3G mobile phones

What is 3G?

Simply put, it is the third generation of mobile telecommunications technology, offering vastly increased bandwidth and thus a wider and better range of services. Until now it has not been available in mainland Britain, despite years of hype.

So someone has finally launched a 3G network?

Hutchison's network, 3, launched this week. Japanese consumers have been using 3G for a year and a half, but this is our first change to try what could be the phone network of the future.

Actually Britain already boasts one, albeit very small, 3G network on the Isle of Man. That does most of us very little good, however.

Can I buy into 3G now?

Only if you have a wallet full of disposable cash and some patience. The 3 network offers three monthly pricing plans. The packages called Kit and Caboodle cost £59.99 or £99.99 a month respectively - a good deal more expensive than what most us pay now for our standard 2.5G voice and text services. The third option is the 3toGo pay as you go package, featuring a sliding scale of charges ranging from 5p to £2 a minute.

In addition, you will need to spend between £400 and £450 (or half that if you are one of the first 20,000 to buy) on a handset, and these are not expected to be available until later this month.

Why is it so expensive?

When the government auctioned off 3G licences to the highest bidders, it led to an orgy of spending by telecommunications companies frantic to take part in what they believed would be the most profitable game in town. Analysts warned that the billions paid by the carriers would be passed on to eventual subscribers, effectively pricing 3G out of the range of the average consumers before anyone had built a network.

The price of 3's offering seems to bear that out, but these prices may not be indicative of the future. After all, the network has no 3G competitors at the moment and is no doubt aiming this offering at early adopters, the sort of gotta-have-it geeks who will pay anything for sexy new gadgets.

Why is a 3G phone better than the phone I use now?

While your friends struggle to come to terms with picture messaging, you could be watching Premiership football highlights on your phone screen. While they trawl through the limited data services of Wap, you could be surfing the internet for real. And while they risk RSI texting each other, you could be videoconferencing. Provided you can find anyone else who owns a 3G phone.

Could I get, erm, adult services on my phone? Not that I'm into that kind of thing.

Traditionally pornographers have been clever, profitable early adopters of new technology, from the internet to handheld video cameras, so no doubt porn delivered to your handset cannot be far away. 3 has declined to comment on whether it will offer porn, but once competition begins in earnest, some network certainly will.

No doubt 3G etiquette guides will follow, suggesting that a packed commuter train is not the place to indulge.

Is this 3G thing going to take off?

It remains to be seen whether consumers will consider mobile video reason enough to pay an extra £300 for a phone, not to mention the extra monthly charge. We may, it turns out, be perfectly satisfied with text messages and the aesthetically unimpressive data services offered by WAP.

In the event that you want a mobile for the outdated and deeply uncool purpose of phoning other people, the result is the same whether your phone cost £400 or came free with a box of cereal.

The Japanese experience may be instructive. One and half years after it was made available, over 5m people there are using 3G.