3G

The Harsh reality of 3G


We all know that mobile operators were forced into paying far too much for their European 3G licenses. But are they actually worth anything at all - or would the best business move be to hand them back and walk away? Datamonitor's John Band and Nick Greenway take a look at the 3G house of shareholder horrors... Telefonica and Sonera axed their German joint venture, Quam, writing off over E8 billion in the process. Sweden is lobbying the government to ease off on license requirements. And several first- and second- tier operators look increasingly likely to delay 3G service launches.