Hutchison 3G
Encyclopedia
- 3 redirects here. For other uses, see 3 (disambiguation)3 (disambiguation)3 is a number, numeral, and glyph.3 is the year 3 AD.3, Three, or Thr3e may also refer to:* 3 BC, the year 3 BC-Music:* 3 , rock band of Keith Emerson, Robert Berry and Carl Palmer...
.
3 is a brand name under which several UMTS-based mobile phone networks and Broadband Internet Providers are operated in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The company was founded in 2002.
Hutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
owns direct majority interests in the companies that operate the networks that are branded 3, except 3 Hong Kong and 3 Indonesia. These networks are majority-owned by the publicly listed Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited
Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited
Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited is a leading global provider of telecommunications services. The Group currently offers mobile and fixed-line telecommunication services in Hong Kong and Israel, and operates mobile telecommunications services in Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and...
(HTIL), in which Hutchison Whampoa has a 50.003 percent majority interest.
All 3-branded networks provide 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
technology (WCDMA, some also run 2G
2G
2G is short for second-generation wireless telephone technology. Second generation 2G cellular telecom networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja in 1991...
networks). Hutchison Whampoa no longer holds a 3G license in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
which was operated under the brand Orange, and in Norway which is not operational yet. As of 4 August 2010, registered 3 customers worldwide numbered over 27.8 million.
Internet access
Besides that, 3 UK and also 3 Ireland initially made the decision to block direct Internet access from handsets, while 3 Austria allowed access to the Internet since the beginning.
In 2004, 3 released a PC card
PC card
In computing, PC Card is the form factor of a peripheral interface designed for laptop computers. The PC Card standard was defined and developed by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association which itself was created by a number of computer industry companies in the United States...
3G Data Card ("NetConnect Card") for Windows-based laptops which allows Internet access through 3's network directly from the computer, accompanied by a range of data and business tariffs. Later, more cards and USB modems for HSDPA were introduced.
3 Skypephones and Skype on 3
In November 2007, 3 started to sell the Skypephone, which was developed in conjunction with the Chinese phone manufacturer AmoiAmoi
Amoi Technology Co., Ltd. is a Chinese electronics manufacturing company based in Xiamen, Fujian province, China. It is a mobile service provider which integrates manufacturing, R&D and sales of mobile communication devices.-History:...
(夏新) and Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
, combining the functionality of a UMTS handset with free voice calls and instant messages from Skype. The phones were sold exclusively by 3 on contract and on a prepaid basis.
3 and Skype also produced an application called "Skype on 3" which brought the same functionality to S60
S60 (software platform)
The S60 Platform is a software platform for mobile phones that runs on Symbian OS. It was created by Nokia, who made the platform open source and contributed it to the Symbian Foundation. S60 has been used by mobile device manufacturers including Siemens mobile, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Panasonic...
and J2ME
Java Platform, Micro Edition
Java Platform, Micro Edition, or Java ME, is a Java platform designed for embedded systems . Target devices range from industrial controls to mobile phones and set-top boxes...
-capable phones (but not iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
or Android); the J2ME version was dropped in 2011, leaving only S60. Unlike the non-3 versions of mobile Skype, "Skype on 3" does not use the phone's data connection for voice calls, but instead places a normal phone call to a special number which 3 make available for this service. 3 does not charge users for calls to this number. This service is available in Australia, Ireland and the UK; it has been discontinued in Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy and Sweden.
3 Like Home (No Charge Roaming)
In February 2007 3 introduced '3 Like Home': a service that in theory allows subscribers to use any 3-branded network with the exception of 3 Indonesia without having to pay additional roaming charges, instead paying the same amount for voice, data, and messaging services as they would do on their home network. This also allows users to use their free or inclusive bundles and allowances while abroad. However, pre-pay customers do not benefit fully, as they can not yet use each 3 branded network for '3 Like Home'.3 Australia confirm that calls made using '3 Like Home' are not included in any "cap" plan or inclusive bundles.
This arrangement is possible because of the roaming agreements between the networks. Each of the networks provides service to other partners networks free of internal roaming charges. This means that the marginal cost of a roaming call is much the same as a call on the home network.
