[Ben]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6153060.stm


3, the company which launched Britain's first 3G network, now says it is going to make the mobile internet more interesting.

It is launching a partnership with internet firms including Skype, Google and eBay.

The promise is that users will be able to make free internet phone calls, watch their home television on their phone and tap into their home computers on the move.

The price for all these services will be a flat-rate monthly fee.

Mobile phone companies often make big claims when launching new products - but analysts say 3's move could change the industry.
Flat monthly fee eh? Including free Internet phone calls eh? Should be fun :p

[3GScottishUser]

These new services will only be available on 2 new models (SE W950 and Nokia N93).

Some of the things require extra home equipment (Slingbox) and others will require users to learn new ways of doing things (Skype calling).

Having made little impact I suspect 3 are simply now throwing anything they can find at the market and I predict they might just confuse many with the plethora of services now on offer. Having found no 'killer application' this bundle of existing Internet services over mobiles looks like a desparate attempt to offer just about anything to make the overall network appealing. I wonder how many will be tempted to pay a 'fixed fee' for these highly complex advanced services, some of which have dubious value on such small displays.

Bearing in mind 3's poor record re customer service I hope the teckkies that are tempted into this type of offering get the support they will need..... or it'll be the e606/808 era etc all over again!

Sorry for the scepticism but does anyone else think the timing of this announcement has anything to do with Arun Sarin's comments yesterday?

[Hands0n]

Not sure about the timing vis a vis Arun Sarin but ...... Given that 3 have had more than three years to get their utterly dire Customer Services operation in India either into some acceptable form of capability or ditched it entirely in favour of a local UK service - I am bound to ask what fool would commit to 3 for such technically complex services? What chance have the Mumbai CS teams in providing a credible support for any service that is more complex (!!?) than supplying a mobile phone that actually works?

I hate to sound negative but, seriously, 3 have had more than sufficient time to get things right. That they haven't is very telling.

For my part, 3 will not see another penny of my money again. They have had two chances to screw around with me, and they did just that on each occasion.

I will look to the likes of T-Mobile and Vodafone itself to deliver a credible wireless broadband offering. The first one who does will be likely to capture the rented accommodation and university student markets. These are absolutely huge and wired broadband is not a credible facility given the difficulties in relocating to new premises with some frequency in those two markets.