Sir
02's results ("O2 delivers with maiden dividend", 15/16 May) demonstrate that restricted handset choice has limited 3G uptake. To date operators have been unable to provide 3G customers with the choice, quality and visual appeal that existing GPRS and GSM handsets provide. Subsequently their ability to penetrate the 3G market has been hampered.
Device manufacturers in Asia are seizing the opportunity. These rising stars are providing attractive designs that are more advanced and more suited to consumer needs than their more prominent Western counterparts. 02's decision to recruit an Asian device manufacturer to develop its new 3G handset is testament to the lack of choice available to operators.
With consumer expectations set by existing GPRS and GSM handsets, clearly the future of 3G lies wih handset manufacturers. Operators must demand diversity if they are to open lucrative data markets and reap the rewards promised by 3G.
