After much postponement, India is finally on the 3G map of the world as Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Limited (MTNL) kick-started 3G services in Delhi today.

The state-owned telecom operator even has a name for the new service, and it's not mere 'MTNL 3G.' They've christened it as (c'mon, hold your breath!) MTNL 3G Jadoo.

In case you're wondering, we're not kidding about the name.

This being a soft-launch of 3G Jadoo, initially, only some parts of Delhi would have access to the service. Currently, the areas being covered are: Connaught Place, Sanchar Bhawan, Rajaji Marg, India Gate, Pragati Maidan, Delhi Gate, and Minto Road.

So, if you have a phone that supports 3G, and needless to say, an MTNL connection with GPRS activation, take a walk around the areas listed and see if the 'E' or 'G' (that denotes connectivity) on your phone turns to 3.5G!

In case you're curious to know about the speeds being offered, connect your phone to your notebook to find out.

MTNL is not charging extra for the service introduced today as it wants its customers to get a feel of 3G's capabilities. Eventually, there will be a commercial tariff plan announced, and the registration will start after the commercial launch -- a couple of months from now.

Mumbai too will have a similar soft-launch for MTNL's 3G services two months hence, says J. Gopalan, executive director, MTNL (Mumbai).

He adds, "The first phase would include trial services to be offered in areas between the Airport and Prabhadevi. The second phase would include South Bombay."

State-owned telecom operators MTNL and BSNL have the first-mover advantage to offer 3G services in India. With Delhi services commencing today, Mumbai will follow suit in two months' time. Chennai too will get to experience 3G services in January 2009 through BSNL.

Sooner or later (MTNL plans to offer 3G services across India by mid-2009), our countrymen will be able to surf the internet with speeds up to 2Mbps on their smart phones.

MTNL will be installing 15 lakh 3G lines in the first phase of its 3G roll-out in Mumbai and Delhi (which currently have 35 lakh existing mobile lines).

Now that it's finally happening, if you live in Delhi or Mumbai, do you plan to get yourself an MTNL connection just to get a taste of high-speed internet on your smartphone?

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