3 Telecom UK

3 can be described as a brand utilized for 9 networks of mobile communications in Australia, Asia, and Europe. Hutchison Whampoa has an indirect or direct, minority or majority interest in each one of them. All the 3-branded networks stress on their presenting of ‘mobile multimedia’ and providing 3G technology. 3 has its presence in the UK, Sweden, Italy, Ireland, Indonesia, Macau and Hong Kong, Denmark, Austria, and Australia. Israel is also the place where Hutchison Whampoa holds 3G-license. Here it operates under brand ‘Orange’. In Norway, the operation has not yet started. As per the statistical data available on 22nd of August, 2007, the number of registered customers of 3 was around 15.9 m.

3 markets new services and handsets aggressively and carries out the launching of new products on a regular basis. It has been focusing lately on Skype and Mobile TV services. 3 permits quick internet access and video calling from majority of the handsets made by it.

Internet access

3’s GPRS portal is ‘free to browse’ in majority of countries (inclusive of Austria and UK) for certain content in most of the price plans. The user then needs to pay preset price for every video, application or text downloaded. Apart from that, 3 Ireland as well as 3 UK at first decided of blocking the direct access to internet from handsets, whereas 3 Austria permitted internet access right from the beginning.

3 released a ‘PC card, i.e. a ‘3G Data Card’ in 2004 for laptops based on Windows which would allow access to internet via 3’s network, from computer itself, followed by range of business tariffs and data. Later on, more USB modems and cards were introduced for HSDPA. 3 came up with Skypephone in the month of November in 2007, which was later developed with Skype. It combines functionality of UMTS handset.