At the end of April 2009 3 UK announced that '3 Like Home' would no longer be available to customers of the 3 UK network from the 30 June 2009. On 7 April 2010, 3 Sweden announced that '3 Like Home' would be discontinued on 23 May 2010. Existing customers who complained to 3 Sweden could retain the feature under the name 3Roaming. No cancellation announcements have yet been made for customers of other 3 networks.
Australia
Hutchison introduced the "Three" network in Australia in 2003, through its majority ownership of Hutchison Telecom Australia Ltd (HTAL). As of June 2009, HTAL now owns 50% of the merged Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty LtdVodafone Hutchison Australia
Vodafone Hutchison Australia ' is a mobile telecommunications company that operates the Vodafone, '3' and Crazy John's brands in Australia...
, containing both the "Three" and "Vodafone" networks. The 3 and Vodafone networks remained separate as of August 2009.
On 9 February 2009 HTAL and Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
announced that they would be merging their Australian operations into a 50-50 joint venture called VHA Pty Ltd. All products and services offered by VHA would be marketed under the Vodafone brand, and VHA would hold exclusive rights to use the 3 brand. This merger was expected to be completed by mid-2009, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, As of 29 May 9, shareholder and regulatory approval is granted. and was completed in June 2009.
VHA is now phasing out the Three brand in late 2011. No registration of new subscribers to Three brand as they will be migrated as Vodafone customers.
Three Australia
Three AustraliaThree Australia
Three Australia was introduced by Hutchison in Australia in 2003, through its majority ownership of Hutchison Telecom Australia Ltd . As of June 2009, HTAL now owns 50% of the merged Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd, containing both the "Three" and "Vodafone" networks...
operates a 2100 MHz 3G network in a 50/50 partnership with Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
(the radio networks are shared, the core networks are separate), covering approximately 56% of Australia's population. The 3G network covers Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Geelong
Geelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
, Frankston
Frankston, Victoria
Frankston is a suburb within the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area in Victoria, Australia. It is located 40 km southeast of the state capital Melbourne at the southernmost edge of Greater Melbourne, near the beginnings of the Mornington Peninsula...
and Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
.
- 15 April 2003 - Three launched its services in Sydney and Melbourne
- June, 2003 - coverage extended to Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and the Gold Coast.
- February 2004 - Three Reaches 1750 Base Stations, and announces another 200 to be built by End of Year.
- 2005 - Telstra 50/50 partnership commenced. 3 Australia spun off its 3G radio network into a 50/50 partnership with TelstraTelstraTelstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
. Hutchison continued to own its separate core network, application and service platforms, and their retail 3G business independently and in competition with Telstra. - Achieves 65 Company Stores
- 2005 - Coverage in Canberra added
- 2006 - Geelong, Frankston, Wollongong coverage added.
- March 2007 - HSDPA was activated on the entire 3G footprint bringing peak speeds of up to 3.6 Mbit/s.
- Mid 2007 - 3 launched a series of Service Centres, which service customers' handsets dispatched from retailers, or those of walk-in customers (with 90% of the latter being available for collection within an hour of drop-off).
- June 2009 - Merges with Vodafone Australia to form new joint venture operation named Vodafone Hutchison Australia. 3 Mobile remains a separate network to Vodafone at the commencement.
In areas not covered by 3's 3G network, customers roam on Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
's GSM
Global System for Mobile Communications
GSM , is a standard set developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to describe technologies for second generation digital cellular networks...
/GPRS
General Packet Radio Service
General packet radio service is a packet oriented mobile data service on the 2G and 3G cellular communication system's global system for mobile communications . GPRS was originally standardized by European Telecommunications Standards Institute in response to the earlier CDPD and i-mode...
/EDGE
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution
Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution is a digital mobile phone technology that allows improved data transmission rates as a backward-compatible extension of GSM...
or UMTS networks. This agreement allows 3 to offer coverage to up to 96% of the population. In certain areas, customers may roam on Vodafone Australia
Vodafone Australia
Vodafone Australia is a mobile telephone company, a subsidiary of Vodafone Hutchison Australia. Vodafone Australia was formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Plc ....
's GSM
Global System for Mobile Communications
GSM , is a standard set developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to describe technologies for second generation digital cellular networks...
