everything.
It’s the perfect tool for staying in touch
with family and friends. She has great fun
swopping “postcards” and cartoons with
them and can even show off her latest
“masterpieces”.
Emily can’t resist the fashion, beauty
and horoscope sections which she’s
bookmarked along with the listings sec-
tion of London’s dance club scene. She
loves the fact that her 3G lets her watch
her favourite music video clips whenever
(and wherever) she wants to – on the
bus, in the park, at her studio.The device
actually tells her when her favourite stars
will be performing in the city, allows her
to buy tickets and alerts her when she’s
reached her budget limit for the week.
Besides all the fun aspects, her 3G is
also a powerful research assistant, giving
Emily access to a vast inventory of infor-
mation on the Web to help with her art
history research.
“I get the material I want quickly and
with the minimum of effort,” she says.
Emily’s only gripe about her 3G device
is that her boyfriend, Ron, keeps borrow-
ing it to watch football clips and to play
interactive games!
Gotland-based taxi company GotCab understands the bene-
fits of offering excellent, speedy service. To streamline its
operation, the company has provided each of its drivers with
a 3G device. Using the “always on” Global Positioning System
(GPS) function, the central control office is able to keep tabs
on the location of each taxi in real time. In turn, the drivers
enjoy superb navigation assistance, with instant access to
street maps, traffic reports and weather information.When a
customer calls the control centre, the nearest available taxi
can be deployed immediately. Furthermore, customers calling
via a 3G device can be directly linked to the nearest cab and
located easily, again through the GPS. Customers can also pay
using their 3G electronic wallets.
3G-WHIZ !