Adoption of 3G

A much-awaited report on 3G by the Yankee Group and CII is finally out. The report says that mobile operators worldwide are allocating 20-30% of their capital expenditure to 3G network rollout. That amounts to 30-50% of 3G population coverage, since the rural areas will take several years in every country, especially in India. Here, there will be limited 3G availability from towards the end of 2006, and the operators are already going no-holds-barred. Though no one’s talking about it yet, few service providers will be uninterested in 3G handsets. All, in fact, will be testing, squeezing, driving and mapping the latest, India-friendly and longest-lasting, not to mention least expensive, 3G handsets as of now. Expect announcements after September.