Three 3G Phone
Three (officially 3) is a mobile telecommunications brand currently operating nine networks throughout Asia, Europe and Australia. It has over 15 million subscribers worldwide and more than 1.7 million in Australia, making it the fourth largest telecom operator in the country. Unlike market leaders Optus and Telstra, it focuses solely on mobile services and the Three 3G phone service, which is currently its flagship offering.
Company History
Three Australia was launched in 2003, with the Three 3G phone service as its first major product. The Three 3G phone network was the first in the country. Coverage was initially limited to Sydney and Melbourne, but only two months later, the Three 3G phone and other services became available in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and the Gold Coast. By 2006, coverage had risen up to 56% with the Three 3G phone service spreading to Frankston, Geelong, and Wollongong. An agreement with Telstra allows users from non-covered areas to use the Three 3G phone service by roaming on Telstra's network, allowing the Three 3G phone network to offer up to 96% coverage despite being far behind the market leaders.
The Three 3G phone network
The Three 3G phone service pioneered 3G technology in Australia, having arrived a good two years before its competitor, Vodafone. However, its early years were met with much criticism, with Three 3G phone subscribers complaining of roaming issues, handset problems, and limited coverage. The complaints even reached government regulating bodies, although investigations of the Three 3G phone system failed to prove a performance problem. The issues have greatly hindered the spread of the Three 3G phone service, but improvements are under way and the Three 3G phone has been fully functional since 2006.
The Three 3G phone subscribership further increased with the closing of the 3 CDMA network in August 2006. Most of the subscribers of the short-lived service were moved to the Three 3G phone network after being offered special incentives and tariffs for continuing their subscriptions.
The Three 3G phone network aims to provide affordable rates for services that are at par with the market leaders. One of the milestone improvements in the Three 3G phone system is the activation of High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA). A standard feature in modern 3G phones, HSDPA allowed the Three 3G phone service to achieve download speeds of up to 3.6 Mbits/second.
Features of the Three 3G phone program
Planet 3 is an information portal designed to work with Three 3G, offering all sorts of content from sports and entertainment to news and stock prices. Three 3G phone subscribers enjoy full access to Planet 3 and all of its services, although some features may require specific phone features and paid subscriptions. These include:
- Live TV: Lets you access a wide range of TV programs from supported channels right on your Three 3G phone. This may require a subscription to the mobile TV service and a TV-enabled handset.
- Online Communities: Programs social networking communities such as Facebook, MySpace, Moko, and various blogging platforms into your Three 3G phone, so you can stay in touch anytime. Not all handsets may be compatible; check with your local dealer for available units.
- M-Cards: Lets you design and create your own e-cards to send (via MMS) to friends and family. You can use photos from your phone camera and even add music, video and other media. Standard MMS charges may apply.
- Live news: Feeds live news from around the world into your Three 3G phone via major news networks. You can get them via SMS, email, or mobile browsing, depending on which formats are supported by your handset.
