Dallas was the test bed for the network. Mr. Ritch Blasi, spokesman of AT&T Wireless, said, "Dallas was our No. 1 laboratory and our current progress is several months in advance of our initial plan."
If successful in its rollout, AT&T Wireless will be one of the first companies to successfully commercialize 3G services. 3G networks failed to attract large numbers of consumers in Japan, due to high service charges and expensive hardware prices. In the United States, the terminal that enables the 3G services is priced at $299.99, while the necessary modem goes for $149.99. High-speed Internet services via mobile phone are $24.99 per month; for electronic notebooks and laptop computers, they cost $79.99 a month.
CEO Danny Briere of TeleChoice Inc, a consulting firm, points out, "By presenting services in the four cities, the company has began to lure consumers, but still there is not much indication of enormous volume".
Korea's IT corporations that have been waiting in the wings for the proper moment to enter the 3G market, will need to prepare firm bases if they are to achieve market penetration, now that AT&T Wireless has begun services.
Source: Dallas Morning News
