High on 3G

weekly roundup Finally, I got myself a 3G phone last month, and was pleased that the mobile operator I've been with for the last 10 years had made it relatively easy for me to hop onto the high-speed network.

I swapped my old SIM card for a 3G-enabled one, free of charge--because I purchased my phone from the operator. Video calls to local subscribers from the same service provider--as well as to subscribers of the operator's service provider partner in Malaysia--are also free, albeit only for the first 5 minutes.

While this offer ends after June this year, it's a great way to get mobile phone users who are new to 3G to try out and be familiarized with
next-generation mobile services, especially since more 3G content is expected to be available soon.
No doubt, operators are also hoping that doing so would eventually get users hooked and more willing to
pay for such services in the future.

Until then, I'll definitely be trigger-happy with the number of video calls I'll be making. But I seem to be encountering a problem with the switch to 3G. There've been instances where I wasn't able to connect a video call, to a party whom I've had video calls with previously, and where I was only able to successfully send an SMS after forcing my mobile to bypass the operator's 3G network and revert back to its 2G
platform.

A couple of possibilities could explain the service lapse. My operator's 3G network coverage is still not ubiquitous so I'll not be able to make video calls--or other 3G services--in areas where there's no coverage. Or, there isn't enough capacity to support the growing 3G traffic which means data can't pass through if there's network congestion. This would explain my failed SMS messages.

I've queried my service provider about the issue and its engineers are working with me to identify the problem.

Have you encountered similar incidents, or have any
other insights to share about your 3G experience?

In other news this week, find out what the CEO of Data Security Systems Solutions is banking on to bring the Singapore-based company to greater heights. See who earned a place in Who's Who award in Britain, and how Kodak and Sony made peace over a patent spat.

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Eileen Yu

Eileen Yu began covering the IT industry when Asynchronous Transfer Mode was still hip and e-commerce was the new buzzword. These days, she gets stirred up over issues concerning Internet regulation, intellectual property rights and software patents, online privacy and data protection. Eileen is senior editor at ZDNet Asia, where she oversees the business tech news site.