Which came first, the Era or the Plus?
Polkomtel, the operator of the Plus GSM mobile phone network, has launched commercial 3G services as of last Thursday. "We are the first to offer such services on the Polish market. We have opened a new chapter in telecommunications," declared Polkomtel president Jarosław Pachowski.
But wait. Era PTC began offering 3G (or UMTS, as it is also called) on August 23, over a week earlier, with PC chips given out to select corporate clients including Coca-Cola, Softbank, as well as many individuals for market testing. So, Mr. Pachowski: who really "opened the chapter," Era PTC or Plus?
Well, technically, that would have to be Era, whose website proclaims, "PTC is the first telecom operator in Central and Eastern Europe to provide UMTS," although competitor Plus GSM can certainly boast of being the first to offer its clients both the data transmission and the voice and video-voice services. Era, meanwhile, currently offers only the PC/laptop chips, which provide users with wireless high-speed Internet access at the 3G level (really,relly fast) while in Warsaw, and seamlessly switches to the next available rung of service when moving outside the city limits.
In fact, Poland can now count itself among only 20 countries in the world to offer 3G service. Whether it's the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to have it, though, is debatable, as a service in Slovenia is said to have beaten them to the punch. But it's exciting news nonetheless.
"The technology is invisible to them-we present to them one, single, secure mobile access," says Andrzej Ochocki, the head of Era PTC's UMTS project. Thus, he explains, they focus on the services and on creating a superior customer experience.
And based on those select 3G users that the Journal was able to track down, the experience has been quite positive.
When asked whether he could notice a difference, one IT worker at Coca-Cola, "For sure. If you compare GPRS [what they would otherwise use] and this, the difference is enormous." He goes so far as to say that the speed is incredible, and explains that the high-speed wireless access supplied by the card-given to him by Era PTC to use in his laptop-allows him to work from home as if he were in the office, checking office emails as well as accessing databases. And no plugging in, of course, which means he could use it in the car while driving to work (although not the brightest idea, perhaps). He says this is the first time they've been this mobile with their Internet needs.
Ochocki stresses that, once they announce the commercial launch-when customers will have to start actually paying for the service-it will not be a "premium" service for a small, closed group. They want to appeal to a broader audience. He says they will aim to have transparent pricing-so that people will understand what they are paying for, with several payment plan options to choose from.
As part of the UMTS license, the 3G network should geographically cover at least 20 percent of Poland's population by 2007. It stands to reason then that both Era PTC and Plus GSM will move on from Warsaw to other high-density population centers.
"A great stride forward is being made on the road to building an information society in Poland," proclaimed Bogusław Kułakowski, president of PTC's management board.
And while Era PTC says that the available mobile handsets that might be used for streaming video-conferencing and voice-transmission are not up to snuff with their quality standards, they will be available soon-within a matter of weeks, according to Ochocki. Which better come fast if they want to catch up with Plus GSM.
But wait. Era PTC began offering 3G (or UMTS, as it is also called) on August 23, over a week earlier, with PC chips given out to select corporate clients including Coca-Cola, Softbank, as well as many individuals for market testing. So, Mr. Pachowski: who really "opened the chapter," Era PTC or Plus?
Well, technically, that would have to be Era, whose website proclaims, "PTC is the first telecom operator in Central and Eastern Europe to provide UMTS," although competitor Plus GSM can certainly boast of being the first to offer its clients both the data transmission and the voice and video-voice services. Era, meanwhile, currently offers only the PC/laptop chips, which provide users with wireless high-speed Internet access at the 3G level (really,relly fast) while in Warsaw, and seamlessly switches to the next available rung of service when moving outside the city limits.
In fact, Poland can now count itself among only 20 countries in the world to offer 3G service. Whether it's the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to have it, though, is debatable, as a service in Slovenia is said to have beaten them to the punch. But it's exciting news nonetheless.
"The technology is invisible to them-we present to them one, single, secure mobile access," says Andrzej Ochocki, the head of Era PTC's UMTS project. Thus, he explains, they focus on the services and on creating a superior customer experience.
And based on those select 3G users that the Journal was able to track down, the experience has been quite positive.
When asked whether he could notice a difference, one IT worker at Coca-Cola, "For sure. If you compare GPRS [what they would otherwise use] and this, the difference is enormous." He goes so far as to say that the speed is incredible, and explains that the high-speed wireless access supplied by the card-given to him by Era PTC to use in his laptop-allows him to work from home as if he were in the office, checking office emails as well as accessing databases. And no plugging in, of course, which means he could use it in the car while driving to work (although not the brightest idea, perhaps). He says this is the first time they've been this mobile with their Internet needs.
Ochocki stresses that, once they announce the commercial launch-when customers will have to start actually paying for the service-it will not be a "premium" service for a small, closed group. They want to appeal to a broader audience. He says they will aim to have transparent pricing-so that people will understand what they are paying for, with several payment plan options to choose from.
As part of the UMTS license, the 3G network should geographically cover at least 20 percent of Poland's population by 2007. It stands to reason then that both Era PTC and Plus GSM will move on from Warsaw to other high-density population centers.
"A great stride forward is being made on the road to building an information society in Poland," proclaimed Bogusław Kułakowski, president of PTC's management board.
And while Era PTC says that the available mobile handsets that might be used for streaming video-conferencing and voice-transmission are not up to snuff with their quality standards, they will be available soon-within a matter of weeks, according to Ochocki. Which better come fast if they want to catch up with Plus GSM.
