"Published on the BBC Archive YouTube channel, the video is called "Will 3G mobiles take off?" and it originally aired on television in the UK in 2002. This was a year ahead of the wider rollout of 3G and centered on the initial tests taking place on the Isle of Man at the time. It's somewhat poignant because over the last couple of years, 3G (and 2G) has been phased out as networks switch over to 4G and 5G."
"Journalist Paul Mason explains to the ordinary person what benefits a 3G phone will bring: Good luck with that on a 128 x 160-pixel resolution screen. Does marketing like this sound familiar? Of course. One of the prime benefits pushed for 5G was the ability to download those "full length feature films" in a few seconds. T-Mobile's 5G splash page still puts this as a selling point today, stating a full 8K movie would arrive in six seconds over a 20Gbps 5G connection."
A 2002 Isle of Man trial involved about 200 people testing early 3G phones, showcasing markedly different device designs and uses. Calls and SMS remained primary but were beginning to decline as data capabilities became central to the technology's promise. Marketing emphasized data-heavy features such as watching and downloading full-length films despite small-screen resolutions. Similar high-bandwidth promises resurfaced during 5G promotion, including ultra-fast delivery of 8K movies. Network operators sought new revenue-generating services to recoup infrastructure investments while legacy 2G and 3G networks were later phased out in favor of 4G and 5G.
Read at Android Police
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