November 17th, 2006 by Lloyd Gofton
The answer has to be yes, but when? When will we see a usable version of the mobile Internet available to everyone?
Well, 3 thinks it has the answer with the launch of the X-Series, which incorporates partnerships with Internet pioneers such as Skype, Google and eBay.
3 say users will be able to make free Internet phone calls, watch their home television on their phone and tap into their home computers on the move via mobile broadband service.
The price for all these services will be a flat-rate monthly fee.
Hang on, that makes sense! Could this be the beginning of a new era in mobile Internet services?
We all remember the Anthill mob-like scramble for 3G licenses and the resulting void in successful services and profits alike. So what did turn consumers off originally? Well, take your choice:
- Mobiles didn’t delivered the characteristics of a web device
- Consumers weren’t willing to pay extra for a web device
- WAP - say no more
- Accessibility - many web sites aren’t set up for simple mobile browsing
- Frustration trying to get online
- Broken promises/over hype
- Mistrust of the operators due to the above
The list goes on, but the frustrating part is it can be done. A decent 3G device with built-in web browser to match can deliver a good Internet service, but that doesn’t mean the mobile Internet works. It just means those with the knowledge, funds and patience can get a reasonable service.
‘What about .mobi!’ I hear you cry, which promises mobile device users a better, more reliable Internet experience via sites ending with a .mobi domain. These sites are designed specifically for the smaller screens and other restraints of handsets.
Great, an excellent idea, but there is a suggestion that this development, although useful, is too late to capture the technical innovation on the web.
If the mobile Internet is to be seen as a success it needs to move beyond the few and provide a service for the masses. This maybe where it went wrong in the first instance, as the masses weren’t ready for it, but it is a different proposition today.
So back to 3’s new service, they say:“Why should you pay per minute, per message, per click, per megabit? In the real world, you buy your PC, pay for broadband and that’s it. Our principle is simple – X-Series customers will only pay a flat access fee on top of their basic subscription and then what’s free to use on the Internet should be free to use on mobile broadband”.
Hear, hear - let’s hope it works!
It will be interesting to get the first batch of consumer feedback on 3’s service and see how competitors react.
