HELSINKI, Finland—Denmark’s TDC has blamed “technical problems” for its decision to delay the launch of its third-generation (3G) mobile-phone network in Switzerland.
The launch, which had originally been scheduled to take place in 2002, will be postponed until 2003 “at the earliest” confirmed Kim Frimer, chief executive officer (CEO) of TDC Switzerland.
U.S.-based SBC Communications, is the biggest international shareholder in TDC, with 42 percent.
“The UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) standard used in the networks is not stable, the quality of the handsets is not satisfactory and the capacity in the batteries is too low,” said Frimer.
In a separate announcement, TDC confirmed that it had also applied for postponement of its 3G rollout in Poland.
According to Frimer, TDC will need to see “substantial demand” from customers in Switzerland before its invests in a UMTS network. “TDC will not lose sleep if the launch is postponed until 2004,” he said.
“Swiss regulators have indicated that a postponement would be accepted if the conditions to launch were too adverse, which they are,” said Frimer.
The winners of four Swiss UMTS licenses—market leader Swisscom, France T
