BT's launch of first 3G service stalled

BT has been forced to delay the launch of what it hoped would be the world's first commercial 3G network by at least three months because of a software fault with NEC handsets.

"Yes, we've decided to push back the launch of the 3G network until the end of summer or early autumn," confirmed BT spokesman, Simon Gordon.

BT had planned to launch the 3G service in the Isle of Man on May 31 through its subsidiary, Manx Telecom, but a bug in the integrated software of NEC's handsets has forced the U.K. telecoms giant to reschedule.

"There is a problem that occurs between the base station and the handsets which NEC couldn't fix before the launch at the end of May," Gordon said.

Specifically, when a mobile phone user moves between base stations, the connection is automatically cut off. BT and NEC are working together to solve the problem as quickly as possible, added the spokesman.

Last month, Japan's largest cellular telecommunication carrier, NTT DoCoMo Inc. pushed back the launch of its 3G services until October due to similar problems with the NEC technology.

According to various published reports in the U.K., NEC dragged its feet in fixing the bug by the end of May because of intense pressure from DoCoMo, which is leaning on NEC to make sure the Japanese-based company wins in the competition to launch the first commercial 3G service. BT's Gordon dismissed the speculation.

"Those reports are not correct and there is no spat between BT and NEC," he said.

When BT and Nokia last week announced the successful completion of their first trial of 3G, BT insisted that was on schedule to launch its Isle of Man 3G services at the end of May. "We only found out just recently that the bug could not be fixed in time for that launch," Gordon said.

"We will still be the first company to launch 3G in Europe and possibly the first in the world to launch 3G," he added.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.