The consumer demand required to support the huge investment necessary to create a 3G network has arrived, CSG spokesperson Sherie Ng told ZDNet Australia.
"The Australian market is ready for 3G services," said Ng, citing 'private research'. "The technology is there, the customer demand is there, this is the time."
Consumers have waited several years for 3G services, as the rollout of the network is continuously pushed back. Hutchison Telecommunications, which currently offers mobile services through its subsidiary, Orange, is expected to launch its 3G network at the end of this month. However, this launch comes amidst concerns that competitors, namely Telstra and Optus, will attempt to dominate all advertising to detract from the event.
Optus has also detracted from the launch, by claiming there was little that could be done with the new standard that could not be achieved through GPRS or 2.5G". This is a controversial claim, considering 3G networks are set to offer data rates up to 400KBps, around 10 times what is now available on mobiles.
"Customers are excited and waiting to see what will happen with 3G," said Ng. She added the business drivers--the prospect of a profitable customer base for the network--had finally caught up with the technology, which "has always gone ahead of consumer demand in the telecommunications space".
Ng said Australians are taking up electronic bill payment faster than ever before, and the prospect of linking all communications devices to the one mobile phone or handheld computer, and the one bill, will be an important factor in the success of 3G networks.
