10/22, 11:55am
Company reverses course on smartphones
3 UK is hoping to carry the iPhone 3GS sometime in 2010, according to the carrier's CEO, Kevin Russell. Russell comments that the company has had a deficit of smartphones to date, as a result of focusing on conventional phones in order to build up a subscriber base. That should change in 2010, as the company intends to add a variety of high-end smartphones to its network. Efforts are beginning late this year with devices like the HTC Hero.
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10/19, 12:55pm
HTC Hero comes to 3 with free Spotify, Skype
UK wireless provider 3 said it will soon offer its first Android-powered phone, the HTC Hero with the unique addition of unlimited music. The Android smartphone will include a free Spotify Premium account, allowing users to access the online music service both on the phone and on a computer. While Spotify is available for iPhones and Android devices thanks to an app, and a monthly subscription, this is the first time it is bundled into an existing device, with the equivalent $16 monthly subscription fee waived as well. Also included with the 3 Hero is Skype access to VoIP calls.
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10/13, 3:25pm
Region may see intense iPhone competition
T-Mobile is not the only UK carrier distributing iPhones unofficially, a report claims. The Telegraph says it has learned that 3 is also engaged in giving iPhones to its most lucrative customers, though 3's involvement in the strategy is thought to be recent, having only begun in recent weeks. T-Mobile has allegedly been giving away iPhones since the summer.
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06/29, 8:15am
Vodafone May Buy T-Mo UK
An apparent leak late Sunday suggests that Vodafone may be interested in buying T-Mobile's British division. Reported sources for FT have the former either buying the smaller UK carrier or else establishing a joint venture. The deal would be possible thanks to T-Mobile's widely rumored dire financial state, which may have left the company with little choice but to look for a partner.
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05/01, 10:20am
T-Mobile UK May Merge
T-Mobile's UK division may merge with a rival or even sell off its assets if it can't recover from major losses, its CFO Timotheus Hoettges said at the cellphone carrier's annual shareholder's meeting. The British group may have to write down the equivalent of $2.4 billion in costs for just the first quarter of 2009 and is considering any steps it can take to cut these expenses. Which is more likely isn't known, though the executive sees a merger as one of the most practical ways to address the problem.
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02/09, 10:20am
Vodafone Hutchison in AUS
Vodafone and cellular provider 3's parent label Hutchison today said they would combine their operations in Australia, creating a much larger carrier. The move gives the entity about 6 million cellular customers on the island nation and is being made to compete against incumbents Optus and Telstra, both of which have outpaced Vodafone's Australian wing. A combined Vodafone and Hutchison will have about $4 billion Australian dollars in revenue per year and match Optus in size.
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11/13, 4:40pm
INQ1 handset coming to 3
European wireless provider 3 announced it will soon launch its INQ1 handset, integrating Facebook by delivering alerts and synchronizing contacts with their Facebook profiles. The handset will also pair existing contacts with their respective Skype and Windows Live Messenger accounts. The data network connected handset is thus able to replace a user's PC for chat and social interaction, and also complement it thanks to its ability to act as a plug and play modem for notebook PCs.
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09/25, 4:00pm
Unlocked Hong Kong iPhone
The iPhone 3G is now on sale directly from Apple in the city of Hong Kong, despite no prior announcements, listings reveal. An 8GB phone is selling for $5,400 HK ($692), while a 16GB model costs $6,200 HK ($794). Notably, iPhones in the region can be "activated with any wireless carrier," according to Apple, and require only that a carrier's SIM card be installed prior to sync with iTunes 8.
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08/19, 4:30pm
3 Skypephone S2 debuts
Skype, together with network operator 3, have once again teamed up to bring the second-generation of the 3 Skypephone, dubbed S2. Functional changes from the original VoIP candy bar handset include the addition of a bigger screen and HSDPA wireless network support. The 2.2-inch, 320x240 resolution display replaces the old 176x220 unit, while the built-in camera now takes 3.2-megapixel photos as opposed to 2-megapixel captures.
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07/16, 12:10pm
Ericsson 5Mbps HSPA Evo
Ericsson and the Italian division of cell carrier 3 today said they have successfully tested the world's first 3G network based on enhanced High Speed Packet Access (HSPA). The trial of the new service gives uploads to the network at up to 5.8 megabits per second in peak conditions and is faster even than downloads on most existing services, which in ideal conditions would offer 3.6 megabits. The new technology also cuts back dramatically on the lag that hurts video calls, multiplayer games, and other time-sensitive features.
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06/27, 10:10am
3 Australia iPhone poll
Wireless carrier 3 Australia has received a strong surge of interest in carrying the iPhone 3G, a corporate blog claims. On Thursday the carrier posted a message explaining that it has contacted Apple about carrying the 3G, but that it is seeking public response on the issue as a means of getting Apple's attention. Hundreds of mostly positive comments have since been posted on the site, and visitors can currently sign up for e-mail notifications about the iPhone.
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06/11, 1:40pm
Vodafone NZ
Despite a series of conflicting news releases, Vodafone has confirmed that there will not be a pay-as-you-go version of the iPhone 3G available in New Zealand. NZMac.com first spotted the confusion in statements from Vodafone and Apple New Zealand which announced both contract and prepaid versions of the iPhone in various press releases. Vodafone cleared things up this morning, saying only the contract versions will be available in New Zealand and Portugal beginning in July 11.
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06/04, 4:50pm
Apple snubbing 3 Italia?
Apple may be refusing to negotiate with all players in the Italian cellphone market, one telecom executive suggests. Vincenzo Novari, the CEO of phone carrier 3 Italia, says that while his company is "super-interested about the iPhone," he has not heard any response in regard to inquiries at Apple, whether positive or negative. Novari in fact claims to have sent two e-mail messages directly to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, without receiving any sort of acknowledgement.
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05/29, 7:05am
iPhone for Hong Kong Macau
Hutchison, parent company of cellular provider 3, today said it has signed a deal with Apple to carry the iPhone in Hong Kong and Macau. As with agreements struck in recent weeks, Hutchison doesn't provide specifics and says only that it will offer the iPhone sometime "later this year." The introduction is the first for Chinese-owned territories and the first for 3, whose coverage area includes parts of Europe already addressed by other iPhone carriers.
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05/21, 2:50pm
US Mobile Web Use Study
Americans browse the web on their cellphones almost twice as often as their British counterparts even without the help of web-friendly devices like the iPhone, according to a new study by M:Metrics. Despite the reputation of Europeans as more openly embracing smartphones, Americans in March were known to spend an average of four hours and 38 minutes per month on websites using their phones versus almost exactly two and a half hours for British users. The difference is largely attributed to the prevalence of flat-rate data plans in the US, which give customers either a block of data or unlimited access instead of the metering that more often exists in Europe.
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