Yahoo & Three getting into bed

Link: The Mobile Technology Weblog: 3 and Yahoo! Form Twosome in UK.

Apparently, this will be the first time 3 customers have had an open view of the Internet on their devices. Now that’s what I call leading edge.

I look forward to seeing exactly what the offering comprises. I would imagine it’s rather difficult to give access to Yahoo’s services without giving access to the open internet. Stranger things have happened.

I’ll reserve judgement. There’s far too many vapourwear press releases going round. Everyone seems to be taking a lead from the British Government’s ‘headline first, action later on,.. maybe’ approach.

From the press release itself.

Key services that will be available to consumers on 3’s global network include

‘Global’ is a little bit strong a word, isn’t it? CNN is ‘global’. Hutchinson operates in 10 markets with a population coverage of 175 million, most of which are customers with other networks.

The arrangement will use Yahoo!’ expertise in transcoding online content for mobile devices to allow 3 customers to surf the entire world wide web from their handsets for the first time.

I wonder if I will be able to download a java applet from BuddyPing, for example, and use that service? Or will they be expending a heck of a lot of energy blocking us from actually having open access to the web?

They could be such an exciting company, 3, but for the various little things that really annoy people.

The first services will launch in the UK this summer, with the intention to launch thereafter in 3 Group’s key European and Asia-Pacific markets including Italy, Ireland, Austria, Sweden, Denmark and Australia and on Hutchison Telecommunications International in Hong Kong and India. The companies will jointly market the services on the Yahoo! and 3 networks.

Well I am interested and possibly … possibly just MAYBE a little mini-bit excited.