Arrival Of 3G Mobiles Will See Data Surpass Voice Traffic In Europe, Says Strategis
The next generation of wireless services in Europe will herald a dramatic shift from voice traffic to data services, according to forecasts from Strategis Group released this month.
These next generation technologies (3G technology) are predicted to create a flourishing demand for data-led services. As a result the number of ‘data switches’ installed throughout the 39 European countries on the survey is set to rise from the 34 of mid-2000 to 2,111 by mid-2005. By contrast, the number of active voice switches is forecast to peak at 553 in 2003.
Source: Strategis Group, April 2002
Data services from 3G wireless devices are set to include video communications with connection speeds of 64kbps (the average dial-up modem speed is 56kbps). Data may be downloaded at up to 384kbps and computer files such as GIF and JPEG images and MIDI music files can be attached to text messages. Phones will also have access to the internet.