Globally, there are currently more than 500 3G network commitments and over 300 Wimax and LTE announcements, according to a study by ABI Research. This equates to more than 2 billion of the world's population being covered by high-speed data networks. While many networks in US and Europe are working towards complete coverage for 3G services, some mobile operators in other regions find themselves tangled up with government bureaucracy, which impedes progress in upgrading the network technology, says the researcher. ABI Research estimates that nearly 82 percent of the population in Western Europe is currently covered by 3G networks, while about 12 percent of Asia-Pacific's population has access to 3G services. 3G coverage in the Asia-Pacific region is set to rise in the next few years as Chinese and Indian operators such as China Unicom and Bharti Airtel begin rolling out new data networks, notes the researcher. Network sharing has became more common in a number of mature markets. For example, French mobile operator SFR will be sharing the rural build-out of its UMTS network with Orange France and Bouygues Telecom. Meanwhile, T-Mobile and Orange UK have formed a joint venture called 'Everything Everywhere' in a bid to share costs and spectrum.