/GPRS
General Packet Radio Service
General packet radio service is a packet oriented mobile data service on the 2G and 3G cellular communication system's global system for mobile communications . GPRS was originally standardized by European Telecommunications Standards Institute in response to the earlier CDPD and i-mode...
/EDGE
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution
Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution is a digital mobile phone technology that allows improved data transmission rates as a backward-compatible extension of GSM...
network. Unlike roaming on Telstra's network however, data charges are inclusive to one's data plan, and is not charged separately. When roaming on Vodafone's network, '3 2G' will appear on a customer's handset. 3's total number of Australian subscribers reached 2,000,000 as of April 2009
Hutchison
Hutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
formerly operated an Australian CDMA network under the Orange
Orange SA
Orange is the brand used by France Télécom for its mobile network operator and Internet service provider subsidiaries. It is the fifth largest telecom operator in the world, with 210 million customers . The brand was created in 1994 for Hutchison Telecom's UK mobile phone network, which was...
brand name. On 1 February 2006, it was re-branded as 3 CDMA, and this network was closed as of 9 August 2006. 3 CDMA customers were offered special tariffs and incentives to continue as customers on the 3G network, all customers either moved over to 3's 3G network or to other network providers.
3 has sponsored Big Brother Australia from 2005 to 2008 (when it was canceled), The Australian Cricket Team and Essendon Football Club.
Three Australia mobile networks
This is a list of known active mobile networks used by 3 Australia| Frequency | Protocol | Class | | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 900 MHz | GSM/EDGE | 2G | Telstra network, accessible by roaming agreement |
| 1800 MHz | GSM/EDGE | 2G | Telstra network, accessible by roaming agreement |
| 900 MHz | GSM/GPRS/EDGE | 2G | Vodafone AU network, accessible by roaming agreement |
| 1800 MHz | GSM/GPRS/EDGE | 2G | Vodafone AU network, accessible by roaming agreement |
| 850 MHz | UMTS/WCDMA/HSPA/HSPA+ | 3G | Telstra NextG network accessible by roaming agreement. Not accessible where there is 3GIS coverage |
| 900 MHz | UMTS/WCDMA/HSPA | 3G | Vodafone AU regional network, available outside major cities |
| 2100 MHz | UMTS/WCDMA/HSPA | 3G | Home network of 3. 3GIS network in 50/50 partnership with Telstra Telstra Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services.... , covers capital cities |
| 2100 MHz | UMTS/WCDMA/HSPA | 3G | Vodafone AU metropolitan network (and second home network, post-merger). 3GIS network as 50/50 partnership between Optus Optus SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications... and Vodafone AU, covers capital cities |
Vodafone Australia
The Vodafone AustraliaVodafone Australia
Vodafone Australia is a mobile telephone company, a subsidiary of Vodafone Hutchison Australia. Vodafone Australia was formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Plc ....
's GSM mobile service on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz covers 94.52% of Australia's population. The 3G 2100 MHz UMTS network is available in metro areas of major cities and some larger regional centres covering 80% of the population. Expansion of the 3G UMTS network using 900 MHz to equal or surpass the GSM coverage is due to be completed by 31 August 2009 http://www.vodafone.com.au/personal/services/coverage/maps/index.htm http://maps02.pdslive.com.au/VCATPublic/Kiosk.html.
In a media release issued on the 27 May 2008, Vodafone claimed 4.031 million mobile telephone customers connected across Australia (including 0.341 million connected to MVNOs).
VHA Ownership
Vodafone Hutchison Australia is owned by:- Vodafone: 50% - as of July 2009
- Hutchison Telecoms Australia Ltd (HTAL) - 50%
- Note: HTAL is owned by:
- Hutchison WhampoaHutchison WhampoaHutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
: 52.03% - as of 16th 9 Mar - Public shareholders: 26.84%
- Telecom NZ: 10% (with an option for a further 9.94%)
- Leanrose Pty Limited: 11.13%
- Hutchison Whampoa
- Note: HTAL is owned by:
Austria
3 Austria started operations in May 2003. The company promised to have 95% population coverage with HSDPA end of 2007. Currently, 3's 3G coverage appears to be limited to 94% of the population.Outside the coverage of its own 3G-network (UMTS/HSDPA) it relies on national roaming on the network of 2G-market leader Mobilkom Austria
Mobilkom Austria
Mobilkom Austria is a major Austrian mobile network operator. It has been operating commercially since 1994 and in testing since 1992.One of the most well-known commercial brand is A1 in Austria.The Mobilkom Austria group also owns:...
