Jersey Telecom will be launching the Island’s first 3G mobile service on June 1st 2006.
The move is part of a £12 million investment programme that will see Jersey Telecom upgrade its �core’ mobile network over the next twelve months, bringing customers the very latest in mobile voice and data services.
3G mobile technology is essentially �broadband’ for mobile devices and allows users to transfer data at speeds that rival a fixed line broadband connection. This means that customers can access a whole new set of services while on the move, including person-to-person video calling and high speed mobile internet access.
The new 3G network will be delivered in phases, with the service intially being available to pay monthly or �contract’ subscribers first. A version for �pay-as-you-go’ mobile users will be delivered soon after.
The first sites to be commissioned will be in St Helier and from there, the service will be rolled out across the Island throughout the rest of the year. Jersey Telecom will deliver its 3G network by upgrading the equipment on its existing mobile sites, although a small number of new sites will be needed to ensure complete coverage.
Any customer with a 3G capable handset and a postpaid (contract) 3G SIM will be able to take advantage of the new technology. Person to person local and pan-Channel Island video calls will initially be charged at the same price as normal voice calls and the cost of using data will be the same as at the moment, with the exact charge being determined by the tariff a customer chooses to use.
Jersey Telecom’s sister company in Guernsey, Wave Telecom, has been operating a 3G network for over two years and the launch of the service in Jersey will create the first �pan Channel Island’ 3G network covering Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm.
Tim Ringsdore, Jersey Telecom’s sales and marketing director said: “We’re delighted to have 3G services up and running in Jersey. Although we’ve been a 3G operator for over 2 years through our sister company Wave Telecom, the JCRA only issued 3G licences in Jersey at the end of last year. Since then, we’ve worked extremely hard to develop our new 3G service and the £12m that we’re investing will bring our customers a whole new mobile experience.”
To coincide with the launch, Jersey Telecom will be promoting the very latest 3G handsets and are offering to upgrade customers �SIM’ cards to new 3G enabled SIM’s free of charge. Mr Ringsdore added: “Our SIM cards have been 3G capable since 2004 but we know that some customers will still have the older 2G SIM cards in their phones. Anyone who would like to take advantage of 3G services and needs a new SIM card will be upgraded for free, they simply need to come into our shop in Minden Place or visit one of our authorised dealers.”
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