From next weekend 3's 3G phones will be available in 1,000 British stores. It has deals with Carphone Warehouse Group, Dixons Group, and Phones 4U. The Hutchison Whampoa company, Europe's first 3G mobile phone operator, first got its 3G handsets in British shops in mid-March. The increased retail presence coincides with an extension of its introductory half-price offer for handsets by a month, until the end of April, a 3 spokesman said according to Reuters. Although Hutchison's Italian 3G operator had signed up 50,000 users by March 20, the UK venture had only 10,000 subscribers to its name by that date. Hutchison owns 65 percent of 3 UK, while NTT DoCoMo holds 20 percent and KPN 15 percent.