.
3 Austria is the first in Austria to offer its customers so called "HD Mobile TV
Mobile TV
Mobile television usually means television watched on a small handheld device. It may be a pay TV service broadcast on mobile phone networks or received free-to-air via terrestrial television stations from either regular broadcast or a special mobile TV transmission format...
" based on the H.264 encoding standard, and won IIR
Institute for International Research
Institute for International Research, Inc. provides business information solutions in North America. It offers its solutions to senior business executives through conferences, events, and Web seminars on various fields, including customer service, finance and investment, health care, management,...
telcon awards for their eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
(2006) and X-Series Gold (2007) offerings.
3 Austria won a DVB-H
DVB-H
DVB-H is one of three prevalent mobile TV formats. It is a technical specification for bringing broadcast services to mobile handsets. DVB-H was formally adopted as ETSI standard EN 302 304 in November 2004. The DVB-H specification can be downloaded from the official DVB-H website...
license and launched the service in June 2008, with three devices and free usage of Mobile TV.
Denmark and Sweden
3 Denmark and 3 Sweden have a common network covering most of the two countries. Customers are "at home" on both networks, i.e. Danish customer receive calls from Denmark without paying roaming when they are on 3 Sweden's network and it does not cost extra to call Danish telephone numbers. 3 Scandinavia also has a license to build a network in Norway (in 2011 3 declared that they are not going to launch a 3G network in norway), but currently 3 Danmark and 3 Sweden have to have positive financials. In 2008 both operations showed a positive EBITDA.In Sweden the mobile network is shared with Telenor
Telenor
Telenor Group is the incumbent telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. Today, Telenor Group is mostly an international wireless carrier with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia, working predominantly under the Telenor brand...
, except for cities like Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo, Lund and Karlskrona where they handles their own 3G networks, but this practise is not allowed in Denmark. In the spring 2011 3 started, without Telenor, to build their own 3G Network on the UMTS 900-band which will give a bigger coverage. 3Sweden is the only operator in Sweden that have the licence to build 3G at the UMTS900 band. Today 3 Sweden covers about 98.5% of the swedish population.
In early 2012 3 expects to launch it's firsts LTE-services for Swedish customers.
3Sweden is for the fifth year in a row the best operator for Mobile Broadband and has the best 3G-coverage in Sweden.
Hong Kong
2G
2G is short for second-generation wireless telephone technology. Second generation 2G cellular telecom networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja in 1991...
operator Orange
Orange SA
Orange is the brand used by France Télécom for its mobile network operator and Internet service provider subsidiaries. It is the fifth largest telecom operator in the world, with 210 million customers . The brand was created in 1994 for Hutchison Telecom's UK mobile phone network, which was...
re-branded its services and changed its name to "3 Dualband", referring to the GSM product, and "3 CDMA", referring to the CDMA product.
On 29 May 2008, Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong) Limited announced that it has signed an agreement with Apple Inc. to bring the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
to Hong Kong and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
later that year under 3.
Hong Kong and Macau Ownership
- HTIL: 70.9%
- NTT DoCoMoNTT DoCoMois the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan. The name is officially an abbreviation of the phrase, "do communications over the mobile network", and is also from a compound word dokomo, meaning "everywhere" in Japanese. Docomo provides phone, video phone , i-mode , and mail services...
: 24.1% - NECNEC, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
: 5%
Note: Hutchison Whampoa owns 100% of HTIL (Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited)
3 HCPT Indonesia
The 3 service was launched commercially in Indonesia on 30 March 2007 with the company name is Hutchison Charoen Pokphand Telecommunications (HCPT). Only after 9 months of operations, 3 acquired about 2.2 million GSM customers. 3 achieved high customer mindshare maintaining at about 90% of awareness level as of April 2009.
3 Indonesia slogan is "Jaringan GSM-mu (Your GSM Network)", formerly "Jaringan Selularmu (Your Cellular Network)". Sometimes, 3 use "Mau? (Want it?)" and "Hanya di 3 (Only on 3)" slogan in their ads.
