Having had 3G data cards availible in Europe for several years , and the 8707v 3G blackberry, 3G isnt going to make that much difference to the average business BlackBerry user. None of my colleagues who have had the 8707v have had their lives changed, or even noticed the speed difference. No-one has knocked down my door to say they have to have a 3G blackberry so they can watch business video or browse faster.
Maybe the 3G iPhone will finally be the 3G killer device that makes consumers use 3G. Our networks have long been trying to persuade their customers to download soccer video clips to recoup the fortune they paid in the 3G licence auction (and it takes a lot of video clips to pay back $44bn.)
The benefits of a 3G smartphone for business users will be:
1) A 3G tethered modem (without having to pay gor a separate 3G modem)
2) Cheaper calls (particularly international) with VOIP
However will the networks give these away easily if they take away other revenue?