Good morning 3G!

These were the first words I was greeted with on the morning of Friday 7th April after the new Our Telekom 3G network went live. It was indeed a special moment for the company and the craze for 3G data services has already begun among the business community.

I have been fortunate to be among the very first in the company to try out the new service because I had been asked to join the Marketing department and act as the technical focal point and amongst some of my responsibility is the task to test the service.

Testing included trying out the new 3G handsets our Sales Department had purchased 4 of which were Nokia handsets and 3 HTC phones. The one I am using to write this post is the HTC Tattoo. Personally, I think it is a great phone but the same experience is also available on the Nokia 5230.

In this job I have flown to Auki and Gizo to demonstrate the capabilities of the new network. People were most impressed with the ability to seamlessly connect to the internet on the mobile network. The product that got most attention was the USB dongle I had used to connect my laptop to the internet.

The 3G experience itself has been rewarding but most customers are simply happy that they are able to call and connect. Many simply do not recognize the potential to revolutionize business practises in the Solomon Islands. We have provided the infrastructure, it is up to the community to be innovative and utilize the data service to its full potential.

Finally, this post was begun under the shades of the eucalyptus trees at Henderson International Airport then completed at home, Vavaya Ridge. That is merely scratching the surface of what promises to be another telecommunication revolution brought to you by Our Telekom.