I've long thought that 3G will be delayed or killed because carriers will charge too much for it. AT&T's GPRS service is too expensive for ordinary people and Verizon's new offering is similarly high priced. It seems that carriers want immediate payback for their infrastructure costs. The question is, will they get a quick return on their investment when so few people can afford such rates? Wouldn't it make more sense to charge less, over a longer period of time, to a larger group of people? I think this thought is lost on the carriers. Look at what at what Verizon is charging for their new data network.

First, you have to be spending $35 a month on a cellular plan to qualify to use the service. Next, they charge $30 a month for the service itself. For that you get 300 minutes a month, ten minutes a day on average. These count against your voice minutes so download or talk fast. Extra time cost 35 cents a minute. So you are looking at $65 dollars a month for a data rate that city wide may average 50Kbs a second. Throw in $300 dollars for the PC card you'll need to make your laptop work with the system, and, well, we're now talking about $90 a month averaged over a year. Plus whatever signup or activation fee they want to charge. For ten minutes a day?

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Well, sort of, kind of, maybe. Here's the story. I'd say they've boosted data rates but 3G is still a long way off. We'll see how they do:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46785-2002Jan27.html (external link, probably dead)

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Why have one wireless standard when you can have a phone that will accommodate several? As well as multiple frequency bands? This phone will allow AT&T to transition from their IS-136 wireless network to GSM. One note, many writers now refer to IS-136 as simply TDMA which causes much confusion. GSM and IS-136 actually both use TDMA as their operating method or access technology.

IRVING, Texas -- (January 7, 2002) - Today, Nokia announced the new Nokia 6340 (GSM 1900MHz/TDMA 800/1900MHz/AMPS) wireless phone, the world's first GAIT (GSM ANSI Interoperability Team) compliant handset, allowing users to roam between GSM, TDMA and analog networks. Along with the multiple network compatibility afforded by the Nokia 6340 phone, other new features include a wallet that enables quick wireless transactions. Shipments are expected to begin during the first half of 2002.

"As TDMA carriers prepare for the future by building and integrating GSM technology into their systems, the Nokia 6340 wireless phone will give operators the flexibility to allow for roaming between their current and future networks," said Pekka Vartiainen, senior vice president of sales for Nokia. "Additionally, since roaming is seamless and automatic, consumers will have the ability to use all of their digital services in both TDMA and GSM service areas without having to worry about what kind of technology is being used in a particular area."

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