Just another WordPress weblog

As we wait patiently here in the U.S. for T-Mobile’s 3G network (December 6 has come and gone), the company is busy working on their 3G network overseas. They’ve combined forces with 3 (yes, the company is called, simply, 3) to enhance the quality of service and coverage areas for both companies. They are dubbing it the “world’s largest known active 3G network sharing agreement.”

This does not mean, though, that the two companies are merging, or anything of that sort. They’ll still handle their voice networks separately, as they will all other aspects of their respective businesses, except for the 3G portion.

It’s speculated that the shared agreement will allow the carriers to provide data access cheaper. The hope is that they pass the buck to the consumer. There is also mention of “environmental benefits,” though there is no elaboration to those claims.

“Network sharing has the potential to change the economic model of operators and make a reality of high-quality, high-speed mobile broadband - better, faster and more economically than could otherwise be achieved,” said Martin Garner, Director of Wireless Research at analyst group Ovum.

Now, we know that U.S. carriers are stubborn and overly competitive. However, with Verizon moving towards LTE, a GSM technology, we wonder if we, as wireless consumers, would be better served if they combined efforts on a network. We suppose that this joint venture — which runs through 2031 — will provide a test case.

[Network World]

Share on Facebook | Add to De.licio.us | Digg This! | Technorati