3 currently has full GSM coverage in Java, Sumatera, Bali, Lombok, and Riau Islands. And as of April 2009, Kalimantan is covered in South Kalimantan and Sulawesi is covered in South Sulawesi.
The 3 UMTS/HSDPA service is now available in most parts of Java, especially big cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung.
3 Indonesia launched its new unlimited text and MMS service at a certain fee with Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
on 8 April 2009, so registered 3 customers can update status, write on wall, or upload new pictures freely without any more charges. Beside with Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, 3 also cooperate with Yahoo to give unlimited chat at a certain fee by SMS and downloadable mobile program using Yahoo Messenger service. Both of this is the first of its kind in Indonesia.
Ownership
- HTIL: 60%
- Charoen PokphandCharoen PokphandThe Charoen Pokphand Group is a transnational conglomerate that consists of three core businesses that operate in the agribusiness and food, retail and distribution, and the telecommunications industries with investment in 15 countries. Founded in 1921, the CP Group currently employs over 280,000...
: 40%
Note: Hutchison Whampoa owns 50.003% of HTIL
Ireland
3 has a license for operation in IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
using the access code 083 (although numbers can be ported over from other networks.) The service was launched on 26 July 2005 as Ireland's fourth mobile network operator behind Vodafone
Vodafone Ireland
Vodafone Ireland Limited, part of the Vodafone Group, is the largest mobile phone company in Ireland in terms of active subscribers, and was previously called Eircell. The mobile phone system in use is a digital GSM 900 system, and also a third-generation UMTS system...
, O2
O2 Ireland
Telefónica Ireland is a broadband and telecommunications provider in Ireland. The company is marketed and trades as O2...
and Meteor. 3's coverage is made up of a single 2100 MHz band UMTS network, with claims of 96% population coverage and 500,000 subscribers. A roaming agreement with Vodafone Ireland
Vodafone Ireland
Vodafone Ireland Limited, part of the Vodafone Group, is the largest mobile phone company in Ireland in terms of active subscribers, and was previously called Eircell. The mobile phone system in use is a digital GSM 900 system, and also a third-generation UMTS system...
provides GSM coverage where no UMTS signal is available.
Service was initially offered as post-paid only, but on 16 May 2006 the introduction of a pre-paid service, known as 3Pay, was announced. A pre-paid mobile broadband
Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access through a portable modem, mobile phone or other mobile device.-Description:...
service was launched on 29 February 2008 under the name 3Pay Broadband, with vouchers available for durations of one day, one week, or one month. On 13 May 2010, 3 Ireland announced the launch of the world's first commercial voice and data I-HSPA network. The company operates 28 "3Stores" throughout Ireland, with plans to have 50 by the end of 2010.
On 5 August 2010, 3 Ireland announced a four year, €7 500 000 deal with the Football Association of Ireland
Football Association of Ireland
The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for the sport of association football in the Republic of Ireland. It should not to be confused with the Irish Football Association , which is the organising body for the sport in Northern Ireland.For the full history, statistics and records...
to become the primary sponsor of all Republic of Ireland international football teams.
In August 2010, 3 Ireland admitted it has been overstating its subscriber numbers since 2006. As per its latest released mid year statements about 56 per cent of 3’s 554,000 registered subscribers are considered active . This is about 244,000 short of the figure supplied to ComReg.
Italy
In Italy, 3 was formerly known as Andala 3G SpA, a company founded in November 1999 and controlled by SardiniaSardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
n internet company Tiscali
Tiscali
Tiscali may refer to:*Tiscali, an archaeological village of Nuragici people, in Sardinia, Italy, notable because it was completely inside a huge cavern*Tiscali SpA, a telecom company based in Italy*Tiscali TV , multiple uses...
and Franco Bernabè
Franco Bernabè
Franco Bernabè is an Italian banker and manager, currently the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Telecom Italia, appointed on December 3, 2007....
