3G chiefs beg for help to get roll-out going

With Britain's 3G subscriber base not yet even close to hitting the much-publicised one million mark and the aftershocks of a costly bidding war still being felt, it's no wonder that European telco bosses are looking for a helping hand to get 3G going – and they're hoping that hand will be proffered by the EU.

The chief execs of several major telcos from across Europe – including the heads of BT, Deutsche Telekom and France Télécom among others – held a summit in Brussels yesterday, where they asked EU information commissioner, Erkki Liikanen, to adopt a more lenient approach to regulations, encourage broadband content and stimulate take-up of the network, according to the Financial Times.

One such request from the telco heads includes reviewing licence conditions, saying that delays in some regions had made market conditions particularly harsh. The 3G licence holders also asked for industry consolidation, possibly leading to the exchange of assets or customers –restricted under the current licences.

The executives said that the purchasing of 3G licences cost them a princely sum of €110bn, with the roll-out itself costing them almost the same again – and they've seen a mere €12bn back for their troubles.

The 3G operators may have to wait some years yet for their cash cow to deliver – a report released this weekpredicted that the third generation revolution won't be kicking off until at least 2006.