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2002: Will 3G Mobiles Take Off? | Newsnight | Retro Tech | BBC Archive
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December 12, 2025
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December 12, 2025
260,259
4,474
1,130
2.15%
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10:03Now PlayingPaul Mason reports from Douglas on the Isle of Man, where the first full-scale consumer trial of 3G mobile phone systems is being piloted by Manx Telecom and MM02.
As the meteoric growth in revenue for both voice and SMS messaging begins to tail off, data is seen as the next big thing in mobile communication. It's clear that the communications industry is betting big on 3G technology - in the UK alone, five mobile phone companies have paid 22 billion pounds for the licence to run the 3G network. Less clear is what, exactly, 3G will bring to consumers. While people will technically be able to watch movies and download videogames on their phones, will they want to? How much will they be prepared to pay for it?
Will the telecoms companies ever make back the money they spent to obtain licences?
Clip taken from Newsnight, originally broadcast on BBC Two, 31 July, 2002.
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