. It was the first mobile operator to offer 3G services (UMTS), launched in March 2003. As of December 2007, 3 Italia had 8 million registered customers, thus being the local leader in the 3G telecommunications market. 3 Italy is the largest company in the 3-group measured in number of subscribers. It has a roaming agreement with TIM
Telecom Italia Mobile
TIM is Telecom Italia's mobile phone brand, and runs a GSM, EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA network in Italy and Brazil.In Europe, TIM is part of the FreeMove alliance.TIM Peru was sold to América Móvil and rebranded Claro...
which allows its customers to get a 2G service when they move out of 3G coverage.
On 22 February 2006, 3 announced the first launch of (HSDPA) technology in Italy, with initial coverage of Rome. The HSDPA service, which provides wireless broadband access with speed up to 14.4 Megabit/s, has been initially launched offering connection speeds up to 3.6 Megabit/s. The service has been called ADSM (as a contraction for ADSL Mobile).
On 14 May 2006 3 was the 1st in Italy to launch the Digital Mobile TV
DVB-H
DVB-H is one of three prevalent mobile TV formats. It is a technical specification for bringing broadcast services to mobile handsets. DVB-H was formally adopted as ETSI standard EN 302 304 in November 2004. The DVB-H specification can be downloaded from the official DVB-H website...
with the DVB-H
DVB-H
DVB-H is one of three prevalent mobile TV formats. It is a technical specification for bringing broadcast services to mobile handsets. DVB-H was formally adopted as ETSI standard EN 302 304 in November 2004. The DVB-H specification can be downloaded from the official DVB-H website...
technology (70% of population); this service is currently available with three mobile models LG
LG
LG may refer to:*LG Corp., a South Korean electronics and petrochemicals conglomerate*LG Electronics, an affiliate of the South Korean LG Group which produces electronic products* Lawrence Graham, a London headquartered firm of business lawyers...
U900, LG
LG
LG may refer to:*LG Corp., a South Korean electronics and petrochemicals conglomerate*LG Electronics, an affiliate of the South Korean LG Group which produces electronic products* Lawrence Graham, a London headquartered firm of business lawyers...
U960 & Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
SGH-P910.
3 Italy's slogan is: Meglio cambiare, no? (It's better to change, isn't it?). The company's success is also due to its commercial policies (it was the 1st mobile operator which introduced mobile phone with SIM lock
SIM lock
A SIM lock, simlock, network lock or subsidy lock is a capability built into GSM phones by mobile phone manufacturers. Network providers use this capability to restrict the use of these phones to specific countries and network providers...
in Italy, which has prevented customers from successfully moving to a different network) and its advertising campaigns. From November 2006 to March 2007, 3 Italy's testimonial has been Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
, followed by Luciana Littizzetto
Luciana Littizzetto
Luciana Littizzetto is an Italian comedy actress and writer from Piedmont in NW Italy. She grew up in the San Donato district, where her family owned a milk and cheese shop....
.
From 6 June 2008 3 Italy offers free of charge the vision of Rai Uno
Rai Uno
Rai 1 is the primary television station of RAI, the national public service broadcaster, and the most watched television channel in Italy. It was born as Rai Tv from 1954 to 1961, called Programma Nazionale from 1961 to 1979, after called Rete 1 from 1979 to 1982, then called Rai Uno from 1982 to...
, Rai Due
Rai Due
Rai 2 is one of the three main television channels broadcast by Italian public television company RAI alongside with Rai 1 and Rai 3. Rai 2 first started transmissions on November 4, 1961...
, Canale 5
Canale 5
Canale 5 is an Italian private television network of Mediaset, the media branch of Fininvest. Canale 5 was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980, based on a local channel, TeleMilano 58, founded in 1978....
, Italia 1
Italia 1
Italia 1 is an Italian commercial television channel on the Mediaset network. It is oriented especially at young people.Italia 1 was launched in January 1982 and, originally, was owned by Rusconi; after a few months, however, due to the aggressive dumping practices of Silvio Berlusconi's rival...
, Rete 4
Rete 4
Rete 4 is an Italian television station belonging to the Mediaset network. It is an Italian private commercial TV channel. Rete 4's main news programme is TG4, whose editor-in-chief is Emilio Fede since 1992.-TV Series:...
, SKY Meteo24
SKY Meteo24
Sky Meteo24 is the first Italian television channel dedicated exclusively to weather forecasts, it was launched on August 1, 2004, owned by Sky Italia.-Logos:-External links:* on sky.it...
, Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
and La7
La7
La7 is an Italian television channel owned by Telecom Italia Media and operated by Telecom Italia.-History:In 2001, Lorenzo Pellicioli and Roberto Colaninno, of Telecom Italia announced they had acquired Telemontecarlo, in order to create a strong competitor against the six other national channels...
television channels with DVB-H
DVB-H
DVB-H is one of three prevalent mobile TV formats. It is a technical specification for bringing broadcast services to mobile handsets. DVB-H was formally adopted as ETSI standard EN 302 304 in November 2004. The DVB-H specification can be downloaded from the official DVB-H website...
technology.
Since late November 2010, 3 Italy offers one of the most convenient data plans available in Italy under the name of SuperInternet, offering 3 gigabytes of Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
navigation at the price of 5 € per month.
Italian Ownership
- Hutchison WhampoaHutchison WhampoaHutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
: 95.4% - NHS Investments (Sanpaolo IMISanpaolo IMIThe Gruppo Sanpaolo IMI was one of Italy's major banking and insurance groups, based in Turin. It employed about 44,000 people and had about 7 million customers....
): 3,9% - RCS MediaGroupRCS MediaGroupRCS MediaGroup S.p.A. , based in Milan and listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, is an international multimedia publishing group that operates in daily newspapers, magazines and books, radio broadcasting, new media and digital and satellite TV...
: 0.5% - GeminaGeminaGemina is a genus of green alga.- Species :Some species include:*G. clavata*G. enteromorphoidea*G. letterstedtoidea*G. ulvoidea...
: 0.2% h
3 Power
3 Power is an international business unit of 3 Italia.As the first DVB-H operator worldwide, 3 Italia is clearly established as a strategic leader in the convergence of communication, information and entertainment.
It has now more than 720,000 DVB-H clients. 3 Power provides DVB-H and UMTS services to operators and broadcasters worldwide based on the knowledge and expertise acquired by 3 Italia throughout the past years.
Possible sale of 3 Italia
Speculation from the UK newspaper The Times in 2007 claimed that 3 Italia had sent out an information memorandum in the hope of attracting potential bidders. Hutchison tried to sell up to 25% of 3 Italia in an initial public offering (IPO) in 2005 that it hoped would value the operator at around EUR10bn. However, the planned listing was cancelled in early 2006 after valuations failed to live up to Hutchison's expectations. It was also speculated that this sale, if it went ahead, could lead to the further sale of 3 Group assets, including 3(UK) and 3 Ireland.United Kingdom
Three launched with a roaming agreement with O2 which allowed its customers to use their handsets on the 2G network when they moved out of 3G coverage. The agreement with O2 ended in 2007 and the agreement with Orange is ongoing. T-Mobile & Orange merged as 1 company, 3UK and T-Mobile prior to that merge owned a 50/50 Joint Venture for backhaul and base station sites (MBNL LTD) that Orange are now merging into*** Roaming on Orange is still available in some areas, but in others has been turned off.
At the end of 2005, Three had nearly 4 million customers on its network and was the largest 3G network in the UK with more 3G subscribers than all the other networks together. The UK offers both pre- and post-pay (contract) services.
Three has used a number of different TV, print and radio advertising campaigns since their launch. Their pre-September 2007 slogan was "Welcome to our Network". Its next slogan was "Fresh on 3", promoting the new "Mix and Match" price plans. Three launched a major marketing campaign in May 2009, with the slogan "Changing Mobile Forever", as Three offered free unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls to all customers.
Three's first retail stores (3Store) opened at the same time as the network launched, on Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
and High Street Kensington, both in London, and at the Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
Mailbox. Three's handsets and contracts are also sold by mobile telephony chains and independents throughout the UK, as well as online retailers. In October 2005, the second wave of 3Stores opened in larger malls throughout the UK, such as the Harlequin Shopping Centre in Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, the Bluewater Shopping Centre, and The Mall in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
Cribbs Causeway
Cribbs Causeway
Cribbs Causeway is a road in South Gloucestershire, England, just north of Bristol, which has given its name to a large out-of-town shopping centre, including retail parks and an enclosed shopping centre known as The Mall...
. These stores are now Three's flagship high street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
shops. On 24 October 2006, Three announced that it had purchased 95 high street shops from O2, 274 The Link
The Link (retailer)
The Link was an internet-based mobile phone and communications retailer in the United Kingdom. It is owned by Dixons Retail , the UK's largest consumer electronics retail group, and traded online through a dedicated retail website, which in addition to mobile phones also offered satellite...
outlets, and 22 shops branded under the O2 banner. Three announced that these would be rebranded as 3Stores "within weeks", in time for the important Christmas season. On Friday 11 January 2007, Three announced it will be closing 107 of its concession stores, leaving only 20.
Three launched SeeMeTV at the end of 2005, allowing its customers to submit their own video content that other subscribers could watch. Users pay a small micropayment (the price decided by the video's creator) to watch these videos. The user who created the videos will get paid 10% of the amount of money that is paid by other users to watch the video. This service does allow some adult content, but this is protected by a PIN
Personal identification number
A personal identification number is a secret numeric password shared between a user and a system that can be used to authenticate the user to the system. Typically, the user is required to provide a non-confidential user identifier or token and a confidential PIN to gain access to the system...
to prevent minors accessing it. Users are paid once they have made £10 using PayPal
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
. It is the most popular user-generated mobile service created - since launch there have been over four million downloads of videoclips and it is set to be launched through MSN Spaces.
Until 30 June 2009, Three subscribers in the UK, Ireland, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Hong Kong and Australia could use their service on Three networks around the world for no extra charge with '3 Like Home'.
Three currently has the highest level of 3G coverage in the UK and went live with HSDPA in September 2008. In October 2010, Three completed a £400 million upgrade to its network and now covers 97.4% of the UK population.
In June 2010 Three became the 4th network to launch the iPhone after O2, Orange and Vodafone. T-Mobile became the fifth network in the UK. In September 2010, Three won the Broadband Expert Mobile Broadband Award Winners 2010 - Best Overall Provider.(ref: 25)
In 2010, Three was voted Best Network for Mobile Broadband in a YouGov survey for the second year in a row. (ref:26)
Three refuses to give customers blank/replacement SIM cards in stores/by mail prior to an event of a card failure/lost or stolen sim or simply to change your sim, ie - to a microsim at your own convenience. This means that should your SIM fail, be lost/stolen, especially overseas, you would lose service and experience extreme inconvenience. Unlike O2, or other UK rivals, three for some unknown reason jealously guards blank/replacement SIM cards even though they cannot be used apart for legitimate purposes such as faulty/lost replacements for existing Sim cards. This is particularly an issue if you live in a rural area, travel frequently overseas, or simply have a sim loss/failure out of hours and cannot wait for a store to open for several days or for a new one to arrive by post (they rely on royal mail).
Ownership
- Hutchison WhampoaHutchison WhampoaHutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
: 100%
(20% and 15% equity interests were re-purchased from NTT DoCoMo
NTT DoCoMo
is the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan. The name is officially an abbreviation of the phrase, "do communications over the mobile network", and is also from a compound word dokomo, meaning "everywhere" in Japanese. Docomo provides phone, video phone , i-mode , and mail services...
and KPN Mobile
KPN
KPN is a Dutch landline and mobile telecommunications company, including both 2G and 3G mobile operations...
respectively in 2005 when both decided to exit the UK venture shouldering heavy investment losses).
Former Internet access restrictions in the UK
The result of the decision in the UK to block direct Internet access from the handsets was that, unlike the UK's other leading networks, arbitrary web and email servers could not be accessed from a handset on their network. Only outgoing access to TCPTransmission Control Protocol
The Transmission Control Protocol is one of the core protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite. TCP is one of the two original components of the suite, complementing the Internet Protocol , and therefore the entire suite is commonly referred to as TCP/IP...
port 80 (and DNS
Domain name system
The Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...
) were allowed. Since 2006 however, full internet access became possible with an internet add-on.
Related companies and brands
- INQINQINQ is a mobile phone manufacturer, headquartered in London with offices in Rome, San Francisco, Beijing and Hong Kong, Toronto, Seattle, Singapore and Delhi....
- a related company, through 3's parent company, Hutchison WhampoaHutchison WhampoaHutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
.