Ibrahim Dabo interviews Pier Luigi Giganti—International Billing Programme, Head Of Balance Manager, Provisioning And Mediation, IT Development – H3G Italy.
While responding to questions, the telecom guru and former OSS Design Consultant for Hutchison 3G UK talked exclusively about Hutchison 3G and its services, the difference between the Third Generation Mobile services and that of the present technology, and the influence the technology will have on sport.
This interview, published on Ibrahim’s first website in January 2003, was republished on this site in 2009.
IBRAHIM DABO: What basically is the difference between Third Generation Mobile services and the present technology today with Mobile phones?
PIER LUIGI GIGANTI: The main difference relates to the breadth and the quality of services that 3G/UMTS will provide. For the customer it will be a total new experience with high quality data and video services being available anywhere and at any time. You will be able to talk to your friend who is located in another continent and you will actually see him/her. On the screen of your terminal, you will be able to watch news broadcasts, music and goal video-clips, to locate the closest restaurant in a town you are visiting.
In terms of development of this kind of phones, do you see H3G taking the technology to say, an African country for a pilot country like say, South Africa which plans to host the 2010 World Cup?
Very much so as I believe there is enormous potential and interest in African countries. However, penetration of 3G services in this area will also depend on the arrangements in place for granting UMTS licenses in such countries.
What will be the main marketing attraction, using football to be the main flagship of this kind of phone?
Football and sports will be key driving of the H3G services as a H3G customer will be able to watch goals and highlights of a football match only seconds after they happen. It will be like being at the football ground while being miles away 🙂
Which countries do H3G plan its coverage of services when been launched?
H3G will provide its service in Italy, UK, Sweden, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Austria, Denmark and later on Ireland, Israel and New Zealand.
Can we say this company`s technology has more advantage than traditional Internet access?
The key advantage is that you will not be constrained by specific locations and wired access, but you will be free to roam around and still get similar if not better services as if you were sitting at home in front of your pc.
With football being one of the main flagships of this new product, are there any plans for development strategies to improve the quality of the game in countries you will operate in?
H3G have acquired rights to broadcast on the 3G videophones matches of key football clubs around the world (Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter, etc.). This has implied huge investments in the football arena, which will ultimately favor the progress of this sport.
Do you think video clips broadcast will be accessed very fast using these handsets, will the weight of the phones be light?
The throughput allowed by the UMTS technology will be much higher, at least 50 times, than the one permitted by conventional 2G/GSM terminals. It will be a new brand experience and the weight of the hand-sets will be broadly comparable with the current mobile phones.
How do you see this new product revolutionising soccer worldwide?
It will help making football an even more global affair than it currently is, it will enable sharing of goal videos among friends, it will satisfy the thirst of the football lovers around the world.
Technology has contributed a lot to the development of football worldwide. Do you think with H3G`s new phones, the Premiership league could be made more popular in Latin America and the USA for instance, where the Premiership is not watched as much as the Spanish Liga or Serie A?
It will certainly enable a wider circulation of football clips around the world, but I do not believe that tastes will be altered. Hence, I believe that Latin Americans – just to give you an example – would still privilege flair and skill rather than agonism.
What are your last words for us?
I would like to thank you, Ibrahim, for allowing myself to share my 3G excitement with you, your friends and the visitors of this site. I would also like to congratulate you for the principles of friendliness, camaraderie and mutual trust that are sponsored by this web site.
Related Links:
Hutchison 3G UK
H3G Italy
> Click Here to return to IB’s Blog Home Page
> Click Here to return to Ibdabo.com Home Page
