3G is the latest mobile phone standard to emerge, following on from the launch of the digital-based GSM standard in the 1990s.

The technology enables a new generation of video phones to transmit and receive data faster than currently possible. This will pave the way for the launch of a whole range of video, gaming and business mobile applications.

When is it available? Vodafone Ireland will launch Ireland's first consumer mobile 3G service next week in time for Christmas, although it is understood handsets will only become available later in November.

O2 says it plans to launch its own 3G service sometime during the first quarter of 2005, while Meteor has no current plans to deploy this type of technology.

The new entrant in the Irish market "3" has given no date yet for its consumer 3G launch.

Is 3G the next big thing? During the dotcom bubble in 2000, mobile operators spent about €130 billion acquiring 3G licences in Europe. But technical problems and the cost of rolling out new networks have delayed the launch of the services.

Some analysts say new standards such as Wimax may make 3G redundant in a few years.