Negroponte slams disastrous 3G bonanza

Internet guru, Nicholas Negroponte, has accused the UK government of mortgaging its children's future by pricing third generation (3G) mobile technology out of the range of most consumers.

Negroponte - an MIT professor and author of zeitgeist prediction 'Being Digital' - said countries all over the world envy the UK Treasury's £22.5bn windfall. However, he argued that with a base cost of approximately £1,000 per user, 3G technology is now economically untenable and out of the reach of average consumers.

He said: "I cannot tell you how disastrous that auction was, in terms of the impact it will have on the Internet and consumers. France and Germany want to do the same. Spain and Scandinavia - who gave it away for free - are kicking themselves. It sets a precedent that is truly not economically supportable."

The people who arranged the auction are not 'digital', he added, and now they'll force the nation's young people to live without the latest digital services.

Negroponte said that with British consumers unable to afford 3G, they will rely on lesser technologies like GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) instead, possibly making the investment of the licence holders pointless.

UK e-envoy Alex Allen dismissed the claims. He said the high cost will mean competitive pressure on licence holders to roll out services quickly.

Allen added: "The £23bn will be used to reduce the government debt and that will help the economy. That will mean a saving forever of £5bn per year."

Negroponte was speaking at an ihavemoved.